Times Talk by Times of Malta

As the second week of Yorgen Fenech's trial comes to a close, Times of Malta court reporter Clara Farrugia and Mark Laurence Zammit sit down for a new Times Talk episode to unpack the details of the courtroom drama that is gripping the nation. Among the most chilling moments this week was the testimony of Frans Sant, the last man to see Daphne Caruana Galizia alive. Sant shared a heartbreaking acc...

The trial of Yorgen Fenech, who is charged in connection with the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia, is one of the most consequential criminal trials in Malta's history. Three days into the proceedings, Mark Laurence Zammit sits down with Times of Malta's court correspondent Clara Farrugia to unpack the prosecution's opening case, explain how the jury was selected and discuss what to expect in the...

Political analysts Pierre Portelli and Robert Musumeci help Mark Laurence Zammit dissect the current state of Maltese politics. They discuss the performance of the Labour and Nationalist parties in the 2026 general election, Robert Abela's cabinet appointments and the (in?)justice of parliament's gender corrective mechanism.

The country's going to the polls in less than 48 hours, and this latest episode of Times Talk is an essential guide for the perplexed. It breaks down the mechanics of Malta’s electoral system - one of the most democratic, yet complex, in the world. Our speakers trace where your vote will go from the moment you slide it in the ballot box on Saturday till all MPs are elected next week. But the episo...

With just over a week remaining before Maltese voters head to the polls to choose Malta's next prime minister, the latest episode of Times Talk delves into the science and controversy behind political polling, as current surveys continue to indicate a significant lead for the Labour Party. Times of Malta fact-checker Neville Borg and Esprimi CEO Morgan Parnis joined the podcast. Borg giv...

It is very worrying the the election campaign has, so far, almost entirely revolved around 'what's in it for me', according to political analysts Lou Bondi and Michelle Attard Tonna. The two were speaking on the latest episode of Times Talk Campaign Watch during which they dissected the third week of the election campaign. The lavish promises are creating a sense of entitlement in people while mak...

The second week of Malta’s 2026 general election campaign sparked its first controversies. As Labour leader Robert Abela and Nationalist Party leader Alex Borg make their political pitches, mainly through cash bonanzas, are the country’s (medium-to-long term) problems being ignored? In this episode of Times Talk, Times of Malta editor-in-chief Herman Grech sits down with former Labour deputy leade...

Prime Minister Robert Abela has called an early general election for May 30.The campaign’s opening days have already seen a wave of pledges and voter-focused measures, as the main parties begin to draw their battle lines. With the Labour government firmly in the driving seat and making full use of its incumbency advantage, the question remains: can the Nationalist Party, led by a relatively new le...

The youngest daughter of Ġiġa and Leli Camilleri has called for the reopening of the Twannie Aquilina murder case, claiming her parents were wrongfully convicted of a brutal crime committed by someone else. In a rare and emotional interview on Times Talk, Marthese Camilleri insisted that her brother was sexually assaulted before his throat was slit – a detail she claims was confirmed by an autopsy...

Broadcaster Peppi Azzopardi said he learned English as a young boy because the school he went to forced students to wear a sign around their neck that read: ‘I must speak in English’. And while he admitted the sign was demeaning, he insisted that it propelled him to learn English, as his parents did not know how to speak the language. Azzopardi was defending his controversial Popolin proposals dur...

There is a Russian oil tanker adrift about 100km to the South East of Malta right now. Its crew abandoned it two weeks ago after it was hit by a huge explosion. Russia hasn't come to pick it up and no country - including Malta - will touch it. Still though, all eyes are on it, as it is loaded with some 700 tonnes of fuel and it could blow up. In a 20-minute episode that will be out on Wednesday, T...

What are the chances that aliens are real? And if they are, what do they look like, where are they and how come they never visit? And if they were to visit, how would they even do it? Is time travel to the past and to the future possible? It turns out it is – at least one way. And what is the likelihood that there are other worlds like ours out there? The short answer is: very likely. The long ans...

