Times of Malta
Labour wins but humbled, as lead decimated in MEP election
- Title
- Labour wins but humbled, as lead decimated in MEP election
- Runtime
- 29:33
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- The Labour Party has won the 2024 MEP elections, but it was bruised and battered by an electorate that decimated its lead.
The party is projected to have won the election by under 10,000 votes - a lead that would have been considered massive decades ago but which would be the party's narrowest electoral victory in more than 20 years and one-fourth the 42,000-vote majority achieved in 2019.
Labour leader Robert Abela said it was a "solid" victory but that voters had sent the party an "important message". Nationalist leader Bernard Grech said it was his party's “best ever” showing in the European Parliament elections.
Vote counting remains ongoing and it remains to be seen which candidates will fill Malta's six MEP seats.
- Title
- The Youngest PLPN Candidates
- Runtime
- 8:17
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- Two of Malta’s youngest local council candidates want to prove to voters that despite their age, 16-year-olds can come up with new and innovative ideas to improve their localities and can do so while still furthering their studies.
The forthcoming elections will be the first time that 16-year-olds will not only be able to vote, but also become mayors and deputy mayors.
Times of Malta spent a day with two of the youngest candidates, seeing how they balance their time between studies and house visits, and how even in politics, age is just a number.
- Title
- The Woman Who Lived in the Manoel Theatre
- Runtime
- 3:41
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- There is a room on the third floor of the Manoel Theatre, behind the gallery where the audience watches the show.
Today, it is a library and archival space but until around 60 years ago it was home to Vincenza Micallef and her family.
At the age of 94, Vincenza is the last living person to have resided in the historic Valletta theatre.
“We had so much fun. We had the most beautiful time while we lived there,” said Vincenza, who is now a resident at St Vincent De Paul care home.
Read the full story here: https://shorturl.at/AJ6oI
- Title
- ‘Stroke erased my speech… but I’m alive’
- Runtime
- 2:02
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- Ryan Armaoui is on a remarkable journey to regain his speech after a stroke seven months ago temporarily erased his ability to communicate.
As he slowly rebuilds his vocabulary, the 28-year-old’s message is clear – there is always hope.
Ryan has set up a Facebook support group – Malta Stroke Survivors – to help stroke survivors who might be struggling to pick up the pieces.
“I want to help anyone. I cannot do much, but I can speak to them... I will try to speak to them. I found support and I want to be of support to others.”
Before the stroke, Ryan was working as an assistant manager at Olea restaurant. Part of his work was being front of house and meeting and greeting patrons. “I like to speak a lot. This was a part of my job I loved,” says Ryan, recounting the day of the stroke.
It was a Sunday lunchtime last October when he was stocktaking at the restaurant that forms part of the Salini Resort.
- Title
- What Is It Like Onboard a Turboprop Plane?
- Runtime
- 3:12
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- There are many reasons why someone might wish to visit the Hungarian city of Pécs: unique ceramics, wine and world-famous gloves, to name a few.
Unfortunately, until recently, nobody really knew about the place. That is, until aviation newcomer Universal Air decided to fly there.
The airline announced its debut into Malta’s crowded aviation scene in March, promising to carry passengers to new destinations ‒ including Pécs ‒ in its fleet of Dash 4-800 turboprop planes.
Read the full story here: https://shorturl.at/rMS2v
- Title
- Times of Malta Called One of Agius Saliba’s Aides on Friday to Enquire About the Vouchers.
- Runtime
- 1:23
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- This video was originally published on timesofmalta.com on May 26, 2024.
Labour MEP candidate Alex Agius Saliba handed out 100 vouchers – each worth €150 – to voters during home visits and on the streets – a potentially unlawful practice he claims will not sway people’s votes.
The vouchers entitle the holder to a €150 ‘laptop/PC service’ from The Notebook Centre, a computer and electronics shop in San Ġwann.
It specifies that the voucher is only redeemable for a back-up, general servicing, physical cleaning, re-formatting, virus removal and for the installation of free anti-virus software. It is transferable and is valid until February.
But the vouchers – which have a total value of €15,000 – seemingly violate a law that forbids the practice known as ‘treating’.
Electoral law defines ‘treating’ as the act of providing food, drink, entertainment or provision before, during or after an electio...
- Title
- Why Don't Students in Malta Protest?
- Runtime
- 3:19
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- This video was originally published on timesofmalta.com on May 25, 2024.
