Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1542372
3 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 4 JANUARY 2026 LOOKING FORWARD 2026 year of great expectations Fenech's high-profile jury will undoubtedly have political ramifications and Abela's ad- ministration will be on tenter- hooks, since it could rekindle in people's memories the protests from 2019, when Fenech was arrested, prompting the subse- quent resignation of then Prime Minister Joseph Muscat. But the courthouse will also be a place of great expectation in the Vitals corruption case as the prosecution will have to decide how to proceed in the absence of its key witness, Jeremy Har- binson. The latter is a forensic accountant, now retired, who was contracted by the Vitals inquiring magistrate as a court expert. Harbinson co-ordinated the exercise that led to a 1,200-page inquiry report, which provid- ed the basis for prosecutions against former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, his Chief of Staff Keith Schembri, ministers Kon- rad Mizzi, Chris Fearne and Ed- ward Scicluna, and many more individuals and companies. But Harbinson's unprecedent- ed refusal to testify has left the prosecution in a bind and in 2026 all eyes will be on them as to how they will proceed with the cases. The prosecution can rely on other experts, who have testified and the evidence col- lected in the inquiry but there is no doubt that their life has been made more dif- ficult by the court e x p e r t ' s i n t r a n s i - gence. Gaza and Ukraine The new year will also bring with it hope and trepidation over the situation in Gaza and the Middle East. Unless, the lives of ordinary Palestinians improve, the Gaza Strip risks descend- ing again in- to violence and chaos. The US must not allow Isra- el's radicals in govern- ment to call the shots—they are not interest- ed in a just peace but domination and exclusion— and the EU must use its diplo- matic and economic largesse to push for a civilian Palestinian leadership in Gaza that is an integral part of the Palestinian Authority, while holding Israel to account for flaunting inter- national law. Achieving a lasting and just peace may be a pipe dream with Israel governed as it is by Jewish radicals and a Palestinian Au- thority in deep slumber. Yet, the proof of the pudding is in the eating and there will be a lot of that in 2026, start- ing with the crea- tion of the U N - m a n d a t - ed Board of Peace. Similarly, in Ukraine, there is great expectation for a negotiated peace to finally take hold after almost four years since the Russian invasion. Much will depend on whether Vladimir Putin has exhausted his appetite for warmongering and whether Volodymyr Zelenskyy will agree to losing control over Ukrainian land with a future yet to be de- c i d e d . Any set- t l e m e n t will have to include security guar- antees for Ukraine and a clear path to EU membership. The big question that 2026 will unlikely provide an answer to is whether Pu- tin can be trusted to stick to a peace deal. AI and war Meanwhile, in the new year, we will continue to marvel at the potential of artificial intel- ligence, whether this manifests itself in a good or a bad way. AI will get better in 2026, be- come an intrinsic component in operating systems, help sci- entists make breakthroughs in medicine, will replace chatbots to provide a more human-like experience for customers of large companies, and increas- ingly replace more jobs. There will be winners and losers in this transformation and legis- lators will be challenged to set ethical boundaries and rules to regulate the sector. One of the bigger dilemmas is the use of AI for warfare. While it may still be too early in 2026 to see AI-powered ro- bots primed with weapons on the battlefield, there is little by way of international agreement to serve as a benchmark as to what is acceptable and not. UN Secretary-general António Gu- terres and Mirjana Spoljaric, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross, have called for a new interna- tional treaty setting out specif- ic prohibitions and restrictions on Lethal Autonomous Weap- ons Systems (LAWS). They have called for the conclusion of negotiations on this treaty by the end of 2026 but despite the great expectation to rein in LAWS, much will depend on whether the global appetite for cooperation will pick up. Gravel and grass From football to politics, and global conflict to high-profile court cases that are expected to shape 2026, there is an issue, of a comparatively petty nature but very telling of the political mood, that will not go away in the new year. Indeed, it may even be the greatest expec- tation of 2026—whether the grass will return to the Ta' Qali picnic area. After Jason Micallef's self-im- posed December deadline lapsed uneventfully—the pic- nic area remains an expanse of white gravel despite the rain— many will keep asking whether the €300,000 spent on gravel to 'help' the grass flourish was worth it. More significantly, perhaps, is the expectation of an apology from Micallef for bungling the whole affair. But that may be one ask too far in 2026. Protestors in Malta holding a large Palestinian flag in Triton Square during a demonstration held in 2025 (Photo: Miguela Xuereb/Newsbook) Joseph Muscat supporters outside the law courts in Valletta in 2024 when the former prime minister was charged with corruption in the Vitals hospitals project (Photo: James Bianchi/MaltaToday) The Ta' Qali picnic area was coated with gravel, presumably to preserve the soil and help the grass grow but by December the green failed to appear and everyone's expectation to see grass has now been shifted to the new year (Photo: James Bianchi/MaltaToday)