**Man Denies Threatening Ex-Girlfriend in Domestic Violence Case, Prompting National Reckoning** A 34-year-old man from Birkirkara pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to charges of threatening his former partner, reigniting Malta’s ongoing struggle against domestic violence. The case, which prosecutors say involves a series of escalating threats made over several weeks, has struck a nerve in…
**Watch: Promotional video released ahead of planning reform protest** A slick, 90-second promotional video dropped on Tuesday night and has already ricocheted through Maltese WhatsApp groups, Facebook feeds and the pigeon-loft gossip circuits of every village band club. Shot in the honeyed light of a recent golden-hour at Valletta’s Triton Fountain, the clip cuts between…
Sarkozy’s Fall From Grace Resonates in Malta, Where ‘Politici B’Kuluri’ Still Walk Free By [Hot Malta Staff] Valletta’s coffee shops buzzed yesterday with two conversations: the price of pastizzi and the image of Nicolas Sarkozy, the former French president, being handed a five-year prison sentence—three of them suspended—for corruption and influence peddling. In a country…
**Portelli Penthouses Push Through: Illegal High-Rise Approved in Latest Development Drama** In a move that has left legal experts scratching their heads and residents fuming, two penthouse apartments linked to developer Joseph Portelli have received final approval from the Planning Authority – despite a court having already declared them illegal. The penthouses, perched atop the…
**Azzopardi Calls for Radical Overhaul: Scrap Student Stipends, Invest in Targeted Grants** University of Malta rector-elect Andrew Azzopardi has ignited a national debate by proposing to abolish Malta’s universal student stipend system and replace it with means-tested grants and merit-based scholarships—a move that would fundamentally reshape the island’s educational landscape and social contract. Speaking to…
**Public Services Hit 86% Implementation of Auditor General’s Recommendations—But What About the Other 14%?** *By Hot Malta Staff* Valletta—If Malta’s public sector were a student, the latest report card would read: “Good effort, room for improvement.” The National Audit Office (NAO) revealed this week that government ministries and agencies have implemented 86 % of the…
**Brothers Fined for Threatening Police and Magistrate in Courtroom Drama Over Sibling’s Death** In a courtroom scene that has sent ripples through Malta’s tight-knit communities, two brothers were fined €1,000 each after unleashing a torrent of threats against police officers and a magistrate during a hearing into their sibling’s untimely death. The incident, which unfolded…
**Public consultation launched on parental leave for parents of babies in intensive care** Malta has opened a public consultation on a proposed new measure that would grant additional paid leave to parents whose newborns require neonatal intensive care, marking a significant step towards recognising the emotional and financial toll faced by families during medical crises….
Valletta’s Republic Street will once again become a living laboratory on Friday 26 September 2025 when Science in the City returns under the banner “Past Forward”. The festival that began in 2012 as a modest EU Researchers’ Night spin-off has mushroomed into the islands’ largest outdoor classroom, drawing 30,000 revellers last year and pumping an…
Valletta’s streets will pulse with music, lasers and live experiments this Friday night, but the real innovation may be the 24 sleek buses that will ferry thousands of revellers to Science in the City – free of charge. For the first time in the festival’s 11-year history, Transport Malta and Malta Public Transport have laid…
**Exam Board Blunder Leaves Maltese Dyslexic Student Without Crucial Help – Ombudsman Steps In** A Maltese student with dyslexia was unfairly denied extra time during critical exams after the local examination board failed to recognise their learning difficulty, the Ombudsman has found. The ruling, released this week, has sparked fresh debate about how Malta’s education…
**Seabank Saga Turns Sour: Dead Man’s Brothers Fined After Courtroom Outburst Shocks Mellieħa** MELLIEĦA – What began as a family’s quest for answers after a tragic death at the Seabank Hotel ended in a courtroom drama that has left the tight-knit Mellieħa community reeling. Two brothers, grieving the loss of their sibling who died at…
