Weekly News highlights

An autopsy held on Monday on the 29-year-old man found dead in a field in Zurrieq on Sunday showed he was killed by a single shot from a firearm, the police said. The police have ruled out foul play.

The man was found lying beside a shotgun soon after he was involved in a shooting incident in which Clayton Sciberras, 19, of Zurrieq, was seriously injured.

Sciberras is still recovering from injuries to his face and shoulder, which he received when he was shot at following a car chase along Blue Grotto Avenue, Zurrieq, early on Sunday morning.

The car chase took place after a minor collision between two cars and ended with shots being fired at the car occupied by Sciberras and some friends.

The dead man's body was found later that same morning.

Hunters propose sweeping changes

Hunters want to be allowed to catch their prey closer to habitable areas, according to a request the hunters' federation had to submit to the Ornis Committee on Tuesday.

In a document seen by The Times, the Federazzjoni Kaccaturi, Nassaba u Konservazzjonisti (FKNK) will say that the 200-metre limit for hunting from residential areas should be reduced to 100 metres, claiming "the country is getting smaller".

The FKNK also suggests that the federation itself should appoint marshals to report illegal activities directly to the hunters' board that may, at its own discretion, decide to pass on the report to the police.

It also suggests that the Ornis Committee should become more balanced and shouldn't shoulder certain responsibilities. For land hunting, the FKNK wants the season to be open from August 20 to January 30, as well as a short spring season to hunt for turtledove and quail, and that hunting at sea be permissible after 1 p.m. on Sundays and public holidays.

The FKNK also asks for trapping to be allowed after the end of 2008 and wants to eliminate the need for a licence to anybody who wants to become a taxidermist. It also suggests that it be permissable to stuff birds that are unprotected in their country of origin.

Burden sharing proposal

Foreign Minister Michael Frendo on Monday called on EU foreign ministers meeting in Luxembourg to accept Malta's proposal for the 27 member states to share responsibility for persons saved from the search and rescue areas of non-EU states.

While everyone had a responsibility to save people at sea, the issue remained as to which country was to accept migrants once they were rescued, he said.

In the last three weeks, the Armed Forces of Malta rescued 340 illegal immigrants in 13 incidents at sea, the minister added.

Second lowest number of workers on minimum wage

Malta has the second lowest number of workers on a minimum wage in the EU, according to Eurostat statistics published on Monday.

Eurostat said that, in 2005, the number of Maltese workers receiving only the statutory minimum wage for their work stood at 1.5 per cent of all the people employed. The only other member state in a better situation is Spain where only 0.8 per cent of workers are on a minimum wage.

Ramla permit

The Malta Environment and Planning Authority's Audit Officer, Joe Falzon, had criticised the procedure that led to the waiver of an environment impact assessment for the controversial Ramla l-Hamra project, which was recently given the go-ahead by the MEPA board.

The auditor's report, which was drawn up in February last year but not made public, was released to The Times on Tuesday after an official request.

Environmental NGOs have been crying foul over the way a permit was granted to build a tourist complex at the site of Ulysses Lodge overlooking Ramla l-Hamra in Gozo without an EIA.

The document criticises the presence of a member of the authority's board, Leonard Callus, at a meeting between MEPA officials and the developer during application stage. It also bashes the authority for failing to justify and make public its justification for the waiver as required by law. The authority, in effect had no formal justification for the waiver, the report notes.

In its reaction to the report, MEPA insisted it had justified the waiver.

Government said on Wednesday it did not believe it should interfere in the issue. However, it said it reserved the right to decide whether to launch an inquiry at a later stage into MEPA's decision to issue the permit.

The environmental organisation Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar said the only thing that the Environment Minister and Prime Minister could do to confirm their credibility was to order an inquiry.

First woman dean

Valerie Sollars has become the University of Malta's first woman dean after being appointed to the post within the Faculty of Education for the next four years.

When contacted, Dr Sollars said she will lead the faculty in meeting the challenges of an ever-changing educational landscape.

She will take up the post on July 12 and plans to strengthen the faculty's role in areas outside compulsory schooling, including pre-school, youth and community, adult education, and non-formal education.

€44 million shopping mall to open in 2009

A €44 million (Lm19 million) shopping and retail centre in Sliema will be up and running by spring 2009, bringing together a number of businesses, including the first Debenhams store in Malta.

Although Midi plc and UK's Miller Developments, which are building The Point, have not yet started to market the 46 retail units, over 60 businesses have already expressed interest in opening shops in the mall.

Just off Piazza Tignè, Sliema's largest open public square, The Point will be accessible both from Qui-si-Sana or the Ferries through the town's main arterial route.

Phoenicia sold to Irish buyer

Le Méridien Phoenicia has been sold to Irish investor Hewston Hospital by Starwood Hotels.

It was sold as a going concern, to be maintained as a hotel. The sale was handled by Christie+Co of London.

The five-star hotel in Floriana was built in 1947 and is surrounded by the 16th century bastion walls of Valletta, set in a seven-acre site. It was remodelled in 1993. The hotel was put up for sale at the end of last year.

Malta backed for euro at EU summit

Malta's adoption of the euro was endorsed on Thursday, as expected, by EU leaders at the two-day EU summit in Brussels.

Malta's entry into the Eurozone in January was the first item on the agenda, prepared by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, as head of the German Presidency of the EU.

The short discussion was followed by unanimous approval from the member states. Cyprus was also given the green light.

500 to be charged over marine licences

The Police intend pressing charges against about 500 people in connection with a scandal in which Malta Maritime Authority officers are suspected of accepting bribes in return for issuing mariner licences, police sources said on Thursday.

The arraignments could take place in the coming days. Almost all the suspects have been questioned by the police economic crimes unit over the past month.