In an effort to better understand contemporary student protest culture, Times of Malta went to the University of Malta to speak to students. Around half of those approached declined to answer, because they felt uncomfortable discussing politics. But while a half-empty MEP debate played out in the University’s quadrangle, some students shared their opinions.
Read the full story here: https://shorturl.at/qcfrD
- Title
- Outside Court: Demonstrations as Joseph Muscat and Co. Charged With Serious Crimes
- Runtime
- 15:32
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- Joseph Muscat and his former senior lieutenants were charged with serious crimes over the hospitals scandal on Tuesday in an unprecedented case for Malta.
The former prime minister, Konrad Mizzi, Keith Schembri, and 20 other individuals and companies face accusations of bribery, trading in influence, money laundering, and various other crimes.
Unless you've been living in a bubble, you will be aware that the lead-up to today's first court hearing has been rife with accusations, denials, and political salvos. So join us for this live blog where will be bringing you the action from within and outside the court.
Read the full live blog here: https://shorturl.at/iCZPz
- Title
- VOX POP: 'Joseph Muscat Is Innocent, but Even if He's Not...'
- Runtime
- 5:55
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- Joseph Muscat’s alleged role in a massive fraud that stole millions from Maltese pockets mattered little to the throngs of people who gathered outside the law courts in his support on Tuesday morning.
“He’s one of the greatest people in Malta,” one demonstrator told Times of Malta. “I think he’s innocent, and even if he isn’t…. he lifted me up off the ground. I used to get a €570 pension, now I make over €900.”
That sentiment was reflected in comments others gave Times of Malta.
“He filled Malta with money,” one said. “He made us decent,” another said. “When he came to power, we started living.”
Read the full story here: https://shorturl.at/bIxtk
- Title
- The Last Benedictine Nun in Mdina
- Runtime
- 3:42
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- St Peter’s Monastery occupies a vast chunk of the entrance to Mdina, rising up two tall floors, spanning its two main streets, with countless rooms, once accommodating 60 nuns, long corridors and a garden in its heart.
But all this is now home to one single sister – the last surviving Benedictine in Mdina.
Read the full story here: https://shorturl.at/V4eSX
- Title
- Il-Budaj and Mentee Singing About The Second World War
- Runtime
- 5:17
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- The Frans Baldacchino 'Il-Budaj' Collection, courtesy of Magna Żmien
Il-Budaj was born in Zejtun in 1943. Even though he was never formally trained, he became a cult figure, famous for his witty, poetic lyrics and melodic voice. As well as being a famous Għana musician, he wrote poetry, painted, sculpted, and penned two books: Imrieżaq ta’ Moħħi in 1995 and Lejn l-Art u s-Sema in 2004.
He was posthumously awarded the National Order of Merit.
“Since it’s a marginal community, most people know nothing about Għana, but I am trying to create references for a new audience,” said Alamango. “Otherwise, there is a serious risk of losing it.”
Alamango believes he can help keep the memory of the għannejja alive by creating a digital archive. “Technology and traditional music always went hand in hand,” said Alamango, explaining how migrants like Il-Budaj, who moved to Australia in his youth, often took photos or recorded t...
- Title
- Neighbour of Collapse Site Unable To Go Home
- Runtime
- 2:56
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- Almost a month after the first-floor ceiling of a Sliema building collapsed, killing a worker, the elderly couple who live next door have been told it is still too dangerous for them to return home.
“I just want to go back,” said Antoinette Debono, 77, standing in front of the police tape cordoning off the home where she has lived with her husband for 53 years.
Read the full story here: https://shorturl.at/dLYPB
- Title
- Meet Citoyen Portt: Valletta's Time-Traveling Dandy
- Runtime
- 5:06
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- Sitting at a café on one of Valletta’s main streets is a perfect opportunity to play the flaneur and enjoy a spot of people watching.
But as you watch the world go by you might notice an outlier in the crowd, a man who goes by the name of Citoyen Port and describes himself as a history bounder and a dandy.
With his cane in one hand and his trusty whippet Tina in the other, he is invariably dressed in Regency-era historical fashion. Think coattails with collars and cravats or riding breeches and frilled cuffs.
Although his “government name” is Andrea Portelli, the 35-year-old prefers to go by the alias Citoyen Port.
He chooses to be called Citoyen because it harks back to the days of the French Revolution, to rid themselves of these aristocratic pronouns of Monsieur or Madame... and, in the days of the revolution, everyone was called Citoyen, which means citizen in French.
