Times of Malta
Explained: How fraudsters made millions off disability benefits
- Title
- Explained: How fraudsters made millions off disability benefits
- Runtime
- 12:08
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- It's a scandal of massive proportions - and we still don't know just how wide it reached.
Times of Malta revealed how fraudsters were given fake documents that allowed them to access monthly disability benefit cheques.
Many of the fraudsters have told police they were given the documents by a a former MP. Others say they were helped by minister's aides, or people in the prime minister's office.
Mark Laurence Zammit explains what we know so far.
- Title
- Michael Falzon sees no reason to resign over benefit fraud scandal
- Runtime
- 5:49
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- A massive racket involving benefit fraudsters occurred under his watch. But Malta's Social Policy Minister says he sees no reason why he should step aside.
https://bit.ly/3sKjIH2
- Title
- Revealed: How a multi-million racket for disability benefits worked
- Runtime
- 9:53
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- People who pocketed thousands of euros in fraudulent disability benefits say they were guided through the racket by people in the halls of power.
Reporting by Mark Laurence Zammit. Video by Karl Andrew Micallef.
- Title
- Would you freeze your organic waste?
- Runtime
- 3:17
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- In Sliema, where rats have been spotted feasting on abandoned organic rubbish, residents were left bewildered after hearing Wasteserv CEO’s suggestion to freeze their white bags until collection day.
“Nobody wants to put that in their fridge,” many said, believing that storing organic waste in cooler temperatures will not solve the foul odours that the densely populated area has become accustomed to.
Times of Malta spoke to Sliema residents after Wasteserv CEO Richard Bilocca found an odd solution to the waste problem: “When you fill up your organic bin bag, you can store it in your freezer and take it out for collection, solving the problem of bad odours.”
However, residents were not too keen on storing their organic waste alongside their frozen food.
“It’s not hygienic, it’s madness,” Amelia Muscat from Sliema said.
“If the CEO of the company is willing to provide residents with freezers, definitely,...
- Title
- The airport using bees to measure air pollution
- Runtime
- 2:43
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- On the edge of the airport runway, two people, kitted in white long-sleeved overalls, gloves and a netted veil, check on their bees.
Ray Sciberras and Denise Camilleri of Golden Island Honey inspect each of their five bee colonies as they explain how Malta International Airport uses their bees to measure air pollution.
“The bees forage on flowers within a three-kilometre radius and bring it back to their box,” Sciberras says.
The beekeepers then send honey samples to an accredited laboratory in Germany which measures for pollutants that can arise from aviation-fuel combustion.
The honey collected at the airport is also compared to a control sample harvested from bees in Baħrija.
Reporting by Daniel Ellul and Matthew Mirabelli. Editing by Karl Andrew Micallef.
- Title
- Paceville: The place that's 'like Ibiza, but cheaper'
- Runtime
- 4:09
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- Young holidaymakers in Paceville were generally upbeat about Malta as international media reports compared the island to cheap holiday hotspots, rife with alcohol and weed.
A vox pop last week saw youngsters describing Malta “crazy” and “like Ibiza, but cheaper”.
But many dismissed claims that they are just here to party. They lauded the country’s landscape and “affordable” alcohol prices, while one young man said he was enticed by photos of the Blue Lagoon taken by his sister during a recent holiday.
We went to Paceville, to see what people think of it.
- Title
- Ta' Qali craft village a ‘ghost town’ after project turns into ‘one big mess’
- Runtime
- 3:12
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- Ta’ Qali Crafts Village has been dubbed a “ghost town” by the tourists it is meant to attract, while the head of the body tasked with overseeing its regeneration has admitted the project has become “a big mess”.
The attraction, where people can buy crafts and watch artisans at work, was slated to undergo a multi-million-euro transformation by the end of 2017 but remains unfinished six years later.
Under the regeneration plan, a government agency was to take responsibility for infrastructure while the tenants were to construct individual premises.
But the arrangement has led to a patchy situation whereby some buildings are complete, others have been left looking like construction sites and others have changed hands amid a now-restricted practice.
