Weekly News highlights

WorldMatch Ltd has become the first online gaming system to receive a legal authorisation from the Maltese government, which has promoted new regulations in this area, making online gaming operators subject to controls and providing users with a form of protection.

The man behind WorldMatch is Gianni Corradini, a professor of Economics and International Relations at the University of Trieste and managing director of Euroadvice EEIG (Brussels).

Marriages of convenience to become a crime

Marriages of convenience are to become a crime, Justice and Home Affairs Minister Tonio Borg said in Parliament on Monday. He was reacting to a call by Labour MP Josè Herrera for such legislation in view of evident abuse which, he said, had contributed to a sharp increase in the number of marriage annulment cases.

The remarks were made at the end of the debate on a bill to amend the Refugees Act. The bill introduces arrangements to expedite the processing of applications for refugee status. The bill was unanimously given a second reading.

Woman to be charged over daughter's abuse

A 45-Year-old Mosta woman, whose name cannot be published by a court order to protect her child, on Wednesday was charged with mistreating and abandoning her six-year-old daughter.

The girl was rescued on Monday evening by Civil Protection personnel and police officers from the house where her mother lives with her partner. Sources said neighbours have been filing complaints about the girl's case for several months. In January she had been taken away by social workers but the girl somehow ended back with her mother and her ordeal continued.

Neighbours told the police the girl often spent hours locked in the balcony or outside the house. It was not the first time neighbours lowered food and drink to the girl in a bucket on seeing her locked in the balcony for hours on end, the sources said. When the police arrived on Tuesday and no one opened the door, Civil Protection personnel were called in and Natalino Bezzina abseiled down and found the girl in a filthy room full of cats.

Art and antiques stolen

About Lm100,000 worth of antique furniture and paintings were stolen from a house in Main Road, Zebbug, the second time the house has been burgled in the space of a few months. The items belong to Michael Zammit Gauci.

The Zammit Gaucis discovered their house had been burgled yesterday week but the theft could have taken place between May 8 and 15, as the family do not reside there. Some of the items stolen included a chest of drawers and a large Biblical painting, worth about Lm40,000 each, several small paintings, a Tal-Lira clock, a coffee table and twin commodes.

A member of the Zammit Gauci family told The Times that whoever broke into the house knew exactly what was inside as only specific items were removed. A sum of money is being offered as a reward for information leading to the recovery of the stolen items. One may contact the police on 2122-4001 or the Zammit Gauci family on 2133-4289.

MTA budget cut by Lm500,000

The government has decided to cut the Malta Tourism Authority's budget for 2005 by Lm500,000, a decision the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association described as "sheer madness".

"To add insult to injury, the government has also cut Heritage Malta's funds by Lm350,000 - almost 30 per cent of their total budget," MHRA president Winston Zahra, said on hearing the "highly disappointing" news.

The Finance Ministry said on Thursday the MTA budget cut would not affect marketing as only the operational and administrative expenditure would be reduced.

30 years for double murder

Dominic Bonnici, 44, on Wednesday was jailed for 30 years after pleading guilty to the murder of Gerald and Josephine Grima, an elderly couple from Sta Lucija, on February 10, 2000.

New Zealand PM's visit

New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark was in Malta on Wednesday for talks with Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi, with whom she signed a working holiday agreement. Ms Clark, who also called on President Fenech Adami and met Opposition Leader Alfred Sant, was on her way to Italy to attend events marking the 60th anniversary of the battle of Cassino.

While in Mlata she laid a wreath at the Pietà military cemetery, where New Zealand servicemen who served with the ANZACs at Gallipoli are buried. She also met Maltese businessmen at the Chamber of Commerce and Enterprise.