Żejtun’s squeezebox heroes have done it again. Sixteen accordionists from the village’s renowned Stella Maris Band Club have swapped the limestone alleys of their hometown for the canal-lined streets of the Netherlands, turning heads—and ears—during a four-day tour that ended on Sunday night. From a rousing set in Amsterdam’s Dam Square to a candle-lit concert…
**Abela at UN General Assembly as Malta Prepares to Recognise Palestinian State: A Defining Moment for Malta’s Foreign Policy** Prime Minister Robert Abela’s address at the United Nations General Assembly this week marked a pivotal moment for Malta’s international standing, as he announced the island nation’s intention to formally recognise the State of Palestine. The…
**Momentum calls for reflection on the meaning of independence** As Malta marks another Independence Day, the activist group Momentum is urging the nation to look beyond the fireworks and fanfare to examine what freedom truly means for the islands today. Their call comes at a time when many Maltese are questioning whether the promises of…
**MaltaHip: elevating hip replacement innovation in Malta** On a sun-drenched morning at Mater Dei Hospital, 72-year-old Carmenu Pace from Żejtun takes his first pain-free steps in years. Just three weeks earlier, he received a cutting-edge hip replacement through MaltaHip – a revolutionary procedure that’s transforming lives across the Maltese Islands and positioning Malta as an…
Astrology’s appeal in uncertain times – why Malta is looking to the stars again By Hot Malta staff Valletta’s Republic Street after 9 p.m. feels like a village that forgot to sleep. Past the closed pharmacies and neon pastizzerias, a narrow staircase between two souvenir shops leads to a softly lit studio smelling of frankincense…
**MCAST Unveils First-Ever ‘Positivity Toolkit’ to Help Maltese Students Beat Exam Stress and Winter Blues** Paola – While most students were still shaking sand out of their backpacks after the long Easter weekend, lecturers at Malta’s largest further-education college were quietly rolling out a home-grown weapon against anxiety. On Tuesday morning, inside a sun-lit atrium…
Fortina and the real cost to the State By Hot Malta Staff The first time most Maltese children see Fortina, it is from the upper deck of a yellow school bus crawling along the Tigné seafront: a jagged white wall that looks as if someone has glued a slice of Miami to the edge of…
**Pharmacies open today – September 21, 2025: your Sunday lifeline across Malta and Gozo** It’s just past 09:00 on the third Sunday of September and the narrow streets of Valletta are already humming with cruise-ship day-trippers clutching gelato. Yet tucked behind the Baroque façade of Republic Street, one green-cross sign is flashing brighter than the…
# Controlling mergers and acquisitions to foster growth, protect competition **Valletta** – When a family-run Sliema bakery that has supplied ftira to the same street since 1957 is suddenly swallowed by a pan-European frozen-food giant, the ripples are felt far beyond the shop-front. Grandmothers whisper about the change in texture of their morning bread; teenagers…
Carmel Micallef’s name does not ring out from billboards or political podiums, yet walk into any village fête from Żejtun to Żurrieq this summer and you will feel his quiet choreography at work: the brass band hitting a crescendo exactly as the statue of the patron saint emerges from the church door, the boy with…
**Taxes for the Common Good: How Malta’s Collective Contribution Shapes the Island We Call Home** It’s easy to grumble when the PAYE slip arrives or when VAT pushes that pastizz past the €1 mark. Yet behind every grudge lies a quieter truth: the Malta we Instagram, argue over, and proudly call home is stitched together…
**Changing faces, empty promises: a story of disillusionment** The sun sets over Valletta’s majestic skyline, painting golden hues across the Grand Harbour as another political season unfolds in Malta. Yet beneath the postcard-perfect veneer, a familiar narrative repeats itself—one that has left many Maltese citizens increasingly cynical about the democratic process they’ve inherited from generations…