It is an egalitarian pronoun for one and ...
- Title
- Love Islander Whose Father Was Jailed For Beating Woman
- Runtime
- 3:20
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- “I wish people would see that I’m not him. I know what he did was wrong and I hope I can use my experience on Love Island to show people that I’m different,” Kyonne told Times of Malta.
“I couldn’t control what my father did. He did those things, not me. I am Kyonne, he is Keith: we’re two different people. I may look a bit like him but I didn’t do the things he did.”
Times of Malta sat down with Kyonne for a short interview after his father died, at which point he revealed he had also applied to join Love Island Malta.
From the villa where he will be staying for the next few weeks, Kyonne will not be able to see what people are saying about him on social media, but he expects some hate comments about his decision to join Love Island and his family's past.
“I’ll try, as much as I can, to not let them affect me. After all, I can’t control what people think and say. I don’t think they have reason to hate on me ...
- Title
- Sliema Residents, Activists Protest Encroachment
- Runtime
- 3:40
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- Residents and civil society groups took to the streets of Sliema on Saturday evening to protest what they say is the excessive encroachment of public spaces by businesses.
A crowd of around 100 protestors held up placards reading 'public space is public' and 'no access for disabled'. They chanted slogans including 'we want our pavements back' on the walk from the Aqualuna beach club to the Fortina Hotel.
The action saw the protesters march through bar enclosures constructed across the pavement in Sliema while music blared out in the background.
Organised by the Sliema Residents’ Association and environmental NGO Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar (FAA), the protest comes at a time of heightened tensions between businesses and residents who say their quality of life is being disrupted and demanding obstacles such as outdoor furniture and enclosures be removed.
Read the full story here: https://shorturl.at/cvVX0
- Title
- ‘My son had three strokes at age 18’
- Runtime
- 3:13
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- “Mummy” was the last word that 18-year-old Keith Carabott uttered before he lost consciousness after suffering the last of three strokes two years ago.
The healthy young man with no medical history suffered the first stroke while jumping rope on his roof in February 2022.
He was rushed to hospital and, a few days later, suffered two other strokes. Keith needed a craniotomy – an operation that involved removing part of the skull to relieve the pressure on his brain.
“After the craniotomy, he was severely brain-damaged. That’s when we lost Keith. He was not opening his eyes and not moving,” says his mother Victoria, standing by his side.
Read the full story here: https://shorturl.at/axFN6
- Title
- Resilience in Ukraine, But Fear Is Palpable
- Runtime
- 3:05
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- Ukraine has endured a relentless siege from neighbouring Russia since February 2022. On a whirlwind visit to Kyiv, HERMAN GRECH witnessed resilience, hopelessness and the desperate need to live a ‘normal life’.
Read the full story here: https://shorturl.at/pDFPU
- Title
- Air Raid Sirens Interrupt Metsola, Zelensky News Conference in Kyiv
- Runtime
- 2:41
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- This video was originally published on Times of Malta on May 9, 2024.
Roberta Metsola's press conference with Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday was interrupted as air raid sirens were sounded in the Ukrainian capital.
The European Parliament president and the Ukrainian president were reaching the end of a joint press conference in Kyiv to mark Europe Day.
"This is what the Nazis do in Europe. This is the reality of Europe Day for us Ukrainians," a visibly angry Zelensky told reporters.
He asked the Maltese president if she was OK before being shuffled away to a bomb shelter.
Read the full story here: https://shorturl.at/qtHR7
- Title
- Sarah Bonnici's Journey to the Eurovision
- Runtime
- 6:19
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- This video was originally published on timesofmalta.com on May 8, 2024.
As Malta's entry for the Eurovision Song Contest, Sarah Bonnici, prepares to take to the stage on Thursday, she is well aware she faces a challenge to qualify for the final.
While the bookmakers say the chances of the 25-year-old securing a spot in Saturday's showpiece are low, the singer is ready for battle.
"I am doing all I can to deliver a great performance, one I can look back on and feel proud of and be satisfied," she said.
"Despite it being very challenging and the reality of the odds, I am very happy to face this with great courage, as I have been working so hard. We (the team) have prepared for this for so long, and we are ready to give a great performance... the rest is not in our control."
Read the full story here: https://shorturl.at/rAKPY
- Title
- European Parliament President to meet Zelensky in Kyiv on Europe Day
- Runtime
- 3:58
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- This video was originally published on Times of Malta on May 9, 2024.
