Times Talk by Times of Malta

In June 2025, a retired Maltese bishop caused a stir when he said on TV that abuse victims should first be encouraged to forgive their abusers before going to the police.

As backlash grew, George Frendo apologised, saying he had not meant that forgiveness should substitute reporting such crimes to authorities.

But the bishop’s initial statement left its mark on one woman. They were the same words Frendo had told her years ago, when as a child she was abused by a man they both knew.

In this Times Talk episode, the woman speaks out about her years of abuse at the hands of a relative, the damage Frendo’s advice did to her and why she has decided to go public now.

We also speak to Frendo, who explains why he felt it was not his place to report the abuse at the time, and what he wishes he had done differently.

The latest episode of Times Talk unpacks the last two days of Keith Schembri's testimony during the trial of Yorgen Fenech earlier this week.

In the 30-minute episode, court reporter Clara Farrugia and Mark Laurence Zammit take a deep dive into some of the toughest questions the former OPM chief of staff faced from Yorgen Fenech lawyer Giannella de Marco.

How did police find Schembri and Fenech when they arrested them? What was the two men's reaction as they were being detained? How did Schembri learn when his name was raised during police investigations into the murder, and what is the deal with the alleged naked lawyer at Castille?

This week Schembri also revealed some new details about that time he claims Yorgen Fenech hinted to him that he had been involved in the murder and how the pistol of one of Joseph Muscat's security staff went off by mistake inside Muscat's own home.

Catch the latest episode on Times of Malta, YouTube, Spotify, Apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

Times Talk on the trial of Yorgen Fenech usually comes out on the weekend and includes a run-down of all that happened that week.

But as former OPM chief of staff Keith Schembri took the witness stand on Tuesday, things got heated and prompted this mid-week episode about what happened before and during his testimony.

How is Yorgen Fenech reacting to all of this in the courtroom, and what is the atmosphere like in the room at this stage?

Times Talk unpacks what all of this means and why it matters, as more details continue to emerge in the trial that has got the country glued to its screens.

It was a week of claims, counterclaims and secret recordings as the fourth week of the Yorgen Fenech trial drew to a close.

Times of Malta court reporter Clara Farrugia and editor-in-chief Herman Grech sat down for a new episode of Times Talk to unpack the latest courtroom drama gripping the country.

At the centre of the week’s proceedings was Johann Cremona, a business associate of Fenech, who spent four days on the witness stand before his testimony ended in a tense exchange with the defence team.

The episode also examines the testimony of former police commissioner Lawrence Cutajar and Edgar Brincat, known as il-Ġojja, who had links to murder middleman Melvin Theuma.

Hours of complex testimony, distilled into a 20-minute episode of Times Talk, with one key question in the end: what happens when other people are being implicated in the crime?

Watch the full episode on Times of Malta or YouTube, or listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

As the third week of Yorgen Fenech's trial comes to a close, Times of Malta court reporter Clara Farrugia and editor-in-chief Herman Grech sat down for a new Times Talk episode to unpack the details of the courtroom drama that is gripping the country.

Among the most chilling moments in Hall 22 this week was the testimony of Alfred and George Degiorgio, two of the three convicted hitmen, who linked Keith Schembri and Chris Cardona to the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia.

The episode also explains the role of the other witnesses who testified this week, including Vince Muscat, il-Koħħu.

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 account of her final seconds, describing how she panicked behind the wheel after a small initial spark, just moments before the main bomb tore through her car.

The episode explains how experts discovered the assassination unfolded in this two-stage explosion, giving the victim a brief, terrifying realisation of what was about to happen.

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 weeks ahead.

Times of Malta will bring you weekly round-ups of the trial until the jury delivers its verdict.

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 episode also uncovers the lid on a second election at play – an often overlooked, but perhaps more heated – battle between candidates of the same parties within districts.

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 gives an overview of what the polls are showing while Parnis explains the results and why some polls differ from others, even when they are carried out during the same period.

If you have questions about the polls, this episode will attempt to answer as many of them as possible.