Sunday, 12 February 2006
Local elections
The Labour Party kick starts its local election campaign in earnest with a mass meeting in Hamrun during which Alfred Sant pledges stronger scrutiny of food and medicine prices if elected to government. Sant also pledges to solve the St Luke’s Hospital incinerator problem within six months of getting elected and to review taxation on the tourism sector.
Tax reform
Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi says government could consider tax reform as early as June, the deadline by when he expects a board of experts to submit a report on a review of taxation.
Prison escape
Algerian prisoner, Mahmoud Galou, 26, escapes from the Corradino Correctional Facility. Galou is awaiting trial over drug trafficking charges.
Bird flu
Bird flu hits neighbouring Italy as wild swans are found dead infected with the H5N1 virus. Maltese health authorities mull hunting ban but no immediate action is taken.
Monday, 13 February 2006
Hunting ban
Environment Minister George Pullicino announces a ban on hunting at sea in the wake of the discovery of bird flu in neighbouring Italy. A series of preventive measures are also introduced and include the disinfection of tyres on cars coming over to Malta from Sicily and the rounding up of all water foul in the various bays and inlets around Malta to be placed under one roof.
Broadcaster dies
Veteran broadcaster Charles Arrigo passes away at the age of 76. He falls ill while on assignment at PBS and dies soon after at hospital. Arrigo began his career in broadcasting in 1947 and his voice remains iconic in the country’s collective memory.
PN report
The daily l-orizzont exclusively reveals the contents of the Nationalist Party’s ‘secret’ report that analysed the European Parliament election defeat in 2004. The story is the first in a series of articles over the coming days divulging the analysis included in the report.
Sunday, 12 February 2006
Local elections
The Labour Party kick starts its local election campaign in earnest with a mass meeting in Hamrun during which Alfred Sant pledges stronger scrutiny of food and medicine prices if elected to government. Sant also pledges to solve the St Luke’s Hospital incinerator problem within six months of getting elected and to review taxation on the tourism sector.
Tax reform
Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi says government could consider tax reform as early as June, the deadline by when he expects a board of experts to submit a report on a review of taxation.
Prison escape
Algerian prisoner, Mahmoud Galou, 26, escapes from the Corradino Correctional Facility. Galou is awaiting trial over drug trafficking charges.
Bird flu
Bird flu hits neighbouring Italy as wild swans are found dead infected with the H5N1 virus. Maltese health authorities mull hunting ban but no immediate action is taken.
Monday, 13 February 2006
Hunting ban
Environment Minister George Pullicino announces a ban on hunting at sea in the wake of the discovery of bird flu in neighbouring Italy. A series of preventive measures are also introduced and include the disinfection of tyres on cars coming over to Malta from Sicily and the rounding up of all water foul in the various bays and inlets around Malta to be placed under one roof.
Broadcaster dies
Veteran broadcaster Charles Arrigo passes away at the age of 76. He falls ill while on assignment at PBS and dies soon after at hospital. Arrigo began his career in broadcasting in 1947 and his voice remains iconic in the country’s collective memory.
PN report
The daily l-orizzont exclusively reveals the contents of the Nationalist Party’s ‘secret’ report that analysed the European Parliament election defeat in 2004. The story is the first in a series of articles over the coming days divulging the analysis included in the report.
Tuesday, 14 February 2006
Exclusive rights
Melita Cable rolls out an extensive sports package for the year, which includes exclusive rights to broadcast the games for the Champions League and Formula One. The company also announces a reversal of the original decision over World Cup matches and now offers at least 21 games to its subscribers at no additional cost.
Pension reform
Lawrence Gonzi tells his European finance minister counterparts that government would be publishing draft legislation on pension reform by summer. He says an outline of the basic tenets of the proposed reform will be made public in a couple of weeks’ time.
