Times Talk by Times of Malta

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 tribunal actually said about a €400 million sum supposedly stolen by Steward.Armed with a stack of meticulously annotated documents in hand, almost certainly the various court sentences, reports and rulings handed down throughout this multi-year saga, neither Attard nor Delia held back once the cameras were rolling.Attard was speaking as justice minister while former opposition leader Delia waged a lengthy legal campaign that ended with a court annulling all contracts awarded to Steward and its predecessor Vitals Global Healthcare.

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-long silence through his new novel Eħlisna mid-Deni (Deliver us from Evil). He tells Times Talk the book - a work of fiction inspired by his real story - is his way of achieving justice for a human tragedy that the authorities systematically overlooked for years.

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 reform.

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 she gave him didn’t exist.And another woman spent seven years and €170,000 trying to buy a dog that never even existed.These are not plot lines from a film but real-life stories of Maltese people who have lost a lot of money to sophisticated online scams during the past months. Their stories are detailed in this episode of Times Talk.The episode delves into a wave of increasingly sophisticated and insidious online scams that is sweeping across Europe, leaving a trail of financial and emotional devastation.

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 significant events in Malta's modern history in his interview with Mark Laurence Zammit

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 minister vows to revoke many of the proposals' most controversial clauses, while arguing others parts of the reform are necessary. "Despite our good intentions, the activists and NGOs are right," he says.

Karl Gouder was one of the PN's brightest young hopes. He had served as a mayor and as an MP, and was months away from being made the party's general secretary. Then, one morning last September, Gouder took his own life. In this Times Talk exclusive, Karl Gouder's brother Simon opens up about that tragedy and the days leading up to it. We also speak to a young man who survived multiple suicide attempts, and psychiatrist professor Anton Grech and Richmond Foundation CEO Daniela Calleja about men's mental health and the risks of suicide.

One is a lawyer, the other a TV presenter. But for the next few weeks, Cynthia Galea and Sarah Bajada have had to put part of their personal lives and careers on hold to support their partners, who are running to be the country's next opposition leader and - they hope - the next prime minister.In this episode of Times Talk, Adrian Delia's partner Cynthia and Alex Borg's partner Sarah, bring Mark Laurence Zammit behind the scenes on the campaign trail.

The Nationalist Party has forbidden Adrian Delia and Alex Borg from debating each other as they compete to become the party's next leader. So we had to adapt. In this Times Talk episode, we interview the two candidates separately about their vision for the Opposition party, but present their replies to you in a single take.

Toni Abela was a key figure in Malta's political scene before transitioning to the judiciary. A former president and deputy leader of the Labour Party, Abela can now add 'retired judge' to that resume, having served for nine years in the judiciary. In this rare interview, Abela reveals what it's like to be a judge in Malta and opens up about how the power of deciding a person's fate weighed on him.

The Nationalist Party is at a crossroads, again. Bernard Grech’s surprise decision to step aside midway through the legislature caught the party off guard. And with Roberta Metsola deciding not to contest, the PN’s future appears uncertain. Lou Bondi played a key role within the PN during its electoral heyday. George Vital Zammit was tasked by the party’s outgoing leader with writing its electoral manifesto. In this Times Talk episode, we ask these two thinkers where the PN got it wrong, and what it needs to do to get back on track.

Joseph Portelli and Andre Callus met for the first time in their lives at the top of Mercury Towers, for a Times Talk debate that saw the two trade talking points, accusations and even the odd insult.Portelli is one of Malta’s biggest construction moguls. Callus is arguably Malta’s best-known environmental activist. It is safe to say there is little love lost between the two. The hour-long debate was moderated by Times of Malta assistant editor Mark Laurence Zammit.

Cardinal Mario Grech was among a handful of names mentioned in Catholic circles as being a potential successor to the late Pope Francis. In this exclusive interview recorded inside the Vatican, Cardinal Grech says he was relieved he was not the man chosen to lead the Catholic Church. Cardinal Grech sheds light on the conclave that led to the election of Pope Leo XIV and also touches on various challenges the Church faces, including the problem of many priests not wanting to become bishops.

Bajd u Bejken has carved out a particular niche in Malta's podcasting landscape. Crude, rude and dark, the comedy show has attracted a dedicated audience that delights in its brand of humour. The laughs stopped this month, though, when the show was accused of humiliating Terry Muscat, a transgender social media personality. One of the show's three hosts apologised and quit. In this exclusive interview, Times Talk speaks to the remaining two, Max Vassallo and PJ Xerxen, about that joke, their plans for the show and whether there should be red lines in comedy.

Rebecca Buttigieg has unveiled government proposals for 'Assisted Voluntary Euthanasia' - proposals that, if they become law, would grant people the right to die in certain circumstances. Although the proposals are not a draft bill yet, they could lead to one, and on Times Talk, Buttigieg fields questions on what could go wrong if the country were to introduce some form of euthanasia.

As cardinals gather in Rome to select the Catholic Church's next leader, Times Talk speaks to Ambassador and Vatican expert Frank Zammit about the conclave and its mysteries. Zammit explains how the process will unfold and why he believes it could take slightly longer than usual for a puff of white smoke to emerge from the chapel chimney.He also weighs in on the internal politics that take centre stage during the event, in an election meant to be the work of the holy spirit.

Four men are in the dock, charged with playing a key role in two separate murders.One of those killings, the 2017 assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, is arguably the most significant crime in Malta's history.In this episode, Mark Laurence Zammit speaks to Times of Malta court reporter Monique Agius and online editor Bertrand Borg about the ongoing trial. This episode was recorded on April 29, 2025.