Times Talk by Times of Malta

On February 2, 1995, a blast rang out at the Malta Drydocks.

The Um el Faroud, a Libyan oil tanker, had exploded "like a tin can".  Nine people lost their lives. 

30 years on, we revisit that disaster with the help of two people who were among the first to reach the scene: court analyst and University of Malta Rector Alfred Vella and Times of Malta deputy online editor Chris Scicluna. 

This episode was produced by Mark Laurence Zammit, written by Matthew Bonanno and edited by Karl Andrew Micallef. 

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In Marsa, dozens of migrants wait by the roadside every morning, hoping to be picked up for casual construction work. Sarjo Conteh, a 31-year-old Gambian man who died in a construction site collapse on July 23, was one of them.

On this episode, we hear the stories of some of those men.

In part two, we catch up with Claudio Camilleri, a marathon runner who found time to stop and help a stranded tourist despite being in the middle of a 190km charity run.

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Lino Cauchi's murder remains one of the great unsolved cases in Maltese criminal history.

Cauchi vanished in 1982, but his body wasn’t discovered until three years later. His family are now seeking compensation for how the investigation was handled by police and the government at the time.

We speak to forensic expert Anthony Abela Medici, who was one of the first people to go down the well where Cauchi's body was found.

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The Nationalist Party is reeling. Its leader, Adrian Delia, has lost the trust of most of his MPs but is refusing to give up the party leadership.

In this episode, Times of Malta journalist Ivan Martin explains how the PN got here and where things may end up in the weeks to come.

In part two, we speak to ultra-runner Claudio Camilleri, who’s attempting to run 190km around Malta and Gozo later this month, all in the name of charity.

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All across the world, protest movements are tearing down monuments and statues which represent more divisive moments in different countries' histories. Is there a case for Malta to do something similar?

On this episode, historians Charles Xuereb and Simon Cusens debate whether some of Malta’s colonial monuments should be removed or relocated.

In part two, we speak to John Edward DeMicoli about his fascinating World War II discovery inside a German antique he bought at auction.

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Malta International Airport reopened its doors to commercial airlines on July 1, after more than three months of coronavirus-imposed shutdown. We speak to some of the first tourists to visit Malta in the summer of 2020.

In part two of this episode, we ask epidemiologist Neville Calleja what Malta has done right during the pandemic and get his take on whether we should be concerned about a second wave.

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Times of Malta journalist Jacob Borg explains how he worked with Reuters to expose a 2015 deal linking Malta's energy provider Enemalta to the man accused of masterminding the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia.

Borg was speaking before former minister Konrad Mizzi was kicked out of the Labour Party and economic crimes unit chief Ian Abdilla was replaced.

In part two of the episode, expats who used to call Malta home tell us they are packing their bags and leaving for good... because they sense rising xenophobia.

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Former police commissioner Lawrence Cutajar is now the subject of a criminal investigation over suspicions he may have tipped off a middleman in the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia.

Hours before that probe began, he sat down with Times of Malta for an exclusive interview. Ivan Martin provides insight into the latest developments in a case that keeps twisting and turning.

In part two of this episode, we speak to Valletta business owners about their eight months of misery which began with national protests and continued with a global pandemic. Many tell us they're struggling to stay afloat.

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We take to the streets of Valletta and speak to people who attended a Black Lives Matter demonstration and ask if they think Malta has a problem with racism.

In part two of the episode, we hear from swimmer Neil Agius about how he's preparing - mentally and physically - to cross from Sicily to Malta later this month.

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Chris Cardona's name has swirled around the Daphne Caruana Galizia murder case in the past. But this week, the former minister was thrown right into the thick of things. Times of Malta's Ivan Martin walks us through the latest developments in the case of the century.

Plus, teenager Leon Bartolo talks about the strains of being a student in Malta, after a global study found that local 15-year-olds face the most schoolwork pressure in Europe.

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