Destroyed statue
An 18-year-old youth is charged with damaging a historic statue of Our Lady in Mgarr on Thursday night after a pig-out with friends. He pleads not guilty to the accusation of causing over Lm1,000 in damages to the statue. The youth was granted bail against a personal guarantee of Lm500.
Wednesday, 15 February 2006
Arrigo’s Funeral
Charles Arrigo is laid to rest as hundreds gather to pay their last respects to the man whose name became synonymous with Maltese broadcasting. Mass is celebrated at the Naxxar church.
Exam papers stolen
Police investigate the theft of examination papers from the Cospicua Junior Lyceum Giuseppi Despott. Three boys are being investigated after a student is caught in possession of an exam paper during the geography half-yearly exam.
Low cost airlines
At the Business Today breakfast meeting discussing low cost airlines, it is revealed that the Prime Minister will shortly be meeting a delegation from Ryanair. During the breakfast meeting, Air Malta Chief Operating Officer, Joe Cappello insists Air Malta is not against competition as long as there is a level playing for everybody. MIA CEO Peter Bolech says there is no obstacle for low cost airlines to operate from Malta but MIA cannot meet the strong demands for discounts requested by operators such as Ryanair and Easyjet because the airport cannot discriminate between different airlines.
The GRTU’s Vince Farrugia says Malta needs low cost airlines to boost a waning tourism industry. Both Minister Francis Zammit Dimech and MLP spokesperson Evarist Bartolo, while acknowledging the contribution low cost airlines can make to Malta’s economy caution against dependence on low cost carriers.
Thursday, 16 February 2006
Record profits
HSBC announces Lm36.7 million in pre-tax profits for 2005, an 11.7 per cent increase over 2004. The bank also announces an ordinary dividend of 19.1 cents gross per share and an additional special dividend of 21.1 cents. In 2005, HSBC forwarded a total of Lm19 million in dividends to shareholders.
Students charged
Three Form 5 students are charged in court with stealing exam papers from the school they attend in Cospicua. The students, two aged 16 from Fgura and Cospicua, the other aged 15 from Zabbar, are accused of stealing exam papers during the night between Saturday 11 February and Sunday 12 from the Guzeppi Despott Junior Lyceum.
Parents request damages
Parents of the five teenagers who died in a horrific car accident last year file judicial letters demanding they be paid damages from Antoine Cassar, 22, of Zurrieq who was the driver of the van. The letters are also addressed to Sean Briffa and Dorianne Farrugia, the driver and passenger respectively of the Subaru car allegedly involved in the accident.
Friday, 17 February 2006
Recycling plant
On the campaign trail in Marsaskala, Labour leader Alfred Sant reiterates his party’s position that it does not agree with a single central plant for the processing of all solid recyclable waste. He says Labour favours a limited number of smaller regional plants to process waste.
Roof collapses
The roof of a residential building in Xaghra collapses and injures a 25-year-old woman. She is taken to hospital suffering from serious injuries and is in danger of losing her life. The police are investigating the accident.
House fire
A fire breaks out in a Gzira residential building and temporarily traps a family of four and three foreign women. Civil Protection personnel are called on site to rescue the seven people. Although the individuals are taken to hospital none is injured in the accident.
Saturday, 18 February 2006
Factory fire
The Golden Harvest factory in Gzira goes up in flames at around 6am in the morning. No one is injured in the accident but the police evacuate employees of the factory and residents living in the vicinity. The police are investigating the fire.
Unruly students
The Malta Union of Teachers says that a meeting with the education authorities over school discipline is inconclusive with the union insisting on zero tolerance and harsher penalties against unruly students. The union says no solution was forthcoming from the education division but both sides agreed to stop the tit for tat in the media in the interest of the education sector.
Exclusive rights
Melita Cable rolls out an extensive sports package for the year, which includes exclusive rights to broadcast the games for the Champions League and Formula One. The company also announces a reversal of the original decision over World Cup matches and now offers at least 21 games to its subscribers at no additional cost.
