Weekly News highlights

The European Commission last week said it found no evidence that EU law was violated when the upgrading of the Sant'Antnin recycling plant in Marsascala was given the go-ahead. Under the EU treaty, the Commission has powers to control whether or not obligations under Community legislation have been correctly observed.

Issues like the choice of location of individual projects in member states and the detailed arrangements for consulting the public fell under the exclusive competence of the national authorities and the Commission did not have the power to intervene.

Woman stabbed father 'in self-defence'

Analise Galea, 21, on Monday was remanded in custody after pleading not guilty to the attempted murder of her father Paul in their Birkirkara home early on Sunday morning. She was also accused of inflicting grievous injuries on him and carrying a knife without a licence.

The mother of two, a part-time dishwasher, claimed she returned home from work to a drunken father who grabbed her by the neck. After the incident, she left the house with her children and went to the police.

GRTU loses bid to block IT tenders

Mr Justice Geoffrey Valenzia on Monday dismissed two applications filed by the Malta Chamber for Small and Medium Enterprises (GRTU) and Tabone Computer Centre Ltd against the government and Malta Information Technology and Training Services Ltd (MITTS). They requested the court to prohibit the authorities from finalising or adjudicating the tenders for the leasing of personal computer/laptops and workstation support services to schools and the civil service.

Mr Justice Valenzia said that if the warrant were to be upheld, the prejudice that would be caused to the authorities would be disproportionate to any prejudice the GRTU would suffer if the warrant were not issued. Also, Tabone Computer Centre had not been deprived of its right to file a tender, but had been in the same position as others who wanted to tender.

P29 scuttled off Cirkewwa

The Armed Forces of Malta's decommissioned patrol boat, the P29, on Tuesday was scuttled 170 metres off Cirkewwa between Cirkewwa Point and Lantern Point at a depth of about 35 metres. The vessel, which is 62 metres long, 7.2 metres wide, and 16 metres high, is one of a series of wrecks for divers in the area which includes the popular Rozi.

Possession of firearms

Noe Catania, 34, of Mqabba, on Wednesday denied possession of two sawn-off shotguns and a sub-machine gun, among other items, which police seized from his hometown on Tuesday. He was also charged with conspiring to carry out a hold-up and with the theft of a vehicle. He was remanded in custody.

Charged with injuring elderly woman

Paul Costa, 39, of Msida, was charged on Wednesday with seriously injuring an elderly Irish woman on Tuesday. He denied the charges and was granted bail against a personal guarantee of Lm1,000 and on condition he called at a police station daily.

Childcare centre at Mater Dei

A two-level day care centre is to be constructed at Mater Dei Hospital after the Prime Minister intervened in the matter, it emerged last week, following a meeting between the Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses and the Prime Minister. The centre will be close to the staff entrance and the staff restaurant, and has access to a courtyard for a play area. It is away from hazardous areas and will cater for between 30 to 60 children.

31 arrested over drugs

Thirty-one people aged 16 to 42, including four Russian women, were arrested in connection with possession of Ecstasy, cocaine or cannabis on Wednesday, most of them after attending a party on the outskirts of Rabat, the police said. Eighteen of those arrested were held by the Drug Squad, 13 by the Armed Forces.

Mystery surrounds Suha Arafat's sojourn

The status of Suha Arafat, who is in Malta, was still unclear last week. The widow of former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and her daughter Zahwa, 12, had been living in Tunisia since Mr Arafat died in 2004, but Tunisia suddenly revoked Ms Arafat's citizenship.

Ms Arafat, who is here with her daughter and other relatives, including her mother Raymonda and her brother, Jubran Taweel, the Palestinian ambassador to Malta, entered the country with her Tunisian passport, which is no longer valid.

It has been suggested that her dispute with the Tunisian government is linked to her alleged secret marriage to Bilhassan Tarabulsi, whose sister is married to Tunisian President Zein El-Abidin Bin Ali. Ms Arafat has reportedly denied the claims.

Talks resume on nursing aides' dispute

Government and the General Workers Union on Thursday resumed talks over the nursing aides' dispute, holding a 90-minute meeting. Industrial action by nursing aides, health assistants and care workers was called off last Tuesday for the talks to go on after a 12-day period during which staff were only carrying out food-related duties in hospitals and homes for the elderly.

The GWU is insisting that nursing aides should be put on wage scale 13, and has issues with their roster and their allowance.

Man found dead

A 52-year-old man was found dead in a residence in Carmel Street, Sliema, by his brother on Friday morning. The man, who had been released from prison yesterday week, had been dead for two days and a syringe was found in the house. An autopsy is to be held and an inquiry is under way.

Emblem in candles

The 141 steps of St Ursula Street in Valletta shone on Friday night as 2,300 candles formed St Paul's emblem - a viper thrown into a bonfire. The initiative was part of the Valletta Romantika day in the Bank of Valletta Streets Alive series of Friday events.

St Ursula Street was lit up with candles with St John's and Sta Lucija streets. David Bonello, who was responsible for the design at St Ursula Street, had been working on the project with the Ghaqda tal-Pawlini and the Malta Tourism Authority for the past three months.

Visitors to Gozo increase

A total of 114,695 passengers crossed over to Gozo in the six-day extended weekend leading up to the mid-week Santa Marija holiday. Gozo Channel figures show a rise of 7,723 in the number of passengers who used the ferry between August 10 and Thursday over the same period last year. The number of vehicles went up by 1,306 to 26,603. A total of 458 trips were made, eight more than last year.

Man claims interference in judicial process

John Mary Chircop, 41, who is scheduled to be extradited to Australia over allegations of violent indecent assault and rape of a 14-year-old girl, on Friday filed an appeal claiming interference in the judicial process. He said correspondence was exchanged behind his back about his case. He argued that his right to a fair hearing had been breached by the magistrate presiding over the extradition proceedings.

Minister sues Sant for libel

Resources Minister Ninu Zammit on Friday filed libel suits against Opposition Leader Alfred Sant and the editors of One News and L-Orizzont. Mr Zammit said he felt libelled by Dr Sant in a speech last Sunday about the compensation he had received for a tract of land expropriated by Government.

Mr Zammit said that through the Land Acquisition Ordinance, on which compensation for expropriation is based, over 6,000 people have benefited since 1993 and over Lm36 million were paid.