History in the taking
The year's news as captured by our photographers
A myriad of familiar but striking faces, places and incidents flash before readers' eyes when leafing through the pages of the third edition of The Times Picture Annual.
One of the first images is of a frail President Emeritus Sir Anthony Mamo, cutting his 99th birthday cake at the beginning of January, jokingly saying that if he could reach a deal with the Lord to hang on for another year, he'd reach the venerable age of 100.
He never made it. Less than five months later he died, a moment captured on the opposite page, which depicts his funeral. Human emotion is captured in all its shades and colours throughout the annual.
News events have been rich and ripe during the course of 2008, which kicked off with the euro changeover before ushering in an anxiety-filled general election won by a hair's breadth by the Nationalist Party.
It was also a year that saw the resignation of Opposition Leader Alfred Sant paving the way for Joseph Muscat, 34, to fill in his role.
Although it was an important year for politics and politicians, these last 12 months also saw a number of celebrities visiting Malta: Queen Elizabeth II, the Oscar-winning Italian actor, director and comedian Roberto Benigni, singers Lucio Dalla, Enrique Iglesias and N.E.R.D., as well as the 1980s heartthrob pop band Duran Duran.
The past year was a challenging period in terms of immigration - an issue which features prominently in the annual, together with a focus on their suffering and human condition.
The events surrounding the Simshar fishing boat tragedy, the early death of Labour MP Karl Chirchop, the public transport strike and the fireworks tragedy in Naxxar are just a few of the incidents which will mark 2008 in the years that come. The four Times and Sunday Times photographers were there to capture important moments. Darrin Zammit Lupi, Jason Borg, Chris Sant Fournier and Matthew Mirabelli, who was editor of this year's publication, have ensured that all the major events and milestones have been visually documented.
These images are not mere snapshots taken by photographers on the job; these are views on history in the making.
The annual does not only focus on local happenings but highlights the news that dominated the foreign scene, such as the election of Barack Obama as US President, the Beijing Olympics, the world's financial crisis and the terrorist attack in Mumbai. The Times Picture Annual is published by Allied Publications, produced by Mediamaker Ltd, and printed by Progress Press. It is available from all leading bookshops.