Roberta Metsola arrived in Ukraine on Thursday to mark Europe Day in the war-torn country.
It is the European Parliament president’s third visit to the country which has suffered a bloody siege from neighbouring Russia in 27 months of war.
“I came here because I wanted to send a strong message,” Metsola told Times of Malta, which is among media organisations covering the president’s trip.
"We stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes. Since the unprovoked attack, Ukrainians have been fighting for our freedom."
Metsola said she hoped the European Parliament would play a major role in an upcoming peace summit.
"We never give up hope. There will be nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine on the table."
She is expected to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Thursday.
The European Parl...
- Title
- Air raid sirens interrupt Metsola, Zelensky news conference in Kyiv #news
- Runtime
- 1:00
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- Air raid sirens interrupt Metsola, Zelensky news conference in Kyiv
- Title
- Is the Sliema Promenade in Danger?
- Runtime
- 2:57
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- A cave right under the Sliema promenade does not appear to be facing any “immediate” risk of collapse, according to two experts, allaying fears of a potential looming disaster in one of the most popular pedestrian spots.
Concerns about the fissures in the rock eating into the rock under the promenade have been raised in the last years, with the Sliema mayor even saying the promenade could collapse if faced with a heavy storm from the northeast.
Times of Malta visited the site with civil engineers and University of Malta lecturers Adrian Mifsud and Christian Schembri to take a closer look at the cave and others like it to determine just how much of a threat they pose.
But according to Mifsud and Schembri, however, this worst-case scenario is not likely – at least, not anytime soon.
“Even though there does not seem to be any imminent danger, the caves are clearly migrating further inland… There’s no imminent danger, [but] th...
- Title
- This 116-Year-Old Theatre in Sliema is About to Revolutionise Community Theatre
- Runtime
- 3:34
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- A 116-year-old theatre in the heart of Sliema has been completely refurbished and is about to revolutionise the concept of a community theatre.
The Salesians Theatre plans to host all kinds of events, from traditional drama to jazz nights to stand-up comedy, even doubling up as a day care centre for the elderly.
“We want to get people together beyond the theatre and what is happening on stage. Theatre belongs to the people, and their engagement with the arts can help their general well-being,” said artistic consultant Rosetta Debattista.
She believes the theatre experience should be much more than merely buying a ticket, watching a performance and going back home. For Debattista, a renowned musician and tutor, it is all about engagement, people and socialisation.
- Title
- Robert Abela Delivers News Conference After Criminal Charges Filed Against Joseph Muscat and Others
- Runtime
- 1:08:33
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- Prime Minister Robert Abela has concluded a press conference.
In a nutshell, Abela:
- Confirmed criminal charges have been filed against people cited in the magisterial inquiry;
- Insisted he does not have a copy of the inquiry;
- Said it is too soon to discuss resignations of officials like Chris Fearne or Edward Scicluna;
- Emphasised that those charged are innocent until proven guilty;
- Poked several, rather specific holes in the inquiry, despite saying he has not read it;
- Said he expects legal challenges to the inquiry and the way it was carried out;
- Shot down suggestions that Muscat has had €30m worth of assets frozen.
It's been short but intense. Here's our coverage of today's key events:
- AG files charges against Muscat, Mizzi, Schembri and others:
https://timesofmalta.com/article/vitals-inquiry-ag-files-charges-muscat-mizzi-schembr...
- Title
- Van on fire in Santa Venera busy road
- Runtime
- 0:59
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- A van on Old Railway Track in Santa Venera caught fire just after 4pm on Monday.
Footage and photos sent to Times of Malta show a plume of smoke from across the locality.
Readers initially reported the fire on Psaila Street Birkirkara.
However, the police later clarified the fire had been reported further up the same carriageway, where the road is called Old Railway Track.
They added that no one was injured in the fire.
The driver of the van noticed smoke coming out of the vehicle's bonnet while driving down the road. They stopped the van and got out to put out the fire.
Civil Protection Department officials eventually managed to put out the fire.
- Title
- Malta: 20 Years in the EU
- Runtime
- 17:53
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- Twenty years after Malta joined the EU, some of the key players interviewed for a Times of Malta documentary tell Mark Laurence Zammit about the tension and excitement in the air as those historic events were unfolding.
