There are two regular ferry services in operation, one from Valletta to Sliema and the other between Gozo and Malta, berthing at Cirkewwa and a limited service to Sa Maison, near Valletta on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

There are several private taxi firms on the island, but private taxis have to be booked, they cannot pick up passengers hailing a ride at the side of the road. You should always get a quote for the fare at the time of booking. Public taxis are white and run on meters. These don’t have to be booked in advance, and there are plenty of these waiting at the airport, near the bus station in Valletta and at larger hotels. These white taxis can, however, be comparatively expensive. Some taxi drivers in Malta have a reputation for their risky, high speed driving and some passengers have reported a “white knuckle ride” to their destination.

The most popular form of public transport in Malta is the bus service. From the main bus terminus by the Tritons Fountain in Valletta, you can catch a bus to every locality in Malta. There are two smaller bus terminals in Qawra/Bugibba and in Paceville. Buses are painted red and yellow (in Gozo, they are maroon and grey), and each route carries a different number. Fares are cheap, usually 47cents for a short trip, but the vehicles don’t have air-conditioning and the drivers can come across as surly and rude. There are also limited night bus services which tend to run on weekends in the summer months to and from the Paceville terminus.

For further details about the Malta public transport, bus routes, fares and timings, contact Transport Malta on:

Tel: +356 25608000
Fax: +356 21255740
Email: info.tm@transport.gov.mt

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Over recent years, the divorce debate has raged in Malta and this month (July 2010), Nationalist MP Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando presented a private member’s bill to Parliament in a bid to introduce divorce to Malta.

Although currently, it’s not possible to obtain a divorce through the Maltese courts, divorces granted to Maltese and foreign citizens by overseas jurisdictions are recognised by Maltese law, and such people are free to re-marry. Such divorces should be registered with the public registry. Between 2007 and 2009 the Public Registry registered 102 cases of divorce awarded abroad. Even civil marriages cannot be dissolved by Maltese courts, contrary to the belief of some.

As an alternative to divorce, Malta has two options; legal separation and annulment. Either the church or the state can carry out such legal acts. With legal separation, the parties cannot remarry, but that’s not the case with annulment. Annulment means that the marriage never existed, although couples with children can obtain an annulment! In the past five years, there has been a total of 690 annulments by church and state in Malta.

With a legal separation, the couple must go through a mediation process which is offered free by the state. Once a couple is legally separated, then the parties do not have to cohabit, but the obligation of fidelity and support subsists. The at fault party may have to pay maintenance to the other. Between 2006 and 2008, around 3,500 sworn separation applications were submitted or mediations introduced, and a backlog of over 1,000 separation cases pending.

It will be seen in coming months what will happen with regard to divorce in Malta, but the issue has caused heated debate in social circles, and probably will in parliament too.

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For foreign Catholic couples, a church wedding is possible, but be prepared to be expected to obtain documents showing such proof etc from your church in your home country. Most foreign couples getting married in Malta opt for a civil ceremony, and these can take place in many historical venues, hotels and restaurants. Both types of marriages are legally binding in most countries such as the UK, USA, Ireland, Canada, Australia and elsewhere.

The requirements for a civil wedding are similar to those in your home country, and documents must be forwarded to the marriage registry within 6 weeks of the ceremony. This is a basic list of legal documents that you will need to get married in Malta:

• Photocopy of the main photo page of both the bride and groom’s passports; full, unabridged birth certificates showing the names of the parents of both spouses to be and these need to be authenticated by an attorney/solicitor.
• For a first marriage, you will need a “Free Status” certificate. In most countries outside the UK and Ireland, this is in the form of a document showing that you are legally single and free to marry. This is usually obtained from the Interior Ministry or Department of Home Affairs in the country where you are domiciled. In Scotland and The Republic of Ireland the document is known as a ‘Certificate of no Impediment’, whereas in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, a Statutory Declaration is drawn up by a third party in the presence of a solicitor.
• Divorcees will also need the Divorce Absolute/Final Divorce Certificate as well as an Affidavit by a third party drawn up in the presence of a solicitor, stating that the divorcee has not re-married since the divorce was made final.
• Widows/Widowers will need the wedding certificate of their original marriage to the deceased, the death certificate of the former spouse and an affidavit stating that the Widow/Widower has not remarried since.

For more information about getting married in Malta, contact the Malta Marriage Registry on 22209200.

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Whilst most areas of Malta are relatively safe, and violent crimes are few and far between being mostly perpetrated by assailants known to victims, there are crime hotspots that have been identified.

Around the tourist areas of St Julians, St Pauls Bay and Sliema, petty theft is reported most often, involving incidents such as pickpocketing and theft of personal possessions. The capital, Valletta, also reports a higher incidence of this type of offence that other areas of Malta. The areas with the lowest rates of crime in Malta are Ta’ Xbiex and Pembroke, with the island of Gozo having a lower reported level of crime in general. Opportunistic crimes such as car break-ins occur more frequently in the summer months in the main tourist areas. Criminals, however, don’t appear on the whole to reside in the areas where the crimes are committed. The most common place of residence of offenders in order is Bormla, Valletta, Qormi and Gzira.