The government has now taken over the construction of 16 of the remaining 25 plots.
When Times of Malta visited the site this month, the streets were deserted, pavements...
- Title
- The man with more than 1,000 Nintendo Wii games
- Runtime
- 3:17
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- At some point, Dominic Tringali started buying Nintendo Wii games... and he never stopped.
He's now got a collection of more than 1,000, making him Malta's biggest Wii collector. And he has no intention of stopping.
Reporting by Daniel Tihn and Karl Andrew Micallef.
- Title
- They went to sleep in one street, and woke up in another
- Runtime
- 2:43
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- One morning, residents in a Mosta road learnt they lived at a new address.
Triq id-Dawr had suddenly become Triq Freddie Micallef, without warning or consultation.
Residents are now circulating a petition to have the name changed back.
Reporting by Mark Laurence Zammit and Karl Andrew Micallef. Read the full story at https://bit.ly/47Gj2lZ
- Title
- Meet Malta's oldest football team
- Runtime
- 3:25
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- It all started in 1991, when 47-year-old retired footballer Tony Callus gathered with friends and veteran players in Memories, a bar in Paceville, to discuss their future with the sport they love.
More than 30 years later, the team is still going strong.
“It’s the game I loved all my life,” says Andrew, who at 55 is the team's youngster.
Twice a week, rain or shine, a group of elderly men meet up to play a friendly match of football, kicking it back to their youth and keeping them a tight-knit team.
With an average age of 66, the group has been meeting for over three decades to play their weekly games, battling through health problems such as heart attacks as they refused to retire from their passion.
Read the full story - https://bit.ly/3qz52K4
- Title
- A hotel right in the heart of Birkirkara's village core?
- Runtime
- 3:00
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- A proposal to build a four-storey hotel right opposite St Helen's Basilica prompted plenty of commentary on social media.
But what do Birkirkara residents and street hawkers make of the idea?
Reporting by Daniel Tihn and Karl Andrew Micallef.
- Title
- A GP's mysterious death leaves his family with nothing but official silence
- Runtime
- 15:24
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- Mario Rizzo Naudi was a respected doctor, husband and father. When he died in April 2023, many things about his death did not make sense to those who knew him the most.
But despite their questions, the doctor's family say they have been given no information about an official probe into his death.
- Title
- The amphibious vehicle in Gozo that is making waves
- Runtime
- 2:58
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- A vehicle in Gozo has attracted a lot of attraction over the past few weeks and it’s not because of its eye-catching neon yellow colour.
It’s hard for passers-by to miss the small and bright car as it goes down the steep road leading to the beautiful bay of Mġarr ix-Xini. But what truly turns heads is when it progresses down the slipway right into the sea.
In awe, people lift their mobiles to snap a picture of the vehicle and many may wonder: is it a car? Is it a boat? In reality, it is both.
- Title
- People react as Malta sizzles
- Runtime
- 2:25
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- One topic is dominating the agenda in Malta this week as high temperatures trigger power cuts, leaving thousands of residents, businesses and tourists in the lurch.
The central localities were among the worst hit though many remain without power while others fear another nightmare night without the facility of cooling systems.
Times of Malta spoke to pedestrians on the streets of Mosta and Naxxar, asking how the wide-ranging power cuts impacted them.
Sharon Briffa, a Mosta resident, said she had to throw away €75 worth of food after a power cut left her home without electricity for 19 hours.
"The ice in the freezer thawed, and we had to throw away all the pizzas, meat, and everything else," the 53-year-old said.
Read the full story here: https://shorturl.at/jntS2
- Title
- River of Love pastor Gordon John Manche on free speech, insults and Europride
- Runtime
- 28:46
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- The controversial pastor has made headlines for reporting people who insulted him to the police.
But in this interview with Mark Laurence Zammit, he insists he has good reason to do so - and that he's not guilty of double standards.
- Title
- Caravan owners in Malta say their designated site is a dump
- Runtime
- 6:24
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- The only new legal parking site for caravans in Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq reeks of foul smells, is full of dust and dangerous for children, owners have complained.
