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Easter
Fine weather allows people to enjoy the traditional processions and runs with the statue of the Risen Christ held in various parishes around Malta. Tourists also follow the proceedings with amusement as statue bearers run for a stretch with the statue and then hoist it up three times to symbolise Christ’s resurrection.
Urbi et Orbi
Pope Benedict delivers his first Easter message and calls for an "honourable solution" to the nuclear stand-off with Iran, a truly independent Palestinian state, and global cooperation to combat terrorism.
The Pope, 79 today, delivers the traditional Urbi et Orbi Easter message in different languages.
Norwegian critical
A 26-year-old Norwegian man is in critical condition in hospital after falling a height of three storeys in Lapsi Street, St Julians.
The Norwegian is with a group of foreign persons who mount a wall enclosing a site still under construction. At one point he loses his balance and falls into the construction site, seriously injuring himself.
Monday, 17 April
Armed robbery
An employee of St James Hospital is held up by two armed and hooded men while on her way to the bank to deposit cash and cheques.
The woman was surprised by the two men who charged out of a Peugeot car in High Street, Sliema, close to the Hole in the Wall pub and demanded she hand over the bag.
Lm3,000 theft
Michael Camilleri, 22, from Qormi is charged with complicity in robbing two elderly people of Lm3,000 and slightly injuring them at their Mosta residence on Saturday evening.
Camilleri pleads not guilty to holding Carmelo Camilleri, 75, and Maria Borg, 74, against their will, complicity in robbing them of Lm3,000 and slightly injuring them.
Camilleri was remanded in custody.
Tuesday, 18 April
Attempted murder
A man and his son are charged with trying to kill their neighbour's boyfriend when they allegedly beat him with his own chunky, silver necklace.
Joseph Polidano, 49, and his son Clayton, 22, both of Kirkop plead not guilty to the attempted murder of Robert Chetcuti in Zurrieq on Sunday.
The accused are remanded in custody.
Wednesday, 19 April
Mother fined
A mother is fined Lm150 and put on probation for two years after admitting that she assaulted her son’s primary school teacher because the boy told her the teacher had slammed him against a cupboard.
Magistrate Consuelo Scerri Herrera also orders that a copy of the judgment - containing transcriptions of evidence in which allegations were made that the teacher had hit her pupils - is sent to the Director of Education to investigate the claims.
Customs seize cigarettes
The Customs Department seizes over three million undeclared cigarettes at the Freeport over a two day operation that is ignited by strong indications that the content of a few containers being transported from the Far East to North Africa did not match what had been declared in the bills of lading.
The Customs' vehicle and container inspection unit reveals that the cargo consisted of a consignment of cigarettes and not 635 boxes of vacuum cleaners, as listed in the paperwork.
None of the cigarettes were counterfeit.
Major drug haul
The police temporarily exclude the presence of any Maltese on the fishing vessel Carmelo Padre allegedly used in an attempt to traffic over two tonnes of cannabis resin from a North African country into Italy on Good Friday.
The vessel had earlier been bought by Italian interests from Gozitan owners.
A rough estimate of the drug’s street value is put at Lm80 million.
Thursday, 20 April
Arson attack
A car belonging to an employee of St Aloysius College is set alight in Marsaskala just metres away from the Prime Minister’s private residence. The arson is estimated to have taken place just after 5am when the police sentry outside the PM’s residence goes off duty.
Mugging in Lija
A British man is attacked by two robbers on the doorstep of his residence in Lija in the early hours.
John Stilgoe, 52, is assaulted by two hooded men, one of whom wields an object. Stilgoe is robbed of Lm300 from his home.
The man is taken to hospital suffering from shock.
Friday, 21 April
Arsonists strike again
Two more cars are set alight in the early hours in two separate cases, one in Zabbar and another in Qormi. The Zabbar car belongs to a police officer.
The spate of fires has destroyed 15 cars over a span of six weeks.
Fine over illegal building
A Gozitan man, Teddy Rapa, 54, of Nadur is fined Lm57,300 by the courts for resisting a court order to demolish an illegal structure in 1997.
He is fined Lm25 for each day the building remained standing after 1997 when a court had fined Rapa Lm100 and ordered him to demolish the structure.
Saturday, 22 April
President interviewed
President Eddie Fenech Adami, interviewed in The Times expresses his apprehension at the rising racist sentiment among Maltese people saying it goes against “one of the more important values in Maltese culture and character.”
The president says there are people “who are intentionally fomenting these attitudes” and insists they should be “pursued”.
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