Forty-six years ago, a man walked into Castille with a gun. Gunshots rang out. The man was dragged out bleeding. He was accused of trying to kill Prime Minister Dom Mintoff. That same day, thugs destroyed Times of Malta offices and ransacked the home of Mintoff’s rival, Eddie Fenech Adami. In this episode, Times Talk explores one of the darkest days in Malta's modern history.

There was no single news event that overshadowed all other Times of Malta headlines in 2025. But that does not mean it was a year without interesting events. From a building collapse in Paceville to family tragedies, the (second) rise of Donald Trump and the potential sale of HSBC Malta, Times of Malta journalists were kept busy right to the end of the year. In this episode, Mark Laurence Zammit s...

In a world often dominated by bad, sometimes even depressing, news, Times of Malta journalists Mark Laurence Zammit, Emma Borg and Daniel Ellul sat down to look back on just the happiest stories of 2025.

Former Chamber President Marisa Xuereb said most people can only produce top quality work for five hours a day A five-hour work day is sufficient for most employees to produce high-quality work in today’s technology-driven economy, according to former Chamber president Marisa Xuereb. Speaking on Times Talk, the long-time entrepreneur and employer said most people including herself can only produce...

Adrian Delia and Jonathan Attard clashed in their first face-to-face debate since the conclusion of international arbitration between Malta and Steward Health Care, during a Times Talk episode filmed on Wednesday. Throughout the fiery debate, the pair butted heads over who emerged on top in the arbitration proceedings, whether the government could have pursued a different legal route, and what the...

When Karl Schembri was a boy, his father carried a dark and unspoken history – years of sexual abuse at the hands of a priest. The trauma left deep scars, and as an adult, his father’s mind began to unravel. The voices that haunted him eventually drove him to commit an unthinkable act: the murder of Schembri’s mother. Schembri, an author, journalist and activist, has now finally broken a decades-l...

Days after announcing major tax cuts for parents, Finance Minister Clyde Caruana tells Mark Laurence Zammit he is not happy with people who are upset that families are to get some extra help. In a one-hour interview about Budget 2026 measures, Caruana also speaks frankly about mass public transport, worker productivity and the end of cash-for-passports income.

Traffic has become the single biggest problem with living in Malta. Transport Malta's traffic team is responsible for ensuring it flows smoothly. We joined the team on a Monday morning as they monitored traffic flows, cleared roads and responded to crashes.

Michael Stivala is one the country's biggest developers and president of the Malta Development Association (MDA). Wayne Flask is a long-time environmental activist and secretary general of the NGO Il-Kollettiv. The two agree on almost nothing when it comes to construction and development - which is why this week they went head to head in this Times Talk debate on the highly controversial planning&...

A woman was convinced she was chatting on Facebook with Pope Leo XIV and was sending him money for his projects – and she simply did not believe Bank of Valletta when it told her the ‘pope’ was a scammer. Another man lost his life savings to a fictitious Canadian woman whom he chatted with for months, and after she took all his money, he went to look for her abroad, only to discover the address sh...

Alex Borg won a nail-biter of a leadership race a week ago. Now, as Malta's new Opposition leader, he must lead the PN out of the political doldrums and make it electable once again. In this Times Talk interview, the PN's new leader speaks about the party's future and finances, his relationship with leadership rival Adrian Delia and perceptions that he is close to big business.

As Times of Malta celebrates its 90th year, we speak to editor-in-chief Herman Grech and deputy online editor Chris Scicluna about 50 years of history and news in Malta. Grech has overseen the Times' shift from a primarily print-based newspaper to an online one. Scicluna joined the Times of Malta newsroom 45 years ago, following in his father's footsteps. Together, the two recall some of the most...

Planning Minister Clint Camilleri found himself in the eye of a storm right in the middle of July this year - and it was a storm of his own doing. Proposals to reform planning laws caught people off guard and led to howls of outrage, as activists noted they would effectively give the Planning Authority unfettered power. Now, Camilleri says the critics are right. In this exclusive interview, the mi...