A sizeable movement of people within the Labour Party wanted Alfred Sant to turn in favour of Malta joining the EU after the 2003 referendum and just before the election that year, according to Joseph Muscat.
“It was not just a few people, and they were arguing that the PL should acknowledge that the Maltese wanted to join the EU and that the party should change its policy ahead of the general election a few weeks later,” he recalled.
“The opposing movement within the PL was arguing that would be too radical of a U-turn and would lose us all credibility. I was among those insisting we should recognise what the people wanted but at the same time acknowledged our credibility would have taken a hit with such an overnight change ...
- Title
- Equality Minister Reacts to Clint Axisa, Accused of Sexual Harassment, Return to Government Work
- Runtime
- 2:51
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- Equality junior minister Rebecca Buttigieg said she would not accept someone accused of sexual harassment to work in her ministry when asked about Clint Axisa's return to government work.
Axisa, a Transport Malta official, stands accused of committing non-consensual sexual acts on a female co-worker and sexually harassing her and another woman.
His suspension was recently lifted, and returned to work last week but reported at a different entity, Infrastructure Malta.
Asked if she would accept someone with similar accusations to work in her secretariat the equality junior minister said: "If there was a particular case that came to my attention I wouldn't accept," Buttigieg said.
- Title
- 'We will stand by Joseph' - PL supporters
- Runtime
- 6:49
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- Labour supporters at Wednesday’s workers' day mass meeting are convinced Joseph Muscat is innocent and the hospitals inquiry is but a ploy to destroy him.
“The hatred there is for Joseph Muscat and Robert Abela is unbelievable,” supporter Dominic Bonett told Times of Malta in a vox pop shortly before the prime minister took the stage at the event in Valletta.
“Shame on them. Malta cannot be better. Ask families and they’ll tell you. Whatever they do, we will stand by Joseph. Long live Labour (Viva l-Labour).”
Read the full story here: https://shorturl.at/bvwD4
- Title
- 'What matters is what's in the pocket'
- Runtime
- 0:45
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- Labour supporters react to news that Joseph Muscat might be charged.
77-year-old Tony Briffa does not even care if Muscat did something wrong. To him, what matters is only what is in his pocket.
“I was born in a poor family and now I have a pension of €1,200. When did we ever see all that money?! And you expect me to vote for the Nationalists? Whatever they say, it’s here that matters,” he said, slapping the pocket on his trousers.
“I don’t care. I only care about what I’m getting in my pocket.”
- Title
- Muscat: 'It's all a vendetta'
- Runtime
- 0:16
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- A magisterial inquiry into Joseph Muscat and other ministers’ role in the Vitals deal to privatise three state hospitals has been concluded, a court heard on Tuesday.
Attorney General Victoria Buttigieg must now analyse the inquiry and the 78 boxes of evidence it involved, to decide whether or not to file criminal charges against people named in it.
Muscat, who has spent the past year battling the inquiry, described it as a personal “vendetta” and accused the magistrate leading it, Gabriella Vella, of waging war against himself and the Labour Party.
“The institutions are working – working against Labourites,” Muscat said in a press conference on Tuesday afternoon. He said he had “no doubt” he would face criminal charges as a result of the probe, but said he had nothing to fear.
“If justice exists, I will be a free man and then receive compensation for damages suffered,” he says. “I know I did nothing wrong.”
- Title
- Vitals Inquiry Concluded: Joseph Muscat Speaks Out
- Runtime
- 31:08
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- A magisterial inquiry into Joseph Muscat and other ministers’ role in the Vitals deal to privatise three state hospitals has been concluded, a court heard on Tuesday.
Attorney General Victoria Buttigieg must now analyse the inquiry and the 78 boxes of evidence it involved, to decide whether or not to file criminal charges against people named in it.
Muscat, who has spent the past year battling the inquiry, described it as a personal “vendetta” and accused the magistrate leading it, Gabriella Vella, of waging war against himself and the Labour Party.
“The institutions are working – working against Labourites,” Muscat said in a press conference on Tuesday afternoon. He said he had “no doubt” he would face criminal charges as a result of the probe, but said he had nothing to fear.
“If justice exists, I will be a free man and then receive compensation for damages suffered,” he says. “I know I did nothing wrong.”
- Title
- 99 Residents, 1 Block, and a Political Battle in Siġġiewi
- Runtime
- 1:55
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- Ninety-nine people have switched their current address to that of a government housing block in Siġġiewi this month as they wait to move into it, but the Nationalist Party is not happy about it and is asking court to reverse their registered addresses.