From July 1, caravan and camper owners need a permit to occupy any space on the coast for a maximum of three days in new legislation which has upset several owners.
Times of Malta spoke to five caravan owners who paid for their permit but still did not park at the designated site.
“They want to put us in Magħtab,” caravan owner Simone Runza said.
In Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq, where many caravans have traditionally parked, the Naxxar council has designated the site known as il-Għoqot as the only area where caravan owners can station their vehicles.
But the owners are unhappy with the area, saying it is located just opposite the entrance of the Magħtab waste complex.
Only two caravans were parked at the site when Times of Malta visited the area o...
- Title
- Indians are paying thousands for non-existent jobs in Malta
- Runtime
- 8:27
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- Indian nationals often pay thousands of euros in agency fees to work in Malta only to find that the job promised to them does not exist, an NGO for Indians in Malta has claimed.
And if they want to stay in the country legally, they have to pay income tax through the agency despite earning no income.
The agencies then provide payslips to the Maltese government to “prove” these people are “working” in Malta.
“It’s kind of a mafia,” said Sanjolucy Leela, president of the Malta Malayalee Association.
Since the beginning of last year, the association has helped 50 individuals who feel they have been exploited in this way, the association’s vice-president Jeejo Jose Chowallur said.
The association started off as a cultural group and still organises community activities for people from the Indian state of Kerala. But of late, much of their work has been focused on employment issues.
Leela and Chowall...
- Title
- How did ultramarathon swimmer Neil Agius prepare to beat a world record?
- Runtime
- 5:42
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- Activist and endurance athlete Neil Agius will use an original breathing technique to effectively turn himself into a "human lilo", helping him glide across 160km of open seawater in his world-record attempt.
“[The experts] are not sure if it is even possible, I’m pretty sure it is,” he told Times of Malta in an interview ahead of his swim.
On Monday morning, the Olympian began his attempt to cross 160 kilometres - or almost 100 miles - of open water without any assistance, breaking a record that he currently holds.
To prepare for the feat, Agius has created a new breathing technique that allows him to naturally stay afloat.
“I am going to turn myself into a lilo,” he said.
Read the full story here https://shorturl.at/knK02
- Title
- Residents with cancer without a lift for two years
- Runtime
- 2:56
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- Elderly cancer sufferers living in a social housing block have spoken of crawling up the stairs after treatment because the Housing Authority has left them without a lift for nearly two years.
The residents of the Mtarfa block told Times of Malta that the delay in installing a new lift has forced them to stay indoors for days on end.
Going up and down the stairs has become such an ordeal that they only go out when it is absolutely necessary – for hospital appointments and to buy groceries.
“After intense chemotherapy sessions we sometimes have to crawl up the stairs,” resident Rose Abela said.
- Title
- Isabelle Bonnici on the death of her son Jean Paul Sofia
- Runtime
- 16:38
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- When Isabelle Bonnici rushed to the site of a collapsed building in Corradino, she was told her son was alive and in hospital.
She later found out later that he was, in fact, still buried under the rubble.
In her first on-camera interview since her son Jean Paul Sofia died six months ago, Isabelle recalled the gruelling details of that December 3 day when a timber factory under construction collapsed, burying six people and leaving a 20-year-old dead.
When she got to the site of the collapse on that fateful day, she was relieved to find a police officer who told her he was sure he saw her son being pulled out from the rubble and taken to hospital alive.
Read more here: https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/watch-they-told-son-found-alive.1038420
- Title
- Għadira ‘tidal lane’ aims to ease traffic at peak hours
- Runtime
- 6:18
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- Infrastructure Malta is constructing a tidal lane system in Għadira that will allow traffic coming from the Gozo ferry during peak hours to flow through two lanes instead of one, the roads agency chief told Times of Malta.
A tidal lane system changes the direction of traffic on one lane to maximise the capacity of the road.
When the area becomes overwhelmed with traffic from the ferry and from Armier, the northbound fast lane will close for vehicles going to Ċirkewwa and open for vehicles coming from Gozo.