The most common types of crime reported involve theft; the next most-reported crime is damage to property and then assault. Malta has some of the lowest rates for more serious crimes such as rapes, homicides, drugs, fraud and bribery. In February 2010, The Ministry for Home affairs reported that crime in Malta had dropped 34 per cent between 2009 and 2005, with the theft rate dropping by 12% in 2009.

If you are a victim of crime, call the police on 112. 112 is also the emergency number for the ambulance service and civil protection, who handle fire-fighting duties.

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Holy Week commences on the Friday immediately before Good Friday, with the day dedicated to id-Duluri – Our Lady of Sorrows.

People attend Mass and processions are held in Valletta and in other towns and villages, carrying the statue of Our Lady through the streets. On Palm Sunday, fronds of palm leaves are shaped into crosses and are blessed in church. On Thursday, the day before Good Friday, in Malta it’s tradition to visit seven churches; all churches are beautifully decorated for the occasion and tourists and Maltese alike flock to see the display.

Good Friday is a day of sorrow, with churches taking down the decorations and displaying the colour red to signify the blood of Christ. There is no Mass on Good Friday; instead people go to church to kiss the cross at 3pm – the time that Christ allegedly died. Later, a procession occurs in some villages – this is a lengthy affair with hundreds taking part. This lasts for over two hours and statues are carried depicting the Stations of the Cross, with actors playing the parts of Roman soldiers, disciples and other characters. As a penance, some people wear white cloaks and hoods and drag large wooden crosses along the route; others have heavy chains fastened to their ankles and walk barefoot behind the rest of the procession.

The next day, churches are open all day, and are decorated with fresh flowers and adornments, and later on, a Mass is heard whereby each member of the congregation is given a candle and lighting this signifies Christ’s resurrection. The priest lights his candle first and then the light is passed from candle to candle until the whole church lights up. During this Mass, the church bells start ringing after being silent since Thursday. After the service, Figolli are given out – these are pastries made with pure almond paste and formed into shapes of lambs, fish or rabbits. Easter comes to a close on Easter Sunday after mass, which is a family day when families meet for lunch and give out gifts.

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Last year’s Malta Song for Europe was performed by Chiara singing “What If We?” a song written and composed by Gregory Bilsen and Marc Paelinck. Although the whole Maltese nation was rooting for her after she went through to the final from the semi, disappointingly, she only achieved 22nd placing at the end of the night. This was Chiara’s third outing to Eurovision; with her two previous attempts she fared much better placing third in 1998, and second in 2005.

On 20th February 2010, 20 artists competed in the “Go Malta Eurosong” competition, battling it out to represent Malta at the Eurovision 2010 Song Contest in Oslo. Each performer sang live at MFCC Ta’Qali, and the event was televised live on TVM and presented by Keith Demicoli and Pauline Agius. The winner was 18-year old Thea Garrett singing “My Dream”, a composition by Jason Cassar and Sunny Aquilina. The winning song romped home to victory with 102 points, well ahead of Glen Vella’s second-placed number “Just a Little More Love”, which ended the night with 58 points.

Born in Malta in 1992, Thea Garrett has been studying with renowned soprano Gillian Zammit. For the past two summers, she studied at The Sylvia Young Theatre School in London, the alma mater of many British singers, such as Amy Winehouse, Leona Lewis and Emma Bunton from Spice Girls fame. Most recently, Thea was the opening act, in Rome, for Gigi D’Alessio’s world tour.

Thea will be taking part in the first Eurovision semi-final in Oslo on May 25th, along with entries from Greece, Russia, Portugal and Estonia.

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Malta Porn was Indiskarf’s first production, and it debuted in March 2009 at the Centre of the Mediterranean Institute Theatre Programme (MITP) in Valletta.

The story is centred on a young man called Stefan Bugeja who has grown up on the outwardly conservative island of Malta.

Stefan has a fiancée and when she reveals herself as a loose and somewhat immoral woman, Stefan feels his life has been destroyed and decides to emigrate to the USA, in search of a happier life. Little does he know what he’s about to let himself in for!

Once in America, Stefan gets involved with some friends who are embroiled in the adult-entertainment business, and gets absorbed in the industry himself. Songs in the musical include “Naked on a Sunday”, “Everyone in Malta is Related”, “ So Young and yet so Slutty “, “The Kind of Girl I am” and “The Song where Everyone Bitches”!

During 2009, after the performance in Valletta, Porn the Musical was staged at Argotti Gardens in July for a week’s run. In August 2009, a 75 minute version of the musical was performed for a full run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival at the George IVth Theatre. This is the first time that a Maltese musical has been shown for a full month at this world-renowned event. Choreographed by Emma Loftus and narrated by screenwriter Malcolm Galea, the cast at the festival included Max Dingli as the lead character, Louis Cassar as sleazy Director Martin Scoresleazy, Sarah Naudi as porn star Sanddy, David Ellul as the studio stud Dr Johnny Long, Eliza Borg as Stefan’s ex-finacee Jade and Toni Attard as the Miscellaneous Man.

Malta Porn The Musical is a laugh a minute and definitely works around an adult theme – however, there is no actual porn in the show, apart from it being the subject of the entire plot!

