Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1543310
5 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 18 FEBRUARY 2026 NEWS KM Malta Airlines introduces Tel Aviv service KM Malta Airlines is introducing a new Tel Aviv service twice a week starting from 27 May. The airline revealed its sum- mer schedule on Tuesday, with 19 routes across Europe and the Mediterranean. Apart from the new Tel Aviv service, which will run on Wednesdays and Sundays, KM Malta Airlines is also introduc- ing a Tuesday morning service to Brussels and a Thursday after- noon service to London Gatwick, bringing weekly London frequen- cies to 23. Air Malta, the previous iteration of the national airline, used to have Tel Aviv flights in its regular schedule but cancelled the ser- vice in 2023 due to security con- cerns arising from the 7 October attacks from Hamas. Throughout summer, the air- line will offer two daily flights to and from London, Munich, Paris and Rome. David Curmi, the executive chairman of the airline, said the summer schedule represents "a significant step forward in strengthening Malta's air con- nectivity". "With nearly 8,000 flights, 1.34 million seats, and 19 routes, we are not only expanding capacity but also strategically investing in markets that are most impor- tant to Malta's tourism, business, and diaspora communities. By combining direct point-to-point services with access to the major passenger hubs across Europe, we provide an important number of connecting seats." The airline says the new service to the Israeli city of Tel Aviv will help strengthen connectivity across Europe and beyond KM Malta Airlines aircraft Court rejects defence claim that indictment in Miriam Pace case is 'dramatised' THE court has rejected an ar- gument by the defence of Lud- wig Dimech and Nicholas Spi- teri, accused of the involuntary homicide of Miriam Pace, that their indictment "cast an unfair shadow over the accused." The Criminal Court has re- jected this argument, along with almost all of the other defence claims. Out of 24 exceptions raised by the defence, 10 by Dimech and 14 by Spiteri, only one technical request brought by Spiteri was upheld. Miriam Pace died on 2 March 2020 when her home in Ħam- run collapsed due to excavation works at a nearby site. The ac- cused face three charges: in- voluntary manslaughter, invol- untary damage to third-party property, and failure to comply with construction method dec- larations under building regula- tions. Ludwig Dimech requested the nullity of the entire indictment, arguing that it was "dramatised" to cast an unfair light on him and disrupt the jury's impartial- ity. He also claimed that the At- torney General failed to specify the role of experts in the case, who had already been found lia- ble in other proceedings. The Court rejected these ar- guments, clarifying that the indictment's purpose is to pro- vide the accused with "a clear picture of the evidence in the hands of the prosecution on which the case is built." Jurors are explicitly warned that the narrative "has no probative val- ue" and that their verdict must be based solely on evidence pre- sented at trial. Regarding Dimech's objection to including his prior convic- tions, the court stated that this is "a factual matter for the jury" to consider after a verdict, with the judge guiding the jurors on points of law. Nicholas Spiteri also claimed the indictment was invalid be- cause testimony was recorded digitally rather than by elec- tromagnetic means. The court dismissed this, noting that ad- vances in technology allow for digital recording and that the court may authorize it as nec- essary. The defence further objected to showing jurors photos of the victim's body. The court ruled that such evidence is necessary to establish the involuntary manslaughter of an individual. Ultimately, the court dis- missed all exceptions except the single technical request by Spiteri which concerned a few pages mistakenly included in the case records. For the first two charges, the Attorney General seeks up to five years' imprisonment or a fine of €11,646.87 for Dimech, as a repeat offender, and up to four years' imprisonment or the same fine for Spiteri. MAYA GALEA mgalea@mediatoday.com.mt Miriam Pace was killed in her home in March 2020 (Photo: James Bianchi/MaltaToday) NICOLE MEILAK nmeilak@mediatoday.com.mt