That way, vehicles will be directed to use that lane as well and rejoin the southbound lane at the Danish Village roundabout, from where the road will be wide enough to accommodate four lanes again.
Read more here: https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/ghadira-tidal-lane-aims-ease-traffic-peak-hours-road-agency-chief.1036085
- Title
- Miriam Dalli on the future of Malta's energy sector
- Runtime
- 1:37:45
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- This video was originally released on FB on January 26,2023.
https://bit.ly/3lkQpaf
Miriam Dalli takes questions about the future of Malta's energy mix during a 90-minute event moderated by Mark Laurence Zammit. The minister is joined by professor Luciano Mule Stagno and geologist Peter Gatt.
- Title
- Sandra Gauci, ADPD's new 'rebel' leader, plans a rebrand
- Runtime
- 10:26
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- Malta’s Green Party could be rebranded under a new name and a new look following next year’s European elections, the newly elected leader said.
ADPD – Alternattiva Demokratika and Partit Demokratiku – merged in 2020 and underwent a transitional period to establish their identity. Now that the transitional period is over, it is time to start thinking about rebranding ADPD, the party’s new leader, Sandra Gauci told Times of Malta in an interview.
“After the MEP elections, I hope to rebrand the party, even change the name and give it a bit of a boost image-wise,” Gauci told Times of Malta.
The 44-year-old leader, a teacher of Italian, is relatively new to the political scene and was only elected to lead the Green Party last week, but she is determined to make waves in a party which has failed to elect any MPs since it fielded its first candidates in 1992.
“I don’t think we would have enough time to rebrand it in just a ...
- Title
- What do Malta police do during a roadblock?
- Runtime
- 4:01
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- During the first four months of 2023, police conducted over 425 road checks. One such check finished some 30 minutes before Kacey Sciberras, 17, was killed in a car crash on the same road.
Since then, road safety has been thrown into the spotlight. Daniel Tihn joined officers during one of their routine road checks.
At 10pm on a Friday evening in May, officers began filing into Inspector Jonathan Ransley’s office at the Sliema police station for their pre-briefing.
Out of the 13 officers present, most belonged to the Sliema district while officers from the Rapid Intervention Unit and K-9 Unit were also present for the evening’s stops.
During the briefing, Ransley explained how the operation would be carried out which, for that evening, would see officers park on Triq D’Argens for several hours as they checked out erratic drivers, possible cases of prostitution and all other contraventions.
The evening’s procedure...
- Title
- The Joseph Muscat-VGH Europe connection, explained
- Runtime
- 10:15
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- The drama around Joseph Muscat continues to unfold, with revelations by Times of Malta and other media partners revealing that the former prime minister's finances are being investigated on suspicion of corruption.
Muscat says it's all above board. Investigators are not so sure, and are especially interested in €60,000 that Muscat received from companies linked to the hospitals privatisation deal declared "fraudulent" by a court.
So, what's new in the latest revelations, exactly? What does the story add to what we already knew?
What is 'VGH Europe' and why does it matter? Who paid for Muscat's consultancy work? And where, in turn, did those companies receive money from?
It can be hard to keep up with all the twists and turns. But if you're struggling to understand it all, we've got you covered: this video will tell you all you need to know in 11 minutes.
- Title
- Inside Malta's abandoned St Luke's Hospital
- Runtime
- 2:38
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- The people entrusted with the running of three public hospitals in 2015 splurged cash on luxury cars, five-star hotels, private schools and even Netflix subscriptions, according to financial documents.
Over 22,000 financial records from between October 2015 and January 2020 were obtained by OCCRP and shared with Times of Malta and The Shift News.
Footage filmed as part of the investigation shows the abandoned interior of St Luke's Hospital - one of three that were meant to be on the receiving end of a €200 million upgrade.
In 2021, the Auditor General called on the authorities to investigate concerns by the health ministry that funds meant for the running of the St Luke’s, Karin Grech and Gozo hospitals were being funneled out of the government concession by VGH.
