Weekly News highlights

A stretch of land between Ghajn Tuffieha and Mellieha, known as Ix-Xaghra l-Hamra, has been earmarked by the government as "the ideal location" for the development of an 18-hole golf course, the Prime Minister said on Tuesday.

Covering about 112 hectares, the site includes the former Hal Ferh Holiday Complex behind Golden Bay, which Air Malta recently passed on to the government, as well as the area behind the five-star hotel being built by the Islands Hotel Group, past Manikata and extending to the outskirts of Mellieha.

MEPA said the area consisted of degraded agricultural land and garigue, so utilising it for a golf course would avoid losing fertile agricultural land somewhere else.

Charged with manslaughter

Paul Demicoli, 47, of Birkirkara, owner of a St Paul's Bay construction site, Paul Magro, 30, of Qrendi, director and employee of Asfaltar Ltd, and Kevin Bonnici, 29, of Birzebbuga, another employee, on Tuesday were charged with the manslaughter of Maria Dolores Zarb and Nadezda Vavilova on June 3, 2004, when an apartment block adjacent to the site collapsed.

They were further charged with causing the women's death through negligence, lack of professionalism and by failing to observe regulations and safeguard people's safety.

Demicoli and Magro were also charged with failing to evaluate health and safety risks on the construction site. The three men pleaded not guilty to all charges and were granted bail against a Lm400 deposit and a personal guarantee of Lm2,000 each.

Influx of immigrants persists

Another 26 illegal immigrants landed in Malta on Wednesday morning bringing the total of boat people who have landed on our shores this year to 473. A group of 29 also landed in Birzebbuga early Tuesday morning and Malta's over-stretched facilities are now struggling to cope. Twenty-seven claimed to be from Sudan and the other two said they were Eritrean.

Wednesday's 26 migrants, all males, were escorted to the Armed Forces of Malta maritime headquarters in Haywharf in Pietà by members of the AFM. Twenty-four were from Sudan, one was from Eritrea and another from Palestine.

Steven Spielberg shooting film in Malta

Oscar-winning director Steven Spielberg is in Malta to shoot the as yet untitled film that was originally scheduled to be filmed last summer.

The production is wrapped in a shroud of secrecy due to its sensitive subject matter - the terrorist attack during the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich - but sources said filming started in Bugibba earlier this week. Other locations have not been disclosed.

The film is about the hunt for the Palestinian terrorists who murdered 11 Israeli athletes at the games. Starring in the film are Daniel Craig, who starred in Layer Cake and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, and Eric Bana, whom we've seen as Hector in Troy.

Spielberg's latest epic, War of the Worlds, is about to be released shortly in Maltese cinemas.

Charged with inciting racial hatred

A magistrate on Thursday started hearing evidence in two separate cases against Norman Lowell, leader of the far-right movement Imperium Europa, who is charged with inciting racial hatred.

In the first case, Mr Lowell was charged over an article posted on the Website Maltafly.com in October 2002. In the second case, Mr Lowell was charged in connection with a public meeting held on January 22 this year, soon after the incidents at Safi barracks during a protest by illegal immigrants.

18 years, Lm18,000 fine for cocaine pusher

Antonio Barbara, 29, of Mqabba, on Thursday was jailed for 18 years and fined Lm18,000 after he was found guilty in a trial by jury of trafficking in cocaine.

Jurors on Wednesday found Barbara guilty by six votes to three of trafficking in cocaine and of the possession of the drug in circumstances denoting it was not for his personal use on and before August 2000.

Barbara was cleared of the possession of heroin with the intent to sell but was found guilty of its simple possession and relapsing.

Libel suit

Former Freeport chairman Marin Hili on Thursday filed a libel suit against Labour MP Evarist Bartolo over an opinion piece in The Sunday Times, entitled "Wrecking Sea Malta", published on June 12.

Misappropriation charges

Notary Sandro Schembri Adami, 41, of Valletta, on Thursday was charged in court with the misappropriation of money (amounting to Lm4,475) two of his clients allegedly paid him for the stamp duty on documents on a property they were meant to buy.

Dr Schembri Adami pleaded not guilty.

Two more charged over heroin found in van

Angelus Vella, 52, of Cospicua, and Jason Said, 32, of Fgura, on Friday were charged with conspiring to deal in some seven kilos of heroin last month. Vella and Said pleaded not guilty. Silvio Buttigieg, 32, of Cospicua, was arraigned on June 8 and charged in connection with the same case.

Fitter wins Lm3,700 damages

Enemalta Corporation was ordered by Mr Justice Joseph Azzopardi, sitting in the First Hall of the Civil Court, to pay damages amounting to Lm3,700 to Anthony D'Anastasi, an employee injured at work.

D'Anastasi claimed he was employed as a fitter in the corporation's workshop.

He was injured on January 4, 2001, when his hand was cut by a circular saw/angle cutter that was not provided with a guard, resulting in D'Anastasi suffering from a five per cent permanent disability.