Weekly News highlights

Dana Cario, a German teenager studying English in Malta, was stabbed and badly wounded in a robbery in a Gzira street yesterday week.

Ms Cario, who was coming to the end of her three-week stay in Malta, had to undergo an operation on Sunday and missed her plane back to Germany.

The 19-year-old student was being hosted by Daniela Grech, who said the girl's attacker put a knife to her neck, slit her right wrist and punctured the fourth finger of her left hand to steal her camera.

On Thursday morning, a 23-year-old Australian student was slightly injured in another robbery in Gzira. The robber held the girl at knifepoint, close to the residence of her host family, and demanded her handbag. The police said the girl was "accidentally grazed" as the robber tried to cut the handbag strap.

Driver killed in accident

Nicholas Vassallo, 26, of Ghaxaq, died in a traffic accident halfway along Tal-Barrani Road, limits of Zejtun, on Monday night.

The man was driving a Fiat Bravo along the stretch of road towards St Lucija when the car crossed over the centre strip and crashed into a Fiat Stilo on the other side of the road. After the impact, the Bravo ended partly under a truck parked nearby.

Mr Vassallo was rushed to hospital where he was certified dead on arrival. The driver of the Stilo, Joseph Pace, escaped unharmed but his wife, who was a passenger, suffered fractured ribs.

Tuna farm claims Lm1 million damages

A court issued a warrant of prohibitory injunction on Monday to stop a vessel from leaving Malta after a tuna farm company filed an application claiming the 93-metre-long vessel had caused about Lm1 million worth of damage when it collided into a fish farm.

Mare Blu Tuna Farm Ltd asked the First Hall of the Civil Court to prohibit the MV Coral Water from leaving Malta. Mr Justice Valenzia upheld the request and issued the warrant.

Tourist not on danger list

Danish Perhylaft Petersen, 69, who was seriously injured when he was hit by a car while crossing Il-Mediterran Street, Valletta, on Tuesday, is no longer on the danger list.

Mr Petersen, who was holidaying in Malta together with his wife Crethe, 67, who also suffered various fractures, was rushed to hospital with serious head injuries.

Injured worker dies

Dominic Abela, the 34-year-old construction worker from Birzebbuga, critically injured in a fall in St Catherine Street, Qrendi, on August 22, died in hospital on Monday.

More GWU resignations

About 250 of the General Workers Union's 364 port workers have agreed to resign and set up a new house union.

Port workers' foremen have already left the GWU and joined the Union Haddiema Maghqudin.

During a heated three-hour meeting at the St Sebastian parish hall in Qormi on Wednesday afternoon, port workers decided they would register a new union.

A day after the entire executive committee of the GWU's maritime and aviation section, including section secretary Emmanuel Zammit, resigned, the port workers' meeting was held behind closed doors. Joe Saliba, former section president, told reporters workers had decided to quit because of the union's administration interference which undermined the section's work and autonomy.

The workers had also decided that Dr George Abela, former Malta Labour Party deputy leader and former GWU legal adviser, would be their consultant in a new union.

In yet another blow to the GWU, secretary of the services and media section, Karmenu Vella, stepped down on Friday, accusing the union administration of surpassing "all imaginable limits" of abuse of power over the past weeks.

Mr Vella is the third section secretary to leave in under a month, following public service secretary Josephine Attard Sultana, who was sacked last month, and Mr Zammit.

Speaking to The Times on Friday, GWU deputy general secretary Geitu Mercieca said the administration was prepared to seek a vote of confidence at a national congress "after explaining the facts and events as they happened over the past years".

Animal protection foundation to be set up

A Foundation for the protection of animals is expected to be set up "as soon as possible" and a centre for animal welfare built in Ta' Qali, Environment Minister George Pullicino said on Wednesday when presented with a petition signed by 40,000 people.

The petition - to be presented to Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi - called for an around-the-clock animal ambulance service, an animal hospital and better enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act.

Delay in euro entry

Ratings Agency Fitch has revised Malta's forecast for the euro adoption date to 2009 from 2008 as the country grapples with rising inflation.

Inflation will have to fall "very rapidly" in the coming months if Malta is to have a chance of meeting the required criteria, Edward Parker, head of Fitch's Emerging Europe Sovereign Group in London, told The Times.

The Monetary Policy Advisory Council said on Thursday it was worried by recent inflation trends, particularly rising food prices.

Mr Parker said that for four successive months, Malta's inflation rate has exceeded the required criteria, and that the position needed to improve drastically before a final evaluation is made next April.

Fuel surcharge goes up

The price of unleaded petrol and lead replacement petrol has gone down by 0c4 as diesel increases by 0c3 per litre, as from last Thursday, the government said.

An increase in fuel surcharge on electricity, up from 62 per cent in July/August to 63.5 per cent for September/October, was also announced.

Girl remains asleep on flight to Sofia

Air Malta is continuing its investigation into the case of a Bulgarian teenager on an Air Malta flight who slept through landing in Sofia and returned to Malta on the same aircraft last Monday week. She had to pay again for her one-way flight to Sofia, where her parents had already withdrawn her luggage.

The teenager, Maria Illieva, 17, was travelling alone and fell asleep on the plane, only waking upon the plane's return to Malta, Reuters reported.

Air Malta on Friday said that the flight KM784 was a combined operation departing Malta to Istanbul and on to Sofia, finally returning to Malta.

Air Malta said it will investigate the matter further and will be in contact with the passenger.