VGH shifted at least €21 million to its Maltese parent company Bluestone Investments between 2016 and 2018. Some of those transactions were made on the same day that VG...
- Title
- Simon Schembri awaits justice five years after hit-and-run
- Runtime
- 6:49
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- Five years after former police sergeant Simon Schembri lost part of his right arm in a hit-and-run, he is still waiting for the court proceedings to be concluded so that he can put the painful incident behind him once and for all.
“I have closed many chapters connected with this incident but the book is still open,” he told Times of Malta on the anniversary of that life-changing day.
“I want to forget what happened but I cannot as the court case is still pending…. Once the trial by jury starts, and I will have to testify, I will have to rekindle memories I have been battling to forget.”
His foundation claims that the case has been slowed due to the accused filing constitutional proceedings claiming prejudicial publicity, which must be decided before a date is set.
Read full story here https://shorturl.at/moAJX
- Title
- Part 3 - Malta's sexual attitudes and behaviour
- Runtime
- 3:18
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- The study was conducted by Sagalytics and Sex Clinic Malta, and sheds light on a broad range of people’s sexual behaviours. It compares the results to international studies while aiming to reduce stigma on sexuality.
- Title
- A Valletta 'garden of dreams' reveals a nation's thirst for green open spaces
- Runtime
- 2:06
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- As thousands clamour for green open spaces on an island choked by over-construction, one temporary garden in the middle of the capital in the past week has grabbed a lot of attention.
Last week, St George’s Square, one of Valletta’s largest open spaces, was transformed into a garden displaying over 18,000 plants, from evergreen trees to colourful flowers.
Ġnien tal-Ħolm (Garden of Dreams) is part of the popular Valletta Green Festival, organised by the Valletta Cultural Agency.
Read full story here: https://bit.ly/42uDLq2
- Title
- The Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Malta reveals how Malta's freemasons work
- Runtime
- 17:37
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- Freemasonry is the only refuge left from a world consuming and devouring itself with relentless materialism, according to Simon Cusens.
“It’s a real relief to walk up those steps in Triq Marsamxett and enter a building full of like-minded people and spend a meaningful evening speaking about the truly most important things in life that you can’t buy with money,” he said.
Real freemasons are good and virtuous people who meet to become better persons and find genuine friends but their reputation is being tainted by rogue criminals who want to operate in secrecy to hide sinister motives and by bloggers who are unfairly associating the good freemasons with the bad ones, according to the chief of Malta’s original freemasons.
Cusens is a man on a mission. He wants to clear the name of hundreds of genuine freemasons in Malta whose reputation has been smeared by centuries-old public misconceptions and conspiracy theories about crime and corruptio...
- Title
- Part 2 - Malta's sexual attitudes and behaviour
- Runtime
- 3:59
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- Just over a tenth of respondents in a national survey admitted to have cheated on their partner at some point in their life, but a sex and relationship therapist says clinical practice and international research indicate the figure could, in fact, be up to 27 per cent, almost a third of the population.
The figures emerge from a survey that was conducted by Sagalytics and Sex Clinic Malta and shed light on a broad range of people’s sexual behaviours. The study compares the results to international studies while aiming to reduce stigma on sexuality.
Respondents aged 18 and over were asked whether they ever had sexual contact with another person when they were in a relationship with someone else. And 11.6 per cent said they did.
“We believe this is a conservative figure, likely because many respondents did not wish to divulge sensitive information to the researcher,” sex and relationship therapist Matthew Bartolo told Times of Malta. “From c...
- Title
- The YouTube vlogger discovering Malta
- Runtime
- 4:11
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- Pierre Farrugia is using the world's most popular video site to explore his country.
@PierreFarrugia
- Title
- ‘I was scared to testify against my own abuser’
- Runtime
- 6:06
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- Woman recounts horrific ordeal, how she mustered courage to file report and why she could not see the case through
One day, Vickie returned home from work to find a steak that she had transferred from the freezer to the fridge to thaw, soaking in milk.
She knew that meant only one thing: the man she once called husband had dropped by while she was not at home. Just like that one time her alleged abuser left an espresso cup on the countertop. It was a subtle hint that he was still around.