Pension reform
Lawrence Gonzi tells his European finance minister counterparts that government would be publishing draft legislation on pension reform by summer. He says an outline of the basic tenets of the proposed reform will be made public in a couple of weeks’ time.
Destroyed statue
An 18-year-old youth is charged with damaging a historic statue of Our Lady in Mgarr on Thursday night after a pig-out with friends. He pleads not guilty to the accusation of causing over Lm1,000 in damages to the statue. The youth was granted bail against a personal guarantee of Lm500.
Wednesday, 15 February 2006
Arrigo’s Funeral
Charles Arrigo is laid to rest as hundreds gather to pay their last respects to the man whose name became synonymous with Maltese broadcasting. Mass is celebrated at the Naxxar church.
Exam papers stolen
Police investigate the theft of examination papers from the Cospicua Junior Lyceum Giuseppi Despott. Three boys are being investigated after a student is caught in possession of an exam paper during the geography half-yearly exam.
Low cost airlines
At the Business Today breakfast meeting discussing low cost airlines, it is revealed that the Prime Minister will shortly be meeting a delegation from Ryanair. During the breakfast meeting, Air Malta Chief Operating Officer, Joe Cappello insists Air Malta is not against competition as long as there is a level playing for everybody. MIA CEO Peter Bolech says there is no obstacle for low cost airlines to operate from Malta but MIA cannot meet the strong demands for discounts requested by operators such as Ryanair and Easyjet because the airport cannot discriminate between different airlines.
The GRTU’s Vince Farrugia says Malta needs low cost airlines to boost a waning tourism industry. Both Minister Francis Zammit Dimech and MLP spokesperson Evarist Bartolo, while acknowledging the contribution low cost airlines can make to Malta’s economy caution against dependence on low cost carriers.
Thursday, 16 February 2006
Record profits
HSBC announces Lm36.7 million in pre-tax profits for 2005, an 11.7 per cent increase over 2004. The bank also announces an ordinary dividend of 19.1 cents gross per share and an additional special dividend of 21.1 cents. In 2005, HSBC forwarded a total of Lm19 million in dividends to shareholders.
Students charged
Three Form 5 students are charged in court with stealing exam papers from the school they attend in Cospicua. The students, two aged 16 from Fgura and Cospicua, the other aged 15 from Zabbar, are accused of stealing exam papers during the night between Saturday 11 February and Sunday 12 from the Guzeppi Despott Junior Lyceum.
Parents request damages
Parents of the five teenagers who died in a horrific car accident last year file judicial letters demanding they be paid damages from Antoine Cassar, 22, of Zurrieq who was the driver of the van. The letters are also addressed to Sean Briffa and Dorianne Farrugia, the driver and passenger respectively of the Subaru car allegedly involved in the accident.
Friday, 17 February 2006
Recycling plant
On the campaign trail in Marsaskala, Labour leader Alfred Sant reiterates his party’s position that it does not agree with a single central plant for the processing of all solid recyclable waste. He says Labour favours a limited number of smaller regional plants to process waste.
Roof collapses
The roof of a residential building in Xaghra collapses and injures a 25-year-old woman. She is taken to hospital suffering from serious injuries and is in danger of losing her life. The police are investigating the accident.
House fire
A fire breaks out in a Gzira residential building and temporarily traps a family of four and three foreign women. Civil Protection personnel are called on site to rescue the seven people. Although the individuals are taken to hospital none is injured in the accident.
Saturday, 18 February 2006
Factory fire
The Golden Harvest factory in Gzira goes up in flames at around 6am in the morning. No one is injured in the accident but the police evacuate employees of the factory and residents living in the vicinity. The police are investigating the fire.
Unruly students
The Malta Union of Teachers says that a meeting with the education authorities over school discipline is inconclusive with the union insisting on zero tolerance and harsher penalties against unruly students. The union says no solution was forthcoming from the education division but both sides agreed to stop the tit for tat in the media in the interest of the education sector.
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