Bonġu News on 26 September 2022

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[accordion title=Giorgia Meloni claims victory]Far-right Giorgia Meloni has claimed victory in Italy’s election. Her far-right ‘Fratelli d’Italia’ is predicted to win more than 26% of the vote. The right-wing alliance is projected to get over 42% of the Senate vote. Meloni will form Italy’s most far-right government since World War II.[/accordion]

[accordion title=Mellieħa objects Festaval redevelopment]The Mellieħa council is objecting to plans to rebuild the dilapidated Festaval Hotel.A planning application to reconstruct the site has been presented by Mizzi Estates Ltd.ADPD’s Carmel Cacopardo filed an objection in his capacity as the council’s architect.Cacopardo said the site has been within an Area of Ecological Importance since 2006.[/accordion]

[accordion title=Grech calls protest against rising cost]Opposition leader Bernard Grech has called a protest on the rising cost of living.Grech said the government will be cutting funds for education, but was wasting money on friends.He pointed to Prime Minister Robert Abela’s huge delegation at the UN General Assembly. The Times of Malta revealed Abela was accompanied by 30 people, costing over €140,000. Partit Nazzjonalista’s ‘national protest’ will be held in Valletta on Sunday from 3pm. Partit Laburista said in a reaction the government’s help in difficult times was unprecedented. The statement said Malta was the only country where energy prices have remained stable.[/accordion]

[accordion title=GoTo Malta to close down operations]GoTo has announced it will be closing down operations in Malta at the end of September. The electric car sharing service said several factors left it with no other option. GoTo did not detail the factors that led to closing down its operations on short notice. However, the company agreed with a Facebook user saying it was badly managed. Regular GoTo users have increasingly complained about poor maintenance of vehicles. Clients say the company’s customer care has developed a hostile attitude in recent weeks. Bongu understands that some refund requests due to car malfunctions were turned down. With GoTo leaving the market, Malta is losing an alternative to private car ownership.[/accordion]

[accordion title=NGOs call for safe and legal abortion] On Sunday, pro-choice groups campaigned for legalising abortion in Malta. The activists were rallying for abortion to be recognised as an essential healthcare service. Read the full story

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