Despite an ongoing domestic violence court case, and a court application by her lawyer to change the front door locks, Vickie (not her real name) could not legally keep her estranged husband out of the matrimonial house. And when one night he turned up drunk at 4am, saying he wanted to sleep in his bed, she had to let him in.
“He might not have been living under the same roof as me, but he made sure I know he was still around. I was so scared that w...
- Title
- Part 1 - Malta's sexual attitudes and behaviour
- Runtime
- 4:03
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- People who live in the northern part of Malta watch pornography the most, while people who live in the southern harbour area have sexual intercourse most frequently, according to the first study of its kind for Malta.
The study was conducted by Sagalytics and Sex Clinic Malta, and sheds light on a broad range of people’s sexual behaviours. It compares the results to international studies while aiming to reduce stigma on sexuality.
In the study, 53% of respondents said they watch or have watched pornography, and roughly just as many said they occasionally masturbate alone. And of those who watch pornography and have a partner, a significant 74% said their partner is aware that they watch porn.
The study reveals that eight out of every 10 people living in the north – namely in Għargħur, Mellieħa, Mġarr, Mosta, Naxxar and St Paul’s Bay – said they watched pornography.
Read the full story here: https://bit.ly/3VPCDLj
- Title
- The four-year-old suffers from a rare genetic disorder
- Runtime
- 6:09
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- Charmaine Ferriggi had a healthy pregnancy – like others before and after her, she had been told not to worry much about genetic diseases as they happened to one person in a million.
“Who would have told me that that one person would be our daughter Kate? The odds of Kate’s condition are one in seven million… I don’t regret it one bit, but you can never think that it won’t happen to you,” her mother told Times of Malta as the four-year-old cuddled up next to her, tapping a tambourine.
Kate suffers from a rare genetic disorder for which there is no cure: Tatton Brown Rahman Syndrome.
She needs three to four hours of therapy every day, costing €2,500 a month. Her parents are now seeking to purchase a robotic aid training system, and they need help.
- Title
- Who cares about the king and his coronation?
- Runtime
- 1:59
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- Despite leaving the British empire and becoming a republic in 1974, it seems that the Maltese are still unsure of their stance towards the royal family as King Charles III’s coronation looms.
Times of Malta asked people if they plan to watch the Saturday event, their thoughts on the royal family and their role (or lack thereof) within modern society.
The festivities will begin at 11.20am tomorrow with a procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey. Once there, King Charles will be crowned as the head of state and will begin his return trip to Buckingham Palace at 2pm, ending the day at 3.30pm as he waves at onlookers from a palace balcony.
When asked if their Saturday morning and early afternoon would be taken up watching King Charles, responses ranged from dramatic and defiant ‘no’s to fervent ‘yes’s.
- Title
- How are rising prices hitting ordinary shoppers?
- Runtime
- 3:16
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- Times of Malta asked shoppers in Santa Venera, Ħamrun and Mrieħel about the impact of the rising cost of living.
Inflation is shooting through the roof and many are starting to wonder whether there is an end in sight.
Shoppers approached on the street do not seem to be changing their spending habits when it comes to everyday necessities, but in the face of raging inflation, some are having to work extra hours to make ends meet.
Times of Malta spoke to people in Santa Venera, Ħamrun and Mrieħel about the impact of the rising cost of living. Most said they were feeling the pinch of inflation, especially when buying groceries.
Some admitted to taking on extra work to cope with the rising prices.
“We used to get by with €50 or €60 per week but now I need €90 to buy the same items,” Vanessa Gauci said as she walked into a Santa Venera supermarket with her two children.
- Title
- Ċaqnu blocked her garage with a concrete block. Now her car is useless
- Runtime
- 4:05
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- A woman has been unable to use her car for six months after a major building contractor placed a large block of concrete at the entrance to her rented garage because of a financial dispute with her landlord.
The concrete has been left there by Polidano Group in response to what the company claims is the landlord’s failure to settle a long-standing debt “exceeding €1 million.”