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Two Maltese colleges founded rugby teams during the 1970s; these colleges being St. Edwards College and Tal-Handaq College.

The schoolboy teams played against each other, and even challenged the veterans of the armed forces to matches! On a senior level, the game of rugby was played mainly by a few Maltese and several expatriates living on the island. In 1979, when the British services departed Malta for good, the game lost its popularity and almost died a death on the island. However, all was not lost as a group of Maltese rugby fans and players formed The Phoenicians, a local social rugby club in 1983. From that day on, the sport in Malta has regained a strong band of followers and has surged in popularity once more.

The Malta Rugby Football League was established in 1991, and in that year it saw a surge in membership caused by the formation of the University Rugby Football Club. This club was an amalgamation of University students and ex-public schoolboys from the UK. At the same time, there was a renaissance afoot in Maltese rugby with the rebirth of Overseas Rugby Club. In the 1990s, other clubs began to mushroom with two of today’s strong leading teams, Kavallieri and Stompers being formed during that decade.

In 2000, the Malta Rugby Football Union (MRFU), as the League is now called, joined the International Rugby Board and Malta has participated in a number of internationals since then. Most recently, Malta faced Sweden in November 2009, with Malta triumphantly winning 25-23. In addition to the senior-level National and Club teams, there are also teams for U17s, U15s and U13s as well as a strong women’s league.

For further details about playing, watching rugby in Malta or if you simply want to buy the team shirt, use the contact details below:

MRFU Clubhouse, Marsa Sports Complex, Aldo Moro Street, Marsa, Malta GC, Europe
or email the current President of the MRFU: president@mrfu.org

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Here is a list of some of the hottest men in Malta.

1. Peter Sammut. Peter is a 32 year-old from Madliena with a passion for adventure, travel and sports. Having had a love of aviation throughout his teenage years, he followed his dream and became a commercial pilot. He currently flies for an international airline, that takes him all over the world. Standing 175 cms and weighing 80 kgs, he has short, black hair and likes eating out, fine wines, seeing new places and meeting people. He has a group of close friends and they often take part in adventure sports, these have included skydiving and bungee jumping.
2. Andrei Grech. Being a professional male model, Andrei smoulders in front of the lens and has featured in a number of print, commercial and fashion shoots both in Malta and internationally. Born in 1985, he is from Balzan, and has won a number of awards including Modelle International Mr Photogenic 2007, and Mr Louie Noir 2nd Runner Up.
3. Kevin James Borg. Kevin rose to international fame after winning the fifth series of Idol in Sweden in 2008. Born in Floriana in 1986, he initially started performing on several Maltese television shows such as Kalamita, and was a contender for the Maltese entry into the Eurovision Song Contest twice. His boy-next-door looks have definitely helped his popularity and have garnered him an army of fans in Sweden and Malta.
4. John Montanaro. One of Malta’s leading young actors, he has starred in Helen of Troy – a US mini-series – and the film Angli. He has always had a wide following due to his versatility on stage and screen.
5. Michael Mifsud. Born in 1981 in Pieta, Malta, Michael started his football career playing for Sliema Wanderers, before signing to Bundesliga club Kaiserslautern and then Norweigian club, Lillestrom. In 2007, he signed for English Premier League club, Coventry City. Mifsud plays for the Maltese National team, notably scoring a 21st minute hat-trick in a friendly against Lichtenstein in 2008, which resulted in a 7-1 win for Malta.

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To give the Knights of Malta their correct title, they should be called Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta, and they were originally established in 1085. Membership consisted of a federation of monks responsible for looking after the sick and injured at the Hospital of St. John in Jerusalem. Later on, they evolved into a military order, defending crusader territory in the Holy Lands of the Middle East and safeguarding Medieval Pilgrims journeying along treacherous routes from Europe. Throughout history, these Knights were recruited exclusively from the noble families of France, Italy, Spain, England and Portugal, with the Order gaining vast wealth from these aristocratic sons of the most wealthy and powerful families that Europe had to offer at the time.

In 1522, the Knights were expelled from their home-base which at the time was the island of Rhodes. The Emperor, Charles V, gave them the choice of Tripoli or Malta and in 1530; they took up residence on Malta, staying for a further 268 years, transforming what they called a rock into a flourishing island-fortress with impenetrable defences, and the symbol on their flag became known as The Maltese Cross. The Order was ruled by a “Grand Master” who answered directly to the Pope. They built a new capital city, Valletta, which was named after Jean Parisot de la Valette, the Grand Master at the time. In Valletta, they built the “Sacra Infermeria”, a hospital that could accommodate 500 patients of different classes, and was essentially the world-leading, free-clinic of its day.

In 1798, the French took control of Malta and the Knights left Malta, scattering widely throughout Europe. Today, there are around 12,500 members of the Order of Malta worldwide. These modern-day Knights and Dames are devoted to the exercise of Christian virtue and charity, and committed to achieving Christian spiritual perfection and to using their energies caring for others. They are presided over by the Grand Master and Sovereign Council based in Rome. Several websites and wiki sites are dedicated to research and history of these ancient orders.

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