Sunday, 5 March

The Armed Forces continue with their search for nine immigrants believed to be lost at sea after the boat they were clandestinely travelling on capsized just off Ta’ l-Ahrax Point in Mellieha. A corpse of another immigrant was recovered from the sea while four others were rescued in the early hours of Saturday.
The immigrants had previously escaped from detention centres in Hal Far and Hal Safi and were hoping to make the perilous and illegal journey to mainland Italy.
Three Maltese men are held by the police during investigations into the drowning of an illegal immigrant on Friday night.
The suspects have no connection with criminals known to ferry illegal immigrants from Malta to Italy. It is believed they sold a 14-foot boat and two outboard engines to the immigrants.

Monday, 6 March

Resignation
Confederation of Malta Trade Unions (CMTU) President John Bencini resigns from his post after a mysterious fallout with another union. Bencini does not say why he resigned but insists the issue is definitely “not” for personal reasons.
Bencini also heads the Malta Union of Teachers and says he will continue leading the teachers’ union.

Attempted murder
A man is charged with the attempted murder of Minister Ninu Zammit’s son, Tonio, after stabbing him several times in the early hours of Sunday at the car park in Pender Place St Julians.
The man from Zebbug, 33-year-old Philip Cauchi pleads not guilty but Magistrate Lawrence Quintano denies bail.

Marsaskala park
Just days before the local council elections, government announces plans to build a recreational park in Marsaskala between the recycling plant and ir-Razzett tal-Hbiberija in what seems to be an attempt to sugar the bitter pill residents have had to swallow with a bigger recycling facility and the relocation of all fish farms just off the seaside village’s coast.

Tuesday, 7 March

CIA flights
In what seems to be a belated response to repeated allegations that illegal CIA flights transporting detainees landed in Malta, the foreign ministry officially requests information from the British government after details emerge in Britain on the nature and origin of these flights.
Only recently government had said it had no knowledge of any illegal activity carried out by the CIA.

Immigrant deaths
A Zejtun man and his daughter are charged with aiding and abetting immigrants escape from Malta last week.
Antonio Abdilla, 59, is charged with helping the immigrants leave the island illegally while his daughter Dorianne, 26, is charged with complicity in the crime.
Both plead not guilty to the charges and are granted bail on condition they do not leave their home without court permission.
Magistrate Anthony Vella also binds them with a personal guarantee of Lm15,000 each.

Wednesday, 8 March

Unbelievable but true
The notorious Joseph Fenech, known as Zeppi l-Hafi, tells the court of his new mission in life to council prisoners against drug taking while on the witness stand in a case against five prisoners accused of attacking Fenech at the Corradino Correctional Facility.
Fenech who was imprisoned after failing to pay a fine last year, says the prisons are teeming with drugs. The five prisoners, Silvio Buttigieg, Eusebio Busuttil, Marco Pace, Jamal Muftah Sale Belhhrs and Maurizio Massimiliano, plead not guilty to beating up Fenech in prison on 11 January.

University rector
Melita Cable CEO Juanito Camilleri remains the sole nominee for the post of University rector after incumbent Prof. Roger Ellul Micallef fails to submit his nomination as was expected by academics.

Thursday, 9 March

Illegal gambling
Two men are charged with organising illegal gambling at the Ritz Bar in Hamrun. Pierre Cuschieri, 33, of Zebbug pleads not guilty.
Kevin Brincat, 30, of Swieqi is charged with carrying out the same crime at Rocky Bar, in Qormi. They are granted bail by Magistrate Antonio Mizzi against a personal guarantee of Lm1,000 each.

Surcharge
The GRTU calls on government to reduce the announced surcharge hike insisting that a study on the costs and method of calculating the surcharge was not enough. Last week, government announced a higher surcharge on utility bills to the tune of 67.5 per cent.

Friday, 10 March

Economic growth
Official statistics record economic growth of 2.5 per cent for 2005 and increased exports for the month of January when compared to the same month last year. The positive figures prompt Parliamentary Secretary Tonio Fenech to hail a turnaround in the economy.

Host families
The GRTU announces it has reached an agreement with the finance ministry over the protracted issue of taxing host families who accommodate foreign students. Last year government had asked English language schools for a list of host families on the basis that these families had to pay tax on income generated from the activity.
Proposals put forward by the GRTU on behalf of the host families are accepted by parliamentary secretary Tonio Fenech including a suggestion to include a tax-free threshold to set off home-sharing expenses.

Growing xenophobia
An EU-commissioned report based on data for 2004 finds there are some worrying underlying traits of xenophobia in Malta even if there is little public evidence. The report notes that certain attitudes to foreigners, especially Arabs and illegal immigrants need to be studied further since there is little data to provide a true picture of the situation.
The report is drawn up by the Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice for the EU Monitoring Centre for Racism and Xenophobia and looks at the areas of employment, education, legislation, housing and racist violence.

Saturday, 11 March

Local elections
Voters in 23 localities around Malta and Gozo go out to vote in local elections. The Prime Minister, Opposition Leader and AD chairperson vote in Marsaskala, Birkirkara and Sliema respectively. Voting starts at 7am and ends at 7pm.

Arson
The Civil Protection are called in to douse the flames that engulf a dinghy at Marsamxett in Valletta and a car in Triq il-Harrub in Msida in the early hours of Saturday. Both the dinghy and the car are completely destroyed in the separate incidents.
Nobody is injured.