France’s Manufactured Drama: How Parisian Protests Echo in Valletta’s Cafés By Luke Caruana, Hot Malta correspondent Valletta – When French President Emmanuel Macron rammed through his pension reform without a parliamentary vote last month, Maltese commuters scrolling their phones on the 8-a.m. ferry from Sliema to the capital saw the same looping footage: burning barricades…
**Don’t have children unless you want them: The growing Maltese conversation no one asked for—until now** By the time the *festa* fireworks fade over Mosta, another sound echoes through Maltese terraces: the cluck of tongues followed by *“U iva, when are you giving your parents grandchildren?”* It’s a question hurled like a confetti bomb at…
Realms of Colour: How Elaine Mifsud’s Latest Exhibition is Painting Valletta Back to Life By Hot Malta Staff Valletta’s narrow limestone streets have always echoed with footsteps, but this month they’re humming with colour. Inside the vaulted halls of the National Museum of Fine Arts—freshly rebranded as MUŻA—Elaine Mifsud’s solo show “Realms of Colour” has…
**Breaking Through Boundaries: The Art Detained by Customs** When local artist Sarah Mallia opened her package at MaltaPost’s Qormi sorting office last month, she expected to find the vibrant ceramic sculptures she’d commissioned from a Tunisian artisan. Instead, she was greeted by customs officials who confiscated the pieces, claiming they “didn’t align with import regulations”…
Six decades after his death on 18 May 1965, Mgr Mikiel Azzopardi’s name still rings out across Valletta’s tight-knit alleys and rural village squares alike. To many Maltese he is simply “il-Monk”, the priest who swapped liturgical vestments for workers’ overalls and convinced a sceptical colonial administration that charity alone would never lift Malta’s poor….
Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross: How Malta’s Bells, Processions and Pastizzi-Scented Pews Marked September 14 By 6 a.m. on Sunday, the narrow streets of Żejtun were already humming. Elderly women in black lace veils balanced trays of ħobż biż-żejt and kinnie on doorsteps, while altar boys in crimson cassocks rehearsed their swing of…
Valletta’s Republic Street was already sticky with September heat when the first “beżżul” rang out. By 11:00 a.m. the traditional wooden bell—il-bieżel—hung from the Auberge de Castille balcony had been struck thirteen times, its dull thud echoing down the limestone canyon and officially opening Il-Beżżul Bieżel, the capital’s newest neighbourhood festival. Tourists fumbled for phones;…
Żepp’s Wake-Up Call: How One Man’s September 14 Pledge Rocked the Islands By Hot Malta Staff | September 15, 2025 Żepp’s name has always been shorthand for “everyman” in Malta—the guy who can fix your muffler, quote the Gospels, and whistle a ħanżira tune before you’ve finished your first espresso. But by sunset yesterday, September…
**In photos: 15 images of Malta’s natural beauty in running for global prize** Fifteen stunning photographs showcasing Malta’s raw natural beauty have made it to the shortlist of an international photography competition, putting the islands’ hidden gems in the global spotlight. From the dramatic cliffs of Gozo to the crystal-clear waters of Comino, these images…
**Watch: ‘The movement my husband built will not die’, Charlie Kirk’s widow** In a poignant moment that has resonated across conservative circles worldwide, the widow of Charlie Kirk delivered a powerful message of resilience and continuity. While Kirk’s name may not immediately ring bells in Maltese households, the ideological movement he championed has found echoes…
Feast of Our Lady of Divine Grace fills Victoria with incense, brass and Gozitan pride By Antoine Zammit VICTORIA, GOZO – The narrow flag-strewn streets of Ir-Rabat echoed with drumrolls and hymn-singing long before the sun climbed over the Citadel on Sunday, as thousands converged for the Feast of Our Lady of Divine Grace. By…
Valletta’s Republic Street is no stranger to pageantry—band marches, confetti cannons and baroque balconies are practically the capital’s default soundtrack—but even seasoned passers-by slow their step when the wooden cross emerges from St Dominic’s Priory each March. Draped in crimson velvet and carried shoulder-high by barefoot confraternity members, the Holy Crucifix processes through a tunnel…
