Weekly News highlights

Vincent Zerafa, 29, of Mosta, was found dead in his bedroom by his mother on Sunday morning. Sources said Zerafa had attended a drug rehabilitation programme in the past. Some heroin was found in the apartment, together with items related to drug abuse.

Journalists denounce cowardly intimidation

Journalists and media people on Sunday reaffirmed their fundamental right to freedom of expression in the face of recent arson attacks while presenting the Prime Minister with a petition calling on the authorities to give priority to the matter before it precipitates further.

The petition, signed by about 60 people from the local press, comes in the wake of the latest arson attacks on the residence of columnist Daphne Caruana Galizia and MaltaToday editor Saviour Balzan.

Addressing the press outside the Prime Minister's office in Valletta, Karl Schembri, spokesman for the Journalists' Committee, which organised the event, called on the Prime Minister to ensure that freedom of expression is guaranteed and journalists are protected from "cowardly criminals" whose only aim is to stifle the democratic process.

Maltacom share transfer deal signed

The Government on Monday gave the go-ahead for the sale of its 60 per cent stake in Maltacom to Tecom Investments of Dubai, the company behind the SmartCity @Malta project, in a €220 million (Lm94.4 million or Lm1.55 per share) deal.

The deal with Tecom Investments was formally signed at the Mediterranean Conference Centre in Valletta on Wednesday.

Woman dies of suspected overdose

Jane Gatt, 42, died on Monday afternoon shortly after she was admitted to hospital and in spite of medical intervention. She was found unconscious at her residence in Mikiel Anton Vassalli Street in Hamrun and taken to St Luke's Hospital.

The police are treating the case as a suspected drug overdose because of the woman's history of drug abuse.

Ecstasy found in soft toy

London-Born Rita Bugeja, who resides in Qormi, was remanded in custody on Monday after being charged with drug trafficking.

The 49-year-old was accused of importing 5,000 Ecstasy tablets on May 13 and with conspiring to import drugs.

The woman was allegedly caught by drug squad police and customs officers after a scan of her luggage revealed there were drugs in a soft toy.

The woman had just arrived from London on a British Jet flight.

Libyans charged with rape

Two Libyan Men - Nader Abdulaziz Elgerian and Hasan Mohammed Ahmed, both 26 - were charged with illegally holding and raping two Swedish young women, Sandra Vikstrom and Teresia Williams, on Monday.

The two Swedish women described a horrific ordeal of assault and rape at the hands of the two men on a beach in the early hours of Sunday.

The two Libyans were further charged with violent indecent assault, theft and causing slight injuries to the women.

Report identifies more oil potential off Malta

A new report for London-based Mediterranean Oil & Gas has confirmed oil exploration prospects in three areas within 'block 7 south' of Malta and identified more potential in other acreage held by the company, raising the estimated standard stock tank oil initially in place (STOIIP) to 3.29 billion barrels.

RPS Energy, which conducted the revised prospect inventory, said it identified an additional six prospects based on interpretation of the regional seismic grid.

Three French firms to set up shop in Malta

Three French firms in the aviation, pharmaceutical and import/ export sectors are to set up shop in Malta in the coming months, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said on Tuesday at the Maltese embassy in Paris, where he was on a two-day visit.

Dr Gonzi said Malta stood at the crossroads between Europe and North Africa, stating that this led to many advantages, among them the efficiency and flexibility of the Maltese.

Heroin charge

Jason Busuttil, 31, of Birkirkara, on Tuesday was charged with the possession of 12 grams of heroin with the intent to sell. He pleaded not guilty.

ANR launches campaign against illegal immigration

The Republican National Alliance (ANR) launched a full-scale, long-term national campaign against illegal immigration on Wednesday - a series of events that will kick off with a demonstration in Valletta on June 5.

Air Malta voluntary redundancy scheme

Air Malta launched a voluntary redundancy scheme for its employees on Wednesday, following extensive consultations and negotiations with the four unions representing Air Malta's employees: the Airline Pilots' Association (Malta), the Association of Airline Engineers, the General Workers Union and the Union of Cabin Crew.

The redundancy scheme will run for four months and is open to employees having a minimum of seven years permanent employment with the airline. Eligible employees can choose between two schemes.