The huge, newly constructed housing block in Mdina Street is still being finished and is yet to welcome its first of the 99 residents, the PN said.
But the soon-to-be tenants have already switched their registered address to their new home and the party fears this is an election move by the PL to usher in a wave of new Labour voters in Siġġiewi ahead of the local council election in June.
On Friday morning, the PN filed 99 court applications – one for each resident – informing the court that their address is vacant and that the apartments are not yet habitable, and asked the court to switch the residents’ addresses back to their current homes.
Read the full story here: https:/...
- Title
- Malta’s UN envoy, minister on risk of war spreading and sleepless nights
- Runtime
- 6:42
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- Seeing the big powers in the Middle East ignore the United Nations’ resolution for ceasefire raises questions on the effectiveness of the UN’s peacekeeping efforts, Malta’s ambassador to the UN has admitted.
“You’re clearly not as strong, right? Having the UN Security Council adopt a resolution against a country is meant to be something serious. But if that country can just say, ‘Yeah yeah, I’ll just ignore it and what can you do about it?’ Then it’s no longer serious,” Vanessa Frazier told Maltese reporters in New York, amid heightening tensions in the Middle East.
“This is the biggest criticism the UN gets from the public – that we can hardly pass any resolutions because one member state can shoot them down with a veto, and even when you pass binding resolutions, they’re not implemented.”
Read the full story here: https://t.ly/bYpS1
- Title
- Israel wants Malta to be 'part of a coalition to fight terrorism'
- Runtime
- 26:31
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- Israel’s ambassador to Malta has said the country should be part of a coalition to fight terrorism but stopped short of suggesting it abandons its neutrality.
Ze’ev Boker said “it should be clear, even to the neutral Malta, that the war against terrorism should be the necessity of the international community, including Malta”.
However, he stressed he was “not saying Malta should lose its neutrality but be part of a coalition to fight against terrorism”. The ambassador did not elaborate on what level of involvement he thought the country should undertake.
Read full story here: https://t.ly/RpFNQ
- Title
- Bus driver assaulted by abusive passenger while driving
- Runtime
- 1:00
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- A bus driver was assaulted and insulted in full view of other passengers on a Valletta-bound bus on Friday morning.
It was third case of abuse towards bus drivers reported just this week.
Video shared on social media showed a male passenger yelling at the driver to open the bus door, while the bus was moving. The incident happened at 11am on Friday on Route 81 heading towards Valletta.
In the video, which was filmed by another passenger, the man can be heard swearing and insulting the driver in Maltese. When the driver says he will call the police, the man turns aggressive and bangs a perspex divider intended to protect bus drivers.
The footage shows the man reaching out to hit the driver on multiple occasions.
- Title
- A Times of Malta Business Breakfast on EdTech
- Runtime
- 3:00:58
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- The Times of Malta, in collaboration with the Malta Digital Innovation Authority (MDIA) and Malta Enterprise, is organising ‘EdTech: Education, Technology and Innovation‘, a Business Breakfast on Wednesday, April 17 at the Corinthia Palace in Attard, Malta.
The event will feature two expert panels that will explore how innovative and disruptive technologies are challenging trusted norms in the education sector and the labour market.
Optimism about personalised learning environments and new economic opportunities needs to be tempered with legitimate concerns about the imminent changes likely to be brought by disruptive technologies, such as Generative AI. This is a pivotal moment, when we need to secure unbiased information about the changes required in our education and technology sectors if we are to empower individuals of all ages to participate mindfully in the digital era.
3CL Foundation, among other entities, is supporting the event. Prof...
- Title
- Paola Priest Shows Café Plans
- Runtime
- 9:46
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- The parish priest of Paola has defended plans to use part of the basilica's roof for a cafeteria, stressing the need to support urgently needed restoration works.
Times of Malta reported on Sunday that Fr Marc Andre Camilleri had applied to the Planning Authority for a permit to set up a cafeteria on the roof of Christ the King Basilica.
The cafeteria is part of wider plans to convert two belfry towers into a seven-level interpretation centre – typically dedicated to heritage education – with a gift shop on the ground floor.
Read the full story here: https://shorturl.at/xLTW5
- Title
- Families of Hostages Held by Hamas Tell Their Stories
- Runtime
- 9:27
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- While in Malta for a conference on anti-semitism and to meet high-ranking officials, the families of those held hostage by Hamas in Gaza spoke to James Cummings about their heart-wrenching experiences.
