Weekly News Highlights

On Monday, two trade unions threatened to derail the privatisation of the Lotto Department unless the government and the shortlisted Greek bidder agreed to resolve a number of issues.

UHM and the Lotto Receivers' Union told the 192 lotto receivers at an extraordinary general meeting on Monday that, as things stood, the privatisation of public lotto would threaten their livelihood.

Finance Minister John Dalli said in Parliament that the lotto privatisation process was in its final stages and the government was working to reach agreement with the lotto receivers and Maltco Consortium, a subsidiary of the Greek company Intralot.

Poverty lower among better educated

Just under 15 per cent of the population, representing 57,380 persons, fell below the 'at risk of poverty' line in 2000, according to a survey by the National Statistics Office. The highest poverty rate, estimated at 79.1 per cent, was for persons living in households where social benefits (excluding pensions) were the main source of income.

For households where no one was working, the poverty rate stood at 39.6 per cent. For households where pensions were the main source of income the poverty rate stood at 25.3 per cent.

Injured parish priest dies

Luqa parish priest Fr Joseph Camilleri, 55, who was seriously injured in a fall at the parish centre on May 2, died on Monday. Fr Camilleri, who was from Qormi, tripped on some wood which was being used in maintenance work at the centre, and in his fall injured his head and ribs. He had been in hospital since then.

Anglu Farrugia files protest against tapping

Labour MP Anglu Farrugia on Monday filed a judicial protest against the Police Commissioner and the chairman of Maltacom plc. He declared that he had been informed that some Maltacom employees were clandestinely intercepting phone calls made on a telephone line registered in his name. He called upon respondents to carry out the necessary investigations, and held them liable for damages in case of default.

Bus strike lifted

The Public Transport Association, which represents bus owners, has decided to lift partial industrial action it had ordered following talks with the Malta Transport Authority. After three days of the service being suspended at 8 p.m., buses started running normally yesterday. The association said it met the authority on Friday in the presence of a mediator, Frank Pullicino, the director of labour, and they agreed that talks over outstanding issues would continue tomorrow.

Lm31 million in arrears overdue

The Finance Ministry and various revenue departments have instituted court proceedings to collect a total of Lm31 million in social security contributions and taxes overdue, according to figures given in parliament on Tuesday by Finance Minister John Dalli.

The minister said the ministry was taking action against 11 firms regarding overdue national insurance contributions which amount to Lm1.1 million. The Inland Revenue Department had instituted legal proceedings against 2,554 companies which owed it Lm23.8 million.

Builder injured in fall

A 55-year-old man from Naxxar fractured his ribs and pelvis when he fell a height of one storey in Qormi on Tuesday. The man was carrying out construction work, but the police said the cause of his fall was not clear.

Three years for attempted burglary

An Italian, Gianluca Torres, 30, who suffered head and leg injuries when he fell two storeys while trying to burgle two Swieqi houses last December, was jailed on Tuesday for a total of 36 months.

Italy wants Maltese citizen to be extradited

The Italian authorities have formally requested the extradition of George Cauchi, 44, of Tarxien for allegedly smuggling tobacco in Italy, Greece, Montenegro and England and for aggravated conspiracy between March 20, 1999, and October 15, 2001. The official request was presented during court proceedings against Cauchi on Wednesday.

Critically injured

Jean Agius, 57, of Attard, is in critical condition after he was involved in a traffic accident on the bypass close to the new hospital. Mr Agius crashed into a temporary barrier on Tuesday evening and had to be removed from the Volkswagen Polo he was driving by Civil Protection Department personnel.

Gozo court rules on Lm6,730 found in a sack

On Wednesday, the Gozo Court upheld a writ of summons filed by Michael Paul Lanzon and Joseph Vella against the Police Commissioner, the court registrar and the Attorney-General. In their writ, filed in 2002, plaintiffs claimed that on September 11, 1993, when they were still underage, they had discovered a sack containing Lm6,730 in an abandoned farmhouse in the limits of Victoria. Together with their parents, plaintiffs had handed over the money to the police station in Victoria.

The Police Commissioner was ordered to withdraw the money deposited with the court registrar and to publish the notices required by law.

Teenager dies in road accident

Marlon busuttil, 17, of Zurrieq, died on Thursday afternoon when the Honda 70 motorcycle he was driving crashed into a route bus at Kirkop.

18 years, Lm30,000 fine for importing heroin

Ibrahim Mohammed elaswed, a 28-year-old Libyan, on Thursday was jailed for 18 years and fined Lm30,000 after jurors found him guilty by eight votes to one of conspiring to traffic and import over 800 grams of heroin. He will be deported after serving time.

Mother stabbed in quarrel

Sandra Caruana, a 30-year-old mother of two, is fighting for her life after she was stabbed in the chest in a family quarrel at her home in Zejtun on Thursday morning. Her husband Paul, 32, is being held in connection with the incident.

British MPs' visit

Nine members of the European Scrutiny Committee of the House of Commons, led by its chairman, Labour MP Jimmy Hood, were in Malta on a two-day visit last week during which they met Home Affairs and Justice Minister Tonio Borg and a delegation from the Maltese Parliament.

The committee is visiting EU accession countries, and came to Malta after visiting Italy, which will hold the EU Presidency from July 1.

Court marshals deny theft allegation

The director-general and the registrar of courts and court marshals Frans Fenech and Michael Micallef filed a counter-protest on Thursday to deny claims by Carmela (Bella) Hili.

Ms Hili had claimed that a precautionary warrant of seizure issued at the request of Meli Car Rentals Ltd against her brother, Paul Hili, claiming payment of Lm1,491.2 had been irregularly executed by the court marshals and that the marshals had failed to list all the items they had seized from her home.

In their counter-protest, respondents claimed that the warrant had been correctly executed at the address given on the warrant and strongly denied allegations of theft.

Man critical after fall

Aaron Borg, 24, of Naxxar is in a critical condition after falling off a ladder in Bugibba on Friday. Borg was on a ladder working for Melita Cable on a new installation in Sacred Heart Street when he lost his balance and fell a height of two storeys, police sources said.

He first hit the canopy of a supermarket before landing on the ground. The police said he suffered serious head injuries and described his condition as life-threatening.

Electrician falls three storeys to his death

William Caligari, 59, from Sliema died on Friday after falling a height of around three storeys while working on the roof of a Valletta building. He was on a ladder working on cables of a commercial outlet in Strait Street when he lost his balance and fell. He died instantly.

New judge faced with 900 pending cases

Newly appointed judge Dr Joe Azzopardi, 48, expressed confidence that, with the co-operation of lawyers, he would be able to deal with the heavy workload resulting from the 900 pending cases before the First Hall of the Civil Court. He was speaking at his first official sitting after he was appointed to the Bench last month.

Shots fired in argument

Police are questioning a number of people following a heated argument which resulted in shots being fired at Ghadira early Friday morning. The police said no one was injured. Police sources said three people were involved in a heated argument over some fields behind the Luna Holiday Complex at about 6 a.m. At one point one of those involved fired a shotgun. No one was hit.

18 lapdancers arrested

Eighteen women from Russia, Bulgaria, the Ukraine and Belarus, aged between 19 and 29, were arrested by the immigration section of the police in raids at two nightclubs in Paceville and Bugibba on Thursday night. The police said the women - who were working as lapdancers - were in Malta without work permits.

Tourism earnings up

Tourism earnings in the first quarter this year were estimated at Lm43.3 million, an increase of 4.4 per cent over the same period last year, the National Statistics Office said on Friday. The NSO also released arrival figures for the first four months of the year, which were up by 2.2 per cent to 272,914 from 267,003 during the same period last year.