The airline has set up a help desk for employees needing further information on the scheme.

TV reunion lands man in court

Jason Pace, 31, who was brought to Malta from Canada to be reunited with his mother on Mother's Day during Tista' Tkun Int, ended up in court after a man to whom he owed money recognised him while watching the TV programme.

Pace was arraigned on Wednesday and charged with the misappropriation of Lm2,500 to the detriment of Joseph Camilleri from whom he had bought a car several years ago.

Pace admitted to the charge and was conditionally discharged for two years. He left the courtroom and headed straight to the airport to catch a flight home, which he himself had paid for.

Harsher penalties for racial crimes

A Draft Bill proposing amendments to the Criminal Code aims to make crimes of a racial nature subject to harsher penalties.

The Bill, announced on Thursday, defines the term racial as including not just colour or creed but also crimes committed against a person assisting others of different beliefs.

Speaking at a press conference, Justice and Home Affairs Minister Tonio Borg explained that if, for example, a case of arson is committed against someone assisting immigrants and it is proved that the attack was motivated by racism, the punishment would be harsher than a mere case of arson.

Two jailed for theft

Two men - Charles Cutajar, 42, of Marsascala, and Malcolm Brian Mercieca, 20, of Kalkara - were jailed for six years between them on Thursday after they admitted to stealing cash and other items from four establishments over five months.

Magistrate Giovanni Grixti jailed Cutajar for two and a half years and Mercieca for 18 months.

He also ordered that the two-year suspended jail term that had been given to Mercieca come into effect, bringing his total jail time to three and a half years.

Army rescues 50 migrants

A group of around 50 illegal immigrants were rescued by the Armed Forces of Malta on Friday afternoon. The immigrants arrived at the army's maritime base in Haywharf, Pietà, on board a patrol boat at 1.30 yesterday morning.

The army said its operations centre at Luqa barracks was informed by the Rescue Co-ordinating Centre in Rome at 10.36 a.m. that a rubber dinghy with about 50 people on board was reported adrift by an Italian fishing vessel.

The AFM despatched an Islander spotter plane to the area to monitor the situation. Patrol boat P51 was ordered to proceed to 80 nautical miles south of Malta to rescue the migrants.

Melita Cable to unblock aerial transmissions

Melita Cable plc on Friday was ordered to immediately stop exercising any rights over Italian television stations' transmissions that could be freely received by viewers in Malta who owned a television antenna.

The ruling, effective for three months, was delivered by the Commission for Fair Trading following a request by the director of the Office of Fair Trading for interim measures in respect of Melita.

The commission was composed of the chairman, Magistrate Silvio Meli, and two members, Carmel Farrugia and Lino Briguglio.

Motorist cleared of daughter's manslaughter

Anthony Caruana on Friday was cleared of involuntarily causing the death of his 16-year-old daughter, who died when the car they were in skidded and crashed against a wall on the coast road on their way to a family dinner on Christmas eve 2001.

Europa Nostra adopts Malta Declaration

A Malta declaration advocating the right balance between economic development, sustainable tourism and heritage conservation has been adopted by Europa Nostra at its annual congress in Malta, which was chaired by Prince Henrik of Denmark.

The Cultural Tourism Forum, which attracted more than 200 delegates from 26 European countries, was the highlight of this year's congress, organised in co-operation with Din l-Art Helwa and with the support of the European Commission.

Human skull found on seabed

A diver got the shock of his life on Friday morning when he spotted a human skull on the seabed off Bahar ic-Caghaq.

The 59-year-old diver from Naxxar was diving for urchins in the area known as is-Sikka s-Safra at about 9 a.m. The skull was brought ashore by Civil Protection Department divers.

Charged with garage fire

Robert Hudson, 20, of Birkirkara, on Friday was charged with setting fire to a Birkirkara garage on Wednesday afternoon in the first arraignment following a spate of arson attacks over the past weeks.

Hudson pleaded not guilty to wilfully setting fire to the garage in John Borg Street, located in such a way that the fire could have spread to an adjacent building where a person was present at the time.

Magistrate Abigail Lofaro turned down a request for bail and recommended to the prison authorities to ensure Hudson be given his Methadone.