From the limestone balconies of Valletta to the iGaming towers of St Julian’s, Maltese are asking the same question that once greeted the Knights’ silver scudi: “Will this new money last?” Crypto, however, is not the paper promise of 18th-century Order of Malta assignats that collapsed when Napoleon’s fleet sailed into Grand Harbour. It is…
**Cutting university funds is a cost too high** *By [Author Name], Hot Malta* Walk down Republic Street on a weekday afternoon and you’ll see them: clusters of students in hoodies emblazoned with the University of Malta crest, arguing over espressos about AI ethics, Baroque apses, or whether the latest EU directive will sink the family…
Letters to the Editor – September 19, 2025: The Island Speaks Back The Thursday morning edition of Times of Malta lands on café tables with the soft slap of newsprint against marble. By 8 a.m. the letters page has already been torn out at Busy Bee in Msida, shared between two retirees arguing over cruise-ship…
Valletta’s evening breeze usually carries chatter about festa fireworks or EU funds, but this week the name on every café radio is Benjamin Netanyahu. As Israel’s longest-serving premier pivots from courtroom drama to judicial overhaul, Maltese listeners recognise a familiar scent: the whiff of a small state choosing isolation over tomorrow. We’ve been here before—think…
Floriana’s Independence Arena was already humming by 07:00 on Friday as families unfolded picnic blankets and tuned pocket-sized radios to the national station. By the time the government’s ceremonial bell struck noon, a sea of red-and-white flags rippled beneath the September sun—Malta’s unofficial welcome to the first “Announcements Day”, a new civic tradition that will…
**BNF Bank’s €1 Million Tech Misstep: A Cautionary Tale for Malta’s Digital Banking Dreams** In a country where village festa fireworks still compete for attention with smartphone screens, Malta’s banking sector just received a very expensive reality check. BNF Bank has revealed it spent over €1 million rectifying a failed system upgrade – a sobering…
**Four Tuna Farms Fined €14,000 for Fish Slime: A Slippery Slope for Malta’s Blue Economy** The Mediterranean dawn was just breaking over Marsaxlokk Bay when fisherman Carmelo Grech noticed something odd shimmering on the water’s surface. “It looked like someone had poured olive oil across the bay,” the 67-year-old recalls. “But this wasn’t oil –…
**US again vetoes UN Security Council Gaza ceasefire call** The United States has once again wielded its veto power at the United Nations Security Council, blocking a resolution demanding an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza. The move, which comes as civilian casualties continue to mount, has reverberated across Malta’s tight-knit community, where Palestinian solidarity runs…
Alex Borg announces new party CEO, campaign manager amid key appointments by Hot Malta Newsroom | 09 June 2025, 07:30 Valletta – In a sun-drenched courtyard just off Strait Street, Alex Borg, the 41-year-old leader of Malta’s newest political movement, Żewġ Qalbna (Two Hearts), unveiled the team he says will “re-wire” the island’s politics before…
Aldo Micallef Grimaud’s first major retrospective in Malta flings open the doors of MUŻA this evening, and Valletta’s streets already feel louder. By 19:00 the museum’s sandstone steps are dotted with teenagers in hoodies scrolling through the artist’s Instagram reels, while septuagenarians in Sunday best clutch the exhibition catalogue like a prayer book. Inside, 120…
**Man Who Has Never Visited Malta Wants Italian as Official Language** A 42-year-old Italian man who has never set foot on Maltese soil has launched an online petition demanding Italian be made an official language of Malta, sparking both amusement and irritation among locals who see it as yet another case of cultural tunnel-vision from…
**A Century of Shadows: Malta’s Film Industry Turns 100 Without an Oscar Entry** Valletta’s silver-screen legacy stretches back further than Hollywood’s Golden Age, yet this week the island’s centenary celebrations are tinged with a familiar shade of sky-blue disappointment. For the 100th year running, Malta will not be submitting a film for consideration at the…
