Police have said that a 42-year-old Xewkija man was killed this afternoon by a hit and run driver, after an incident between two men who were thought to have been involved in an argument. The accident happened in Mgarr Road, Xewkija. It is understood that that the man had argued with another 48 year-old man, also from Xewkija, before he was hit by a vehicle which then left the scene. The man who has not yet been named, was taken to hospital, but has since succumbed to his injuries. Magistrate Paul Coppini is leading an inquiry and police investigations are continuing.

Alternattiva Demokratika - The Green Party has said that the utility bills issue overrides this year's budget, resulting in much concern across the economic, political and social spheres. AD also referred to various economic, social and environmental aspects of the budget, referring to them as being mixed in positive and negative repercussions. AD Chairperson Arnold Cassola said "It appears that government paid attention to certain proposals put forward by civil society, yet this was definitely not the case in the utility bills issue. Utility bills are dominating the scene, resulting in wide uncertainty across social and economic levels." "We appeal to Government to rise to the occasion and revise ... Read more...

The European Parliament Internal Market Committee has adopted a report aimed at making toys safer. The new legislation will beef up safety regulations and ban the use of certain chemicals and heavy metals. Parliament's plenary will vote in December, just before the festive season. The report on the safety of toys, drafted by Marianne Thyssen (EPP-ED, BE), was adopted on Thursday, the 6th of November, by the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection. The aim of the new draft directive is to strengthen and update the rules on toy safety. The existing directive has given good service but needs replacing. New types ... Read more...

Air Malta has just launched its new winter schedule of operations running till 28th March 2009. The schedule presents Air Malta customers travelling from the Malta base with a choice of 30 direct destinations with over 110 flights every week. "This season will be yet another interesting one for Air Malta and its customers. This winter, we are aiming at a growth in passenger figures of 30,000 passengers - an increase of 6% over last winter's record season; during which we had managed to increase passenger arrivals by 12% over winter 06/07. Although this is an ambitious target considering the global slowdown in economic activity, we are ... Read more...

The Philatelic Bureau of MaltaPost p.l.c. will be issuing a limited edition Occasion Card and Postal Card during the Maltex 2008 Philatelic Exhibition being held at the Hotel Phoenicia, Floriana this weekend. The Occasion Card, number 20 in the series and limited to 3000 copies, commemorates the participation of MaltaPost p.l.c. in the same Maltex 2008 Philatelic Exhibition. The Card reproduces the "Annus Paulinus" stamp issue poster which was issued on the 28th June 2008. The Postal Card, number 29 in the series, also limited to 3000 pieces, commemorates MaltaPost p.l.c. participation in the EUROPA 2008 stamp competition. The card features the old mail room in Valletta, with the two stamps (€0.37 and €1.19) from the ... Read more...

Bank of Valletta have said that following the publication of its annual results last week, Moody's have revised the Bank's deposit and debt ratings from A3/Prime 1 to Baa/Prime 2. The Bank Financial Strength Rating (BFSR) was reaffirmed and remained unchanged at D+. BOV said it also noted with satisfaction that Moody's have confirmed that all ratings have retained a stable outlook, notwithstanding the current international financial crisis. BOV said that the revised ratings stemmed from the impact that the recent financial turmoil had on its results for the year ended 30th September 2008. BOV also said that the dislocation in the financial markets had ... Read more...

The annual report by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) on the drugs phenomenon in Europe in 2008, published on Thursday in Brussels, confirms the need to bring society together to form a European alliance to tackle the issue of drugs. This latest report from the EMCDDA on the drug phenomenon in Europe indicates that the consumption of drugs in Europe is stabilising, whilst the number of deaths linked to drugs is on the increase. " Every hour, a young person in Europe dies from a drug overdose. This alarming fact from the EMCDDA's report confirms the urgent need to highlight to young people the serious risks of ... Read more...