In our latest Times Talk episode, deputy editor Chris revisits one of the darkest days in our history, the day the Times of Malta building was set on fire. Hear his first-hand account and watch the full episode now on Spotify and YouTube. #TimesTalk | Times of Malta

Malta’s rock-bottom fertility rate is “the greatest challenge of our time,” finance minister Clyde Caruana told social partners on Friday. Speaking at the launch of the annual pre-budget document, Caruana suggested the upcoming budget may include measures that reward larger families. “We need to encourage more families to have at least two children,” he said. He echoed Archbishop Charles Scicluna’s warning earlier this week that Malta faces “ethnic extinction” due to its low fertility rate. Read

Twelve-year-old Niko Jay isn’t your average schoolboy – he’s a DJ and producer who has just released his debut EP and plays vinyl-only sets at live events. While his friends were listening to “cheesy music” or “what’s on the radio”, the youngster spent a month crafting his three original tracks that make up Ascending, released by Batti Batti Records. The first track on the schoolboy’s EP is inspired by “old school music” and, for someone his age, that means a track dating back to the late 1990s.

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24K views · 115 reactions | Listen to Times Talk by Times of Malta wherever you get your podcasts | Times of Malta | Facebook