In the heart of the Mediterranean, Malta stands as a beacon of historical richness and cultural vibrancy. Yet, amidst its bustling tourism, economic growth, and development, a growing sentiment echoes through the streets: “We deserve better, not just more.” This phrase captures the essence of a community that is not merely content with quantitative growth…
### Government Stands Firm on Planning Reform Bill: Aiming for Improvement Amidst Controversy The Maltese government has recently reaffirmed its commitment to the planning reform bill, a move that has sparked both hope and controversy among local residents and developers. Despite mounting pressure from various quarters, the administration insists that the bill is not only…
# Lands Authority Ordered to Carry Out New Fortina Waiver Valuation: A Deep Dive into Malta’s Cultural and Community Implications In a recent development that has sparked considerable interest and debate, the Lands Authority has been ordered to conduct a new valuation of the Fortina waiver. This move is not just another administrative task but…
**Mosta’s Hidden Gem Reclaims Its Glory: Protected Tal-Wej Site Freed from Decades of Rubbish** For years, commuters whizzing along Mosta’s Tal-Wej road knew the place only for the stench. Behind a crumbling rubble wall, a protected depression—once a seasonal lake celebrated in 19th-century water-colours—had mutated into a fly-tipped jungle of broken fridges, sofa skeletons and,…
Valletta’s 17th-century palazzo corridors are humming with a very 21st-century sound: the click-clack of laptops closing on yet another micro-credential. From the gaming studios of St Julian’s to the village band clubs of Żejtun, Maltese workers are quietly enrolling in evening boot-camps, Saturday AI labs and TikTok-length language sprints. The island that once exported limestone…
In pictures: Għar id-Dud Chalet, 1926 – when Sliema’s seaside swagger was born The year is 1926. Malta is still three decades away from independence, cars are a novelty on the island’s dusty roads, and King George V’s profile graces every farthing in your pocket. Yet along Sliema’s once-sleepy shoreline something daring has just opened:…
Knights, nurses, and now…netizens? The International Academy of St Lazarus—an 800-year-old order that once ran Malta’s leper hospital outside Mdina—has thrown open its velvet-lined doors to “corresponding members” for the first time in its long history, inviting islanders (and anyone with a Maltese connection) to join without buying a title, wearing a cape, or even…
‘APS is no longer a secondary option’: How Malta’s oldest bank reclaimed centre stage Valletta’s Republic Street hums with the familiar rhythms of cappuccino steam and shop-door bells, but step inside the APS Centre and the soundtrack changes. Young couples huddle over mortgage spreadsheets on tablets, retirees tap contactless to top-up their BOV-powered Apple Pay,…
Fortina’s fortune: how a sleepy fishing cove became Sliema’s golden mile By Hot Malta staff Walk along the Sliema promenade at 6 a.m. and you’ll still see the last lamp-lit silhouettes of elderly Kalkara men folding their nets where, 400 years ago, the Knights’ galleys off-loaded grain for Valletta’s granaries. By 7 a.m. the same…
Shaping tomorrow: the future of education ======================================== Valletta – While tourists pose for selfies outside the 16th-century walls of St John’s Co-Cathedral, a quieter revolution is unfolding two streets away inside the former Treasury building. Here, in a sun-lit courtyard that once stored the Knights’ gold, 30 Maltese teenagers are huddled around 3-D printers, designing…
Il-Beżżul Bieżel – September 28, 2025: The Day Valletta’s Silent Statue Spoke Valletta woke up on the last Sunday of September to a rumour that travelled faster than the city’s electric buses: “Il-Beżżul Bieżel qed jitkellem!” By 07:30 the Upper Barrakka balcony was already three-deep with phone-waving teenagers, café owners clutching espresso cups, and tourists…
We don’t need to go back to the Dark Ages By a Hot Malta staff writer Valletta’s 320 monuments glow amber at dusk, but the WhatsApp group lighting up my phone is far from romantic. “They’re switching the streetlights off again tonight,” one neighbour warns. “Bring a torch, or you’ll break your neck on the…
