Valletta – “The greatest challenge of our time is not traffic or construction—it’s the empty cradle,” Finance Minister Clyde Caruana told parliament this week, waving a sheet of statistics that showed Malta’s total fertility rate has slipped to 1.05 children per woman, the lowest ever recorded on the islands and barely half the replacement level…
**Man Seriously Injured After Fall in St Julian’s Establishment** A man remains in critical condition following a serious fall at a popular entertainment venue in St Julian’s late Friday night, according to police reports. The incident occurred at approximately 2:30 AM at an establishment along the bustling Paceville strip, Malta’s premier nightlife destination. The 34-year-old…
Valletta’s Parliament may sit 1,400 km from New York’s East River, but when the UN General Assembly votes this Thursday on a resolution that would recognise a Hamas-free Palestinian state, the ripple will be felt in every Maltese living-room, parish hall and band club that still remembers the 1948 refugee ships that steamed past our…
# Siġġiewi’s Corner-Shop Post Office Shuts Its Shutter for Good The smell of freshly-baked ftira that used to drift across Siġġiewi’s main square at 7 a.m. still lingers, but the little green-and-yellow sub-post office that shared the doorway with the village bakery is now permanently dark. Last Friday, owner Francine Farrugia taped a handwritten note…
A 34-year-old Maltese woman has been jailed for 20 months after admitting to stealing €4,000 in cash and a pair of limited-edition designer trainers from a Sliema townhouse – a crime that has reignited debate on the island about materialism, drug-driven theft and the widening gap between those who flaunt luxury and those who crave…
Finnish phone ban brings focus, and chatter, back to school – could Malta ever hang up? Valletta’s grand-parents still talk about the day the first Nokia brick landed in their children’s blazer pockets: suddenly, break-time hopscotch was replaced by snake hunts on grey screens. Fast-forward to 2024 and Finland – the very birthplace of that…
How to survive the dreaded ‘back-to-school apocalypse’ – the Maltese way By Hot Malta staff It starts with a distant rumble of suitcases being dragged across uneven limestone pavements. Then comes the scent of freshly-printed Sliema Mon Amour notebooks mingling with August’s last batch of ħobż biż-żejt. Before you know it, the islands’ traffic arteries…
Marsascala’s skyline has been dominated by the skeletal silhouette of the Jerma Palace Hotel since 2007, the year the five-star resort closed its doors for good. Once a by-word for 1980s glitz—think penthouse suites, a casino where tuxedos outnumbered T-shirts, and wedding receptions that spilled confetti onto the seafront promenade—the building is now a 12-storey…
**Man Seriously Injured After Fall in St Julian’s: A Wake-Up Call for Paceville’s Party Strip** A man is fighting for his life after a serious fall in St Julian’s early Sunday morning, reigniting concerns about safety in Malta’s premier nightlife district. The incident occurred at approximately 3:30 AM on Triq Sant’Andrija, near the bustling heart…
# Malta’s Place in a Turbulent World: How Global Shocks Ripple Through Our Tiny Island Valletta’s morning traffic still hums along Republic Street, café terraces are full of tourists sipping €3 cappuccinos, and the 8 a.m. Gozo Channel ferry leaves Ċirkewwa on the dot. From a distance, Malta looks unchanged. Yet behind the pastel façades,…
**Mother Vera: one to watch out for** Valletta’s Strait Street has seen it all—sailors on 48-hour shore leave, jazz trios sweating through August nights, and, more recently, drag brunches that spill onto Facebook feeds faster than you can say “Pastizzi and Prosecco.” But even this hardened artery of Maltese nightlife wasn’t ready for Mother Vera….
Can One Pay Packet Still Keep a Maltese Roof Over Your Head? The reality of single-income living in 2024 By Kristina Zammit VALLETTA – On the surface, Malta’s job market is booming. Unemployment is stuck at a historic 3 %, cranes puncture every skyline and recruiters still plaster bus stops with “Urgently Needed” stickers. Yet…
