Two Greek-flagged vessels slipped out of Piraeus on Tuesday morning, their decks stacked high with medical crates and their manifests heavy with political symbolism. Destination: Gaza, via a Mediterranean sea-lane that Maltese fishermen know as “the back door to the Levant.” By nightfall the captains had already pinged Malta’s Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre requesting onward…
# Salt Lake Shooter’s “Leftist” Label Sparks Soul-Searching in Malta’s Political Cafés Valletta – When Utah Governor Spencer Cox told reporters that the man accused of gunning down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson had “leftist political beliefs,” the sound-bite ricocheted across the Atlantic faster than a Ryanair flash-sale. By sunset, the remark was trending on Maltese…
# Motorbike Driver and Cyclist Suffer Grievous Injuries in Żabbar: A Stark Reminder of Road Safety Challenges A serious traffic incident in Żabbar on Monday evening has left a motorbike driver and a cyclist fighting for their lives, casting a shadow over the close-knit southeastern community and reigniting concerns about road safety across Malta’s historic…
**Malta Watches Warily as Ukraine Peace Talks Freeze and NATO Strengthens Eastern Flank** Sliema resident Maria Camilleri checks her phone every morning for updates from Kyiv, where her cousin’s family has been living in uncertainty since Russia’s invasion began. “We’re a small island, but we feel connected to everything happening,” she says, echoing a sentiment…
Valletta-born 19-year-old Elisa Zammit always knew the polished floorboards of London’s Trinity Laban Conservatoire were meant for her feet; she just never imagined the money would appear fast enough. Last week, the rising contemporary dancer became the first Maltese recipient of the €30,000 “Mediterranean Arts Bridge” scholarship, a new fund set up by the Malta…
# Big Tom finally finds his mojo: How Malta’s most stubborn donkey became the island’s unlikeliest celebrity **By [Hot Malta Staff] | Tuesday, 11 June 2025** Marsa’s Sunday market used to be famous for two things: knock-off Ray-Bans and the unmistakable sound of Big Tom’s theatrical braying. For seven years the oversized donkey—part tourist photo-prop,…
**Rainbow Flags Outside Ħal Far: MGRM Member’s Release Sparks Hope and Questions** TA’ XBIEX — For three consecutive nights, a circle of rainbow-coloured beanbags and battery-powered fairy lights has appeared on the pavement outside the Ħal Far open-centre gates. What started as a one-woman vigil by MGRM volunteer Martina Pace grew into a 70-strong sit-in…
**In pictures: Pilgrims ride to Żabbar on feast of Our Lady of Graces** The narrow country lanes of Malta’s southeast came alive yesterday with the thunderous rumble of motorcycle engines as thousands of bikers converged on Żabbar for one of the island’s most unique religious traditions. The annual motorcycle pilgrimage to the Sanctuary of Our…
**Lab-Grown Diamonds Sparkle in Malta While Southern Africa Loses Its Lustre** *How Sliema’s jewellery quarter is unwittingly fuelling a crisis 7,000 km away* On a humid July afternoon, the plate-glass windows of Tower Road sparkle like a pirate’s chest. Inside, a young Maltese couple hover over a white-gold ring set with what looks like a…
Half-tonne of ghost nets, tyres and bottles hauled off Ċirkewwa seabed in dawn clean-up By Hot Malta staff | Tuesday 07:15 The first rays of sun were still glinting on the ferry wake to Gozo when the last crate of rubbish broke the surface at Ċirkewwa on Sunday morning. Inside the mesh: shredded trawler nets,…
**Armed Forces Nab Scuba Spearfisher in Midnight Sting Off Qawra Point** The unmistakable silhouette of a P21 patrol boat cut through the pre-dawn darkness off Qawra Point just after 03:00 on Tuesday, its deck floodlights suddenly illuminating a lone figure finning frantically towards shore. In a scene reminiscent of the 1980s “qalliet” smuggling chases that…
Alex Borg leans across the café table in Valletta’s Republic Square, the noon cannon still echoing off the limestone walls, and delivers the sentence every PN activist has been WhatsApp-ing each other since Easter: “We are capable of winning a snap election—today, tomorrow, whenever Robert Abela plucks up the courage.” The former mayor of Żurrieq,…