The landlord disagrees, saying that overrunning construction works by the group left his company out of pocket and that a previous court case has already settled the matter.
Meanwhile, tenant Jeanette Galea is caught in the middle.
- Title
- Secrets from a Gladiator film extra
- Runtime
- 4:59
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- As film shooting for a Gladiator sequel is expected to start this summer, Daniel Ellul goes behind the scenes of the original with some of the thousands of supporting artists.
Duncan Caruana did not even know who Russell Crowe was when they worked together on Gladiator. He was only aware that he “seemed important”.
The fresh-out-of-school extra was fascinated by the attention lavished on the lead actor on set in Malta in the heat of summer 1999.
“One fascinating thing was that there was this guy who would run to Russell Crowe between scenes to give him a cigarette,” Caruana recalls.
“He kept it lit for him in his mouth and would give it to him so he could smoke.”
- Title
- We asked the people of Qormi what they think of Rosianne Cutajar
- Runtime
- 4:15
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- Rosianne Cutajar is from Qormi.
Yorgen Fenech's family is from Qormi.
Robert Abela's family is from Qormi.
One day after Cutajar quit the Labour Party, we asked Qormi residents what they make of the situation.
- Title
- Metsola maps out her political vision for Malta
- Runtime
- 1:16:28
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- video originally published on March 18, 2023
Metsola speech @00:10:19
Roberta Metsola laid out her political vision for Malta on Saturday, emphasising the need to eradicate short-termism, stamping out corruption and exploitation, while underlining the need for tough choices and for people to speak out.
The European Parliament president was particularly scathing about the state of the environment and the lack of building planning in Malta but stressed the country's opportunities to exploit clean energy.
Metsola was delivering the Mabel Strickland Memorial Lecture at the Casino Maltese in Valletta on Saturday morning titled 'Malta in a changing European landscape'.
Read the full story here https://bit.ly/42hrFRk
- Title
- Michael Stivala on construction in Malta, the MDA and Joseph Muscat
- Runtime
- 23:03
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- Michael Stivala leads the Malta Developers Association - one of the country's most controversial and powerful lobby groups.
- Title
- The woman who makes lifelike dolls for adults
- Runtime
- 4:13
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- When Jennifer Hubbers goes for a walk in Sliema, strangers often peer into her vintage pram and compliment her on how beautiful her baby is.
“I turn around and tell them it’s a doll,” she says. “Some get all creeped out but some get interested and ask to touch it.”
Jennifer is part of a community of collectors of lifelike-baby dolls and has turned her hobby into a business, assembling and painting doll parts to truly resemble a living infant.
She first discovered the dolls seven years ago when she bought a vintage pram for her youngest daughter and wanted a lifelike doll to put inside it.
As she researched, she came across ‘reborn’ dolls but could not afford to buy one – so she decided she would learn to make one instead, and her collection began.
She eventually realised that there was a community of collectors both internationally and in Malta and turned her hobby into a business.
Read th...
- Title
- One granddaughter of German shipwreck survivor seeks another in Malta
- Runtime
- 2:37
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- The granddaughter of a German sailor who survived a shipwreck off Cornwall more than 100 years ago has learnt while on holiday in Malta that another survivor was Maltese, and is now trying to track down his granddaughter.
It was the name of a boat that triggered her search.
Only five men emerged alive from the German cargo ship Hera after it hit a reef on February 1, 1914. Nineteen crew members died in the freezing waters.
Ute Lassen Poechman’s grandfather, 19-year-old August Lassen, survived by clinging on to the ship’s mast for hours along with another four young men who included Joseph Cauchi, also 19.
Read full story here: https://bit.ly/3K45yH7
- Title
- How a woman is debunking myths about Down Syndrome
- Runtime
- 2:53
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- Angela Bettoni is a student, writer, activist, performer and TV presenter. She also happens to have Down Syndrome.
This is how the 21-year-old introduces herself, as she makes it her mission to debunk myths about the condition.
“I’m not an ‘angel’, an ‘eternal child’ or ‘God’s child that just dropped down to Earth’. These are some of the endearing terms used to refer to people with Down Syndrome.