Read here: https://shorturl.at/bgJL9
- Title
- Students Try Out Alternative to Driving
- Runtime
- 2:35
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- As many drivers were left frustrated in traffic on Wednesday morning, a group of students were trying a different approach to their daily commute.
Around 20 students ditched their cars and joined a bicycle bus to travel from Mosta to University in time for their 8am lectures.
The event was organised by the Media and Knowledge Sciences Association and led by Steve Zammit Lupi, an independent councillor and a member of cycling NGO Rota.
A bicycle bus is when a group of people cycle together and is considered a safer way of experimenting with cycling on busy traffic-congested roads.
For many of the students, including MKSA's Dylan Attard, it was their first time taking the bicycle to university.
"We wanted to do something to tackle both the environment and students' struggles with parking," he said.
Read in full here: https://shorturl.at/bfgQV
- Title
- Her First Day on the Job - Myriam Spiteri Debono
- Runtime
- 23:50
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- On her first day at San Anton Palace, President Myriam Spiteri Debono speaks to Mark Laurence Zammit about waning values, Joseph Muscat’s cabinet members, and the murder of a journalist.
Read here: https://shorturl.at/huwDV
00:00 Intro
00:40 Living in the palace
01:28 A technophobe
02:22 Gozitans in high positions
03:13 Choosing the president
04:27 Abortion
05:56 Corruption
12:36 Daphne Caruana Galizia
18:20 Joseph Muscat's legacy
19:48 Her position on...
22:29 Has anything bothered you in the past days?
23:00 What will be your legacy?
- Title
- How Fish Are Used to Grow Crops
- Runtime
- 2:30
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- In a field on the outskirts of Ta’ Qali, a quiet revolution in farming is under way.
From the road, large greenhouses dominating the plot of land look like any others, but step inside and you will find something altogether different.
Standing in a corner of one greenhouse is a large machine that looks like an old-fashioned watermill wheel.
As it rotates, it dips trays of crops one by one into a pool of nutrient-rich water supplied by a nearby fish tank.
In essence, it is an automated crop-growing machine that uses aquaponics – a way of growing plants using water enriched with fish waste and which some other companies have started implementing in Malta.
But this one has a twist: rather than growing crops directly in water, as in most aquaponic systems, it grows them traditionally, in soil.
Its inventors say it is the first of its kind and can grow yields equivalent to 140 kg of rocket leaves or 650 lettuc...
- Title
- They're the Unhappiest in the EU, But What Would Make Them Happy?
- Runtime
- 4:35
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- According to the annual World Happiness Report, Maltese people under 30 are less happy than their peers in the rest of the EU. What are the reasons for this?
Students at MCAST and the University of Malta, who spoke to Times of Malta said their generation has a long list of reasons to be unhappy but they also had a few suggestions on what needs to change.
Read the full story here: https://shorturl.at/amINV
- Title
- Malta’s New National Airline Takes to The Air
- Runtime
- 1:29
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- Malta’s new national airline, KM Malta Airlines, made its debut on Sunday morning, successfully completing its first flight to Catania.
Bleary-eyed travellers might have not known they were a part of the country’s aviation history, as the jets of the new airline roared to life for its inaugural flight, well before the sun came up.
The nation’s legacy carrier Air Malta flew its last flight on Saturday night after 50 years in operation. It had to shutter operations after the government’s efforts to bolster the flailing airline with a second substantial cash injection were stopped by the European Commission.
But, come Sunday, very little has changed in practice for passengers, with the new airline retaining all of Air Malta’s aircraft. While the planes received new livery, they retained the familiar inclusion of the eight-pointed Maltese cross in various shades of red.
Read the full story here: https://shorturl.at/jmG68
- Title
- A Musician's Journey Through Maltese Family Archives
- Runtime
- 3:00
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- A new album has given voice to the human cost paid by generations of Maltese emigrants, who left home for a new life in Australia, Canada and the UK.
Musician James Vella and researcher Andrew Alamango listened to more than three hours of cassettes of ordinary people singing about their homesickness, tribulations and occasional triumphs.
The taped songs, posted home to families in Malta during the 1970s and early 1980s, were sometimes in the form of the traditional folk style, known as Għana.
Vella, who goes by the stage name A Lily, has sampled some of the songs in his nine-track album Saru L-Qamar (They Became the Moon).
