Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1509870
6 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 18 OCTOBER 2023 NEWS NEWS THERE IS NO PROBLEM WITHOUT SOLUTION - PROFESSOR DAFFE Great Spiritualist in difficult and urgent cases about love, separation and family difficulties, work, drugs, etc.. Obtaining results is the most important thing in astrology, fasta and 100% guaranteed. Endowed with a power that helps to solve difficult problems that are serious such as depression, business justice, couples, impotence sexual, evil eye, luck, attracting a loved one, exams with full speed, if you want to have a new life, and put an end to everything that worries you, do not wait any longer. Contact PROFESSOR DAFFE, solved many problems throughout Europe with immediate results. +356 99 80 42 60 NICOLE MEILAK THE Malta Chamber has warned the government against committing to a series of wage hikes, insisting that this would be "naive at best, suicidal at worst". In a statement on Tuesday, the Chamber said that a series of wage hikes over the next few years will accelerate infla- tionary expectations and re- strict policy responses to po- tential future developments. 'Increasing minimum wag- es is not a silver bullet," the Chamber said. "The risks of fuelling higher and more per- sistent inflation are high." Instead, the Malta Chamber suggests lowering income tax bands to make sure that the increases in minimum wage that came into force since the start of the inflation crisis are fully tax exempt. "It does not make sense to compensate people for in- creases in the cost-of-living through COLA, only to divert part of those increases to the Government coffers. All so- cial partners, whether repre- senting employers or employ- ees, are in agreement on this." Last Sunday, the prime min- ister said that the government is talking with social partners to facilitate an increase in the minimum wage, citing infla- tion concerns. However, the Chamber in- sists that the government should instead find measures to counter inflation. "For as long as a large enough portion of the population can still afford to pay more for services, any increases in costs, including wages, will result in an increase in prices, and low income earners will find it even more difficult to keep up." Wage hikes 'naive at best, suicidal at worst' - Malta Chamber Man charged with string of Gozo thefts had appeared in pit bull reunion video uploaded by junior minister KURT SANSONE POLICE charged two people on Monday with an eye-watering series of thefts, mostly in Gozo, carried out over a span of 11 days. Andreas Buhagiar, 30, from Qormi and Donna Pace, 32, from Siġġiewi pleaded not guilty when they appeared in front of Magistrate Simone Grech at the Gozo courthouse. They were remanded in custo- dy. The arraignment brought some relieve to Gozitan resi- dents tormented by the series of thefts that happened between 30 September and 11 October. But Buhagiar's name also raised eyebrows among animal rights activists, who recognised him as the owner of a pit bull dog that had gone missing ear- lier this year. In April, Buhagiar appeared in a tearful video in which he spoke about being reunited with his pit bull, Blue, after it was confiscated by Animal Welfare officials from an Msida house. The video uploaded to Face- book by Animal Rights Par- liamentary Secretary Alicia Bugeja Said portrayed Buha- giar talking about his emotion- al reunion with Blue. Buha- giar had claimed the dog went missing from his farmhouse. It was found at an Msida house belonging to breeder Andre Galea. Galea was mauled by his own dogs in the street in April and had to be hospitalised. The dogs had killed Galea's grandmother in a separate incident in 2020 and the breeder is facing charg- es of involuntary homicide. Following the April incident, Animal Welfare officers en- tered Galea's house and con- fiscated several pit bulls that he kept inside and on the roof. Blue was one of the dogs taken in at the animal welfare com- pound. Sources with knowledge of the case told MaltaToday that an- imal rights activists had at the time put pressure on the au- thorities not to hand over the pitbull to Buhagiar when his video went public. "The dog was never handed back to him but the latest de- velopments prove activists were right to pressure the authorities despite the minister's misguid- ed video," the sources said. Blue remains at the animal welfare compound. On Monday, Buhagiar and his partner were charged with 14 thefts, including two cars from Qormi and Mellieħa, and three motorbikes in Gozo. They were also charged with stealing from kiosks in Gozo and the burglary of an electronics outlet in Vic- toria. Buhagiar alone was accused of driving stolen cars without a licence and insurance policy, and breaching the conditions of a previous suspended sentence. The magistrate denied the pair bail with the prosecution saying police investigations into other cases in which they may be involved were ongoing. The prosecution was led by inspectors Keith Xerri and Ber- nard Charles Spiteri, aided by lawyer Darlene Grima from the Attorney General's office. Andreas Buhagiar, 30, from Qormi