Weekly News highlights

Kevin Caruana, 30, of Qormi, who was charged with arson on Wednesday, pleaded not guilty to damaging a car and a motorbike and the façade of two Valletta apartments and a garage door on Sunday.

The blaze was reported on Sunday at 3.30 a.m. and a number of families in St Nicholas Street, Valletta, were evacuated as a precautionary measure.

Caruana was granted bail against a Lm200 deposit and a personal guarantee of Lm2,000.

More illegal immigrants

The search for an illegal immigrant who disappeared as a group of Africans were being transferred to an army vessel on Sunday night, was called off by the Armed Forces on Monday.

Another two immigrants - two young men - died during the rescue operation on Sunday. Weary and evidently in shock, the survivors - 24 men and two women - were brought ashore on Monday morning.

A three-day old baby who survived without any sustenance, was among 55 illegal immigrants who landed in two different groups in Malta early Tuesday morning.

The mother and child are recovering at St Luke's Hospital, though they are both in good health. The woman had given birth to the child while on board the craft. The immigrants on board the first group of arrivals claimed they had been at sea for seven days.

Another 54 illegal immigrants landed on Wednesday in two separate groups of 27 each.

One group - 25 men and two women - was rescued about 40 miles southwest of Malta. by the AFM, who were conducting routine patrols as part of the Frontex operation Nautilus II. The second group, which included four women, was escorted from the harbour entrance of Marsaxlokk to Wied il-Buni, near the Freeport, where the migrants were handed over to the police.

A nine-month-old baby accompanied the arrival of the first of three groups of illegal immigrants on Thursday.

In the meantime, there were unconfirmed reports that a boat with 25 illegal immigrants had disappeared in choppy waters between Malta and Libya.

Three groups reached Haywharf on Thursday - nine at 10 a.m., 20 from the same boatload at 10.45 a.m. and another 28 on Thursday night.

The first group from Ethiopia and Somalia said they left Libya about three days ago before their 15-foot boat started taking in water some 60 miles south of Malta.

Some were in a poor state of health as they disembarked.

Malta has appealed for the swift resumption of the EU border patrols - with the added participation of Libya - as operations ended on Friday.

Four charged with assault

Four men were charged with threatening and assaulting several police officers. Tunisian Ziyad Fathali, 25, and Libyans Massoud Issa Scihab Musbah, 20, and Mahmud Aid Ali Mohamed, 23, pleaded not guilty to threatening and assaulting seven officers in Bugibba and later at the Qawra police station early on Monday morning.

They were granted bail against a personal guarantee of Lm1,000 each.

Joseph Axiaq, 39, of Zurrieq, also pleaded not guilty to threatening and assaulting several police officers in Zurrieq on Sunday afternoon. He was granted bail against a personal guarantee of Lm500.

Riccardo Muti to chair Music Academy in Malta

World renowned Italian conductor Riccardo Muti will be honorary president of the Mediterranean Music Academy to be set up in Malta. This was announced by Culture Minister Francis Zammit Dimech at a press conference in Rome on Monday.

The music academy promises to be "one of the country's most important cultural projects, and a moment of national satisfaction and pride". It is expected to attract a host of big names in the international music scene to conduct high-profile master classes and other initiatives for local and foreign musicians.

The academy, to be housed on the site of the historic Bighi naval hospital, is expected to start operating by October 2008, starting with a series of master classes by members of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.

Mro Muti will be in Malta between August 29 and September 5 to conduct a series of musical events to introduce the project.

316 Presidential pardons in 10 years

A total of 316 Presidential pardons were granted over the past 10 years for traffic contraventions, hunting and trapping offences, fines for school absenteeism, seizure of shotguns, driving licence suspension but, mostly, VAT-related offences.

Most of the pardons were issued under this administration over the past five years. Since 2003, in fact, 243 pardons were granted. In 1997, under a Labour government, 35 pardons were issued. Four pardons were granted in 1998.

Two years for armed robbery

Simon Cassar, 28, of Valletta, was jailed for two years after he admitted to carrying out an armed robbery at the Eurosport shop in Birkirkara last year.

Lm750,000 for voluntary organisations

Social solidarity Minister Dolores Cristina presented close to Lm750,000 to a number of voluntary organisations working in the social sector. This was over Lm60,000 more last year.

Lm335,000 would be going for the sector catering for people with disabilities, Lm210,000 for organisations involved in the drug sector, and Lm132,000 to Gozitan voluntary organisations.

October Budget

Government intends to present its 2008 budget by mid-October, Parliamentary Secretary Tonio Fenech said on Friday.

Mr Fenech was addressing social partners at the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development in the first meeting following the publication of the pre-budget document yesterday week.

Lm15 million more in income tax revenue

The shortfall between recurrent revenue and total expenditure in the first half of the year stood at Lm75.7 million, Lm1.6 million higher than the shortfall reported for the first six months of last year, the National Statistics Office said on Friday.

An increase of Lm12.2 million in total expenditure was in part offset by an increase of Lm10.6 million in recurrent revenue.

Income tax revenue rose by Lm15.1 million in the first half of the year.

Record crowd at Isle of MTV show

Spanish heart-throb Enrique Iglesias, Maroon 5, and R&B sensation Akon attracted tens of thousands of mostly young people at the Granaries, Floriana, on Thursday.

The Isle of MTV show, to which admission was free, will be shown on the music channel in September.

The crowds danced in the summer heat, as the organisers sprinkled water in the front rows to keep temperatures under control. Local singers Ira Losco, Winter Moods and dee jays Tony Toni, Pierre Cordina, Roby, Miss Roberta, Joseph Armani and J Joy also performed in the concert.

Senegalese-American hip hop singer Akon on Friday arrived in a silver Mercedes at the Marsa Open Centre, where he was mobbed by the immigrants who live there.

Clowns arrested for fooling around

Two professional Brazilian performers were marched to the police station on Thursday and Friday respectively as they performed in the hustle and bustle of Valletta's Republic Street.

The Projeto Rodamundo & Teatro Brucaliffo clowns were brought over for the Malta Arts Festival, which kicked off last week.

A spokesman for the Arts Council was shocked at this reaction, though there are conflicting reports as to what temporarily landed one particular clown in police detention for three hours.

Police were called in by passers-by who felt they were being harassed by the clowns.

Elison Oliveira, one of the clowns, said he probably landed himself in trouble after he jokingly made a rude gesture with his finger to a policeman while pulling a face.

The clowns will be performing around Valletta's streets until Tuesday.