Il-Beżżul Bieżel – September 28, 2025: The Day Valletta’s Silent Statue Spoke Valletta woke up on the last Sunday of September to a rumour that travelled faster than the city’s electric buses: “Il-Beżżul Bieżel qed jitkellem!” By 07:30 the Upper Barrakka balcony was already three-deep with phone-waving teenagers, café owners clutching espresso cups, and tourists…
**Żepp’s Day Dawns: How One Man’s Name Became Malta’s Unofficial End-of-Summer Festival** *September 28, 2025* At 6:47 a.m. the church bells of Siġġiewi rang 69 times—one for every year of Żepp Camilleri’s life—signalling that “Żepp’s Day” had officially begun. By 7 a.m. the village square was already a traffic jam of ħobż biż-żejt wrappers, push-chairs,…
We don’t need to go back to the Dark Ages By a Hot Malta staff writer Valletta’s 320 monuments glow amber at dusk, but the WhatsApp group lighting up my phone is far from romantic. “They’re switching the streetlights off again tonight,” one neighbour warns. “Bring a torch, or you’ll break your neck on the…
**Genius? No, it’s just route one rebranded** *From London to Valletta, the emperor’s new marketing plan is wearing €2,000 sneakers* — Valletta’s Republic Street was grid-locked again last Tuesday, but this time not by cruise-ship passengers hunting for fridge magnets. A pop-up “drop” had landed: 200 limited-edition hoodies emblazoned with a stylised Knights’ cross, priced…
**From Junior Councils to University Halls: How Malta is Raising a New Generation of Student Leaders** *By Hot Malta Staff* VALLETTA – While most teens are still deciding which TikTok filter to use, 17-year-old Martina Camilleri from Żejtun is negotiating a €15,000 budget with the Mayor for a new youth chill-out zone complete with recycled-plastic…
**The Night the Harbour Roared: How Operation Halberd Fed Malta’s Fighting Spirit** It was just past 21:00 on 27 September 1941 when the blackout curtains of Valletta’s bombed-out cafés fluttered from the inside—people couldn’t resist peeking at the thunder echoing across Grand Harbour. Searchlights sliced the sky, not for enemy aircraft this time, but to…
Archbishop Charles Scicluna’s voice rang clear across St John’s Co-Cathedral on Saturday morning as he quoted the newly-canonised Blessed Carlo Acutis: “The Eucharist is my highway to heaven.” The packed Baroque nave—usually a tourist hotspot—was standing-room-only with Maltese families, scouts in neckerchiefs and teens clutching smartphones streaming the Mass live. It was 28 September 2025,…
‘I’m Impersonating My Mother’s Scammer to Save Her’: How One Maltese Son Turned the Tables on Fraudsters Targeting Malta’s Elderly By Hot Malta Staff | 09 June 2025, 07:30 CEST Valletta – When 34-year-old Miguel* from Żejtun answered a WhatsApp call last March, he expected another routine check-in with his 72-year-old mother, Carmen. Instead, he…
**10 Hours Later: Alex Borg Still Locked in Marathon Shadow Cabinet Talks as MPs Debate Malta’s Political Future** Valletta – As the sun set over the Grand Harbour and the city’s iconic limestone walls glowed amber, Nationalist Party MP Alex Borg remained holed up inside the Opposition headquarters in Pietà, locked in what has become…
Victoria’s Heartbreak: Gozo’s Capital Mourns as Centuries-Old Buildings Crumble in Weekend Deluge It started with a low rumble that echoed through the narrow alleys of Victoria just after dawn on Saturday, a sound locals describe as “the city sighing.” By the time the church bells of the Basilica of St George rang for the 7…
Victoria’s Heart Breaks: 150-Year-Old Palazzo Crumbles After Three Days of Relentless Rain The storm that parked itself over Gozo last weekend did more than flood valley roads and drown potted plants—it tore a hole in Victoria’s soul. At 4:37 a.m. on Monday, the sandstone façade of Palazzo Debrincat, the cherry-pink corner mansion that has watched…
In pictures: Airshow wows the crowds despite inclement weather By Hot Malta Staff Żonqor Point, Marsascala – Grey skies and a brisk north-westerly swell did little to dampen Maltese spirits on Sunday as the Malta International Airshow roared back into life after a three-year pandemic hiatus. Rain ponchos replaced sunscreen, pastizzi were eaten under umbrellas…
