**Borg takes Opposition leader’s seat, demands debate on Fortina land transfer** In a dramatic parliamentary move that has set tongues wagging across the islands, newly-elected Opposition leader Bernard Grech found himself upstaged yesterday when independent MP Marlene Farrugia vacated her customary seat to make way for a surprise contender: Arnold Borg, the self-styled “voice of…
Top Lands official ‘suppressed’ valuation report, saving Fortina over €10m – and Sliema residents are furious By Hot Malta Staff Sliema’s skyline has always been a battleground between developers’ dreams and residents’ nightmares, but a fresh court filing suggests the latest round was decided in a back room, not a boardroom. According to a sworn…
**Watch: Cannabis driving limits to be considered instead of zero tolerance** A landmark shift is quietly gaining traction in Malta’s national conversation: the possibility of introducing measurable cannabis driving limits to replace the current zero-tolerance policy. For a country that became the first EU member state to legalise personal-use cannabis in 2021, the debate is…
What’s on in Malta and Gozo this week: September 15 to 21, 2025 By Hot Malta staff Valletta’s limestone façades are already warming under the generous September sun when the first brass-band chords ricochet through Strait Street at 07:30 on Monday morning. It’s not a rehearsal—it’s the traditional “Marċ tal-Bieraħ”, a 150-year-old custom that marks…
**Watch: Government to consider cannabis driving limits instead of zero tolerance** In a move that could reshape Malta’s approach to drug-impaired driving, the government has announced it will explore introducing specific THC limits for drivers, potentially replacing the current zero-tolerance policy that has sparked controversy since cannabis legalization in 2021. Parliamentary Secretary Rebecca Buttigieg revealed…
# Watch: Grim Reaper protest greets MPs over controversial planning bills A cloaked figure wielding a scythe stood sentinel outside Malta’s Parliament on Tuesday morning, as activists channelled the island’s centuries-old festa spirit to deliver a chilling message: “Your time is up.” The macabre stunt—organised by environmental coalition Front Ħarsien ODZ—greeted MPs arriving to debate…
**Experts to investigate conditions at Mediterraneo Marine Park** Mediterraneo Marine Park has long been a staple of Malta’s tourism landscape, drawing thousands of visitors each year with its dolphin shows, exotic birds, and sea lion performances. But the beloved attraction is now under scrutiny as local and international experts prepare to investigate the welfare conditions…
Valletta’s narrow baroque streets echoed to a different beat last Saturday morning. Instead of the usual shuffle of cruise-shate maps and selfie sticks, children from the St Dominic community centre handed out free lemon-infused water to passers-by while pensioners in straw hats guided “micro-tours” of hidden courtyards normally bolted behind brass knockers. The pop-up initiative,…
**Swastikas Scrubbed Clean: TCNs Remove Hate Symbols from Bombi Underpass in Act of Defiant Solidarity** The Bombi underpass, that grimy artery linking Ħamrun to Marsa, woke up Wednesday to its usual symphony of screeching brakes and exhaust fumes—plus a fresh coat of neo-Nazi bile. Overnight, someone had scaled the concrete walls and spray-painted a parade…
Domestic violence case dropped at victim’s request – the terse courtroom sentence echoed across Valletta’s historic halls last Thursday, but on the stone steps outside, the silence felt heavier than any verdict. For the third time this year, a Maltese woman has formally withdrawn charges against a partner who, police records show, had fractured her…
**Valletta Court Grants Bail to Man Accused of Domestic Violence, Sparking Community Outcry** A 34-year-old man from Żejtun has been granted bail after being accused of domestic violence against his partner, reigniting heated debates across Malta about the effectiveness of the island’s domestic violence legislation and the safety of survivors who come forward. The accused,…
Two gleaming, nine-metre electric buses slid silently onto Republic Street this morning, their turquoise-and-yellow livery catching the early spring sun like a pair of oversized ħarīsa sweets. In a country where the morning commute is still soundtracked by the diesel growl of 30-year-old Bedfords, the unveiling felt less like a press event and more like…