“The stories I heard are so beautiful. They are stories told from the heart,” he said.
“While you can’t understand everything being said because of the accent or the quality of the recording, you can understand that what they are saying is important.”
Read the full story here: ht...
- Title
- Farewell to Air Malta: Emotional Moments from the Airline's Last Flight
- Runtime
- 3:51
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- The final Air Malta flight left London Heathrow to return home on Saturday night, closing a 50-year chapter on the nation's first national airline.
Times of Malta was onboard the historic flight and got a behind-the-scenes look into the airline’s final journey, flying the same route as Air Malta's very first trip in 1974.
Read the full story here: https://shorturl.at/rxKVW
- Title
- The 85 Year-Old Walking a Marathon... In His Care Home
- Runtime
- 2:08
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- At 85, Joseph Mallia has lost his sight, has diabetes, has undergone a serious heart intervention and uses a walking aid as he recovers from fractures in his lower body.
But none of this has stopped him from embarking on a marathon in aid of Puttinu Cares, which he is planning on completing in 365 days.
Since Boxing Day, Joseph – known as Josie – has been walking 1,000 steps daily in the terrace of a Tarxien home for the elderly.
He moved into Dar l-Annunzjata two years ago when he fractured his pelvis, and the idea of a marathon came to him during a physiotherapy session following a separate hip fracture last year.
“I don’t see, but I walk, so I decided to do a marathon in aid of Puttinu Cares – which I started on Boxing Day and will end this Christmas.
Read the full story here: https://timesofmalta.com/article/watch-at-85-josie-mallia-cannot-see-but-walking-marathon-puttinu.1089746
- Title
- Health Minister Open to Doctor-Assisted Dying in Extreme Cases
- Runtime
- 5:30
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- Personal encounters with terminally-ill people in extreme pain have led surgeon and newly-appointed health minister Jo Etienne Abela to believe that doctor-assisted dying is justified in extreme cases.
Speaking in an interview with Times of Malta, Abela said he opposes euthanasia in its broader forms and is planning to invest in more facilities and resources for palliative care, but lethal illnesses can become unbearably painful beyond the reach of any medical remedy.
“We will offer palliative care to patients, of course, but sometimes even the best palliative care leaves the patient in a lot of pain with no hope of surviving. In those circumstances I believe doctor-assisted suicide is suitable and justified,” he said.
After the interview he clarified that he meant to use the more appropriate term ‘doctor-assisted dying’.
Read the full story here: https://timesofmalta.com/article/watch-health-minister-open-doctorassisted-dying...
- Title
- Ramona, Bucky no longer roofless
- Runtime
- 3:56
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- YMCA is seeing a record number of people sleeping on the streets, the NGO’s CEO has told Times of Malta following an overwhelming reaction from the public in support of a woman who has been struggling with rooflessness for two years.
Over the past nine months, YMCA social workers have met 58 people who are roofless – meaning they are without a shelter altogether – at a drop-in centre that opened in Ħamrun last June.
In the previous three years – between 2020 and 2022 – YMCA cared for a total of 107 clients who were roofless.
Read full story here: https://timesofmalta.com/article/record-number-people-sleeping-streets-ymca.1089372
- Title
- A Journey with My Dog through Homelessness
- Runtime
- 3:43
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- After her last prison sentence a dog named Bucky helped Ramona stay on track. But her worries didn't end there.
Read the full story here: https://timesofmalta.com/article/watch-i-no-place-call-home-homeless-woman-opens.1088581
- Title
- Selah’s Father Reveals They Almost Died on Day of Escape
- Runtime
- 6:21
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- The father of a Palestinian girl who is in Malta for medical treatment after being seriously injured in an Israeli airstrike has described how he and his daughter were almost killed while trying to leave Gaza.
Ashraf Hajras said he and his daughter Selah’s last few days in Gaza were “pure torture”, with the pair attacked by Israeli forces as they tried to exit the Palestinian enclave.
“Even on the last day, when we were at the Rafah border, the Israelis hit the gate and [attacked] the civilians there. We were very close to death,” he told Times of Malta.
“Death follows you everywhere in Gaza. Even when you’re trying to run away, it follows you,” said Hajras.
Selah and her father’s departure through the Rafah crossing marked the end of a horrific ordeal for the family, with the girl sustaining serious leg injuries in an airstrike that killed her mother and 10-day-old brother.
Read the full story here: htt...