"Others talk down to me, addressing me like they would a baby,” she told Times of Malta in between a lecture at Mcast and a performance rehearsal in Valletta.
Read the full story here: https://bit.ly/3Yyx18m
- Title
- After the earthquake in Turkey - ‘Too scared to go inside’
- Runtime
- 3:03
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- Antakya’s once busy main road is now a single street lined with piles of rubble several storeys high. Survivors scour the area to salvage what little they have left while cars lie crushed under the rubble.
From the moment I arrived in Turkey last Sunday following the massive earthquakes that devastated parts of the country, it was clear that it was going to be a trip I would not forget any time soon.
I had travelled there at the invitation of SOS Malta (Solidarity Overseas Service Malta), an NGO that works to provide humanitarian assistance to communities abroad struggling in the face of wars or natural disasters.
Over the month leading up to our visit, the organisation had been busy collecting donations to set up 50 tents in Reyhanlı, a town in Hatay province in the southernmost part of the country.
The tents had now arrived and were ready to be set up, with SOS Malta’s David Grech having headed there to oversee their constructi...
- Title
- Record amount of cocaine seized by police last year as drug grows in popularity
- Runtime
- 16:58
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
- Description
- Video originally published on February 9, 2023
A record of nearly 3,000 kilos of cocaine, with an estimated street value of €386 million, were seized by the police last year as the drug continues to grow in popularity in Malta.
This is almost three times the amount seized in 2021, which had been a record year.
In their efforts to crack down on the chain of organised crime groups that work together to import, package and sell the drug, the police charged 54 people with trafficking cocaine last year.
Read the full story here: https://bit.ly/3xC9Y0Q
- Title
- 'It’s a hotel, but for sheep': farmer, architect on Bidnija development
- Runtime
- 15:36
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
- Description
- A massive development in a pristine Bidnija valley was always intended to be a sheep farm, according to the two men behind it.
The two-storey building in the previously untouched Wied tal-Ħżejjen has been widely criticised as having been pushed through the planning process under the guise of being a sheep farm, only to be converted into a hotel.
The original planning application was fronted by registered farmer Jason Vella with the help of his friend and architect Konrad Bezzina.
It immediately rang alarm bells due to its sheer scale and location.
Read the full story here https://bit.ly/3mrDggf
- Title
- Vitals deal on hospitals: how did the fraud happen and what comes next?
- Runtime
- 8:52
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
- Description
- The 136-page landmark judgment that threw the hospitals' deal out the window is especially significant because it concluded that Vitals Global Healthcare and Steward Healthcare had defrauded the country.
The fraud happened in all stages of the deal, according to judge Francesco Depasquale, even before the government issued the tender for the privatisation of the hospitals, and continued to happen throughout the deal and the period during which Vitals and Steward held the concession.
In this video, Times of Malta walks you through the timeline of events that last month led the court to harshly and repeatedly slam Vitals and Steward for 'fraudulent' behaviour.
It all started with a secret agreement signed by the government and Vitals investors in 2014.
The video also answers pressing questions on what is expected to happen next.
When will the hospitals return to the government?
Will the government have to pay S...
- Title
- The property developer who took money for homes that were never built
- Runtime
- 7:37
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
- Description
- Over 60 people have been bitten by the allure of cheap housing from a budding developer who in some cases sold them flats on land he did not even yet own.
Court records and first-hand accounts show how property developer Alex Mercieca sucked in young couples who thought they had managed to bag a bargain.
Mercieca is facing a mountain of court litigation, with claims totalling over €1 million against him, court records show.
The amounts Mercieca is being chased for range from relatively low figures like €2,000 to hundreds of thousands of euros. His creditors, according to over 40 judicial letters and cases filed against him, include young couples, contractors who worked on his sites, and even a €140,000 bill from the taxman.
Other people have avoided court, choosing instead to draw up a debt agreement with the developer.
Mercieca would often demand hefty deposits of upwards of 15 to 20 per cent, in some instances wit...
