Malta-flagged bicycles will soon be gliding through Sicilian olive groves and coastal hamlets as 34-year-old Sliema sports therapist Daniel Camilleri embarks on a solitary 1,000-kilometre loop of the neighbouring island, every pedal stroke dedicated to the father who taught him to ride. “Dad was the one who removed my stabilisers in Dingli, ran behind me…
“Pastizzi may be the death of us” – the WhatsApp voice note that ricocheted through Maltese group chats last week wasn’t warning about a new cholesterol study. It was the visceral reaction of a Marsa dockworker who had just watched the price of his two-bite breakfast jump from 40 to 60 cents. Within hours the…
**Poolside brawl injuries did not cause man’s death, medical expert tells court** A medical expert has testified that injuries sustained during a poolside brawl at a popular St Julian’s hotel did not cause the death of a 48-year-old man, shedding new light on a case that has gripped Malta’s summer party scene. The ruling, delivered…
Watch live: Von der Leyen gives her 2025 State of the Union speech – why every Maltese living-room is tuned in tonight By 8 p.m. the village band clubs have gone quiet, the festa fireworks are on pause, and even the usually boisterous ħobż-bi-żejt debate at the corner kazin has been suspended. Instead, televisions from…
**‘Justice for our land’: National protest against PA reform on October 4** *by Hot Malta staff* Valletta’s Republic Street will echo with drums, chants and the rustle of homemade banners on Friday 4 October as thousands of Maltese citizens – farmers, hunters, environmentalists, parish priests, pensioners and first-time activists – converge on Parliament to tell…
# National Protest Over Controversial Planning Bills Announced Malta’s usually sun-splashed streets are set to reverberate with drums and dissent this Saturday as a coalition of NGOs, residents’ associations, hunters’ groups, heritage activists and even parish priests call for a national protest against two fast-tracked planning bills they warn will “concrete over the soul of…
A 17th-century palazzo that once hosted Grand Masters and Maltese nobility could become Mdina’s next five-star hideaway, according to plans filed with the Planning Authority last week. The proposal, submitted by a consortium led by boutique-hotel specialist Corinthia, seeks to convert Palazzo Costanzo on Villegaignon Street into a 30-suite “ultra-luxury” property with rooftop infinity pool,…
**Spanish fintech giant Creditas swallows Malta’s MeDirect in quiet Sunday deal** Sliema’s seafront was still yawning itself awake on Sunday when the WhatsApp messages began to ping: MeDirect, the Maltese online bank that has graced local headlines since 2008, is being bought by Spain’s Creditas. By the time the kettle had boiled in Mosta and…
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones: What a NATO Skirmish Means for Malta’s Christmas Markets and Winter Fuel Bills Żabbar grandmother Maria Pace was ladling rabbit stew for her grandchildren when her phone pinged with a Reuters alert: “Poland scrambles F-16s after Russian drones enter airspace.” She looked up, half expecting to see contrails over the…
**Council Urges Urgent Repairs to Historic Aqueduct Arch After Traffic Collision** A call for swift action has been issued by local council officials after a traffic accident left a visible gash in one of Malta’s iconic 18th-century aqueduct arches, prompting fears that a key piece of the island’s architectural heritage could deteriorate further if left…
On a humid Thursday evening, the courtyard of Valletta’s old University building is buzzing—not with students cramming for exams, but with grandmothers, taxi drivers, tattooed artists and suited accountants balancing on plastic chairs. They are here for “Doing Democracy,” a monthly citizens’ forum that has quietly become Malta’s most influential political experiment since the 2011…
**No Entry Sign Put Up at Mġiebaħ Bay as Danger Looms Right on Top of Bathers** A beloved slice of Maltese paradise has been sealed off. Mġiebaħ Bay, the secluded pocket-beach tucked beneath Dingli’s cliffs and reachable only by a dusty farmer’s track, woke up on Thursday to a bright red “PERIKLU – NO ENTRY”…
