Pope Francis uses wheelchair for first time due to knee pains

May 5 2022

Pope Francis has just appeared using a wheelchair for the first time due to worsening knee pains at a public event on Thursday.

The 85-year-old pontiff was wheeled into the Paul VI hall at the Vatican for a meeting of a Catholic organisation of sisters and nuns. Francis used a wheelchair after an operation on his colon last summer.

However, this was the first time he was been pictured in one at an event open to the media. The Pope had cancelled numerous engagements and struggled to walk in recent days.

On Wednesday, the church leader had to be helped out of his chair by an assistant at the weekly St Peter’s Square appearance. The Vatican has not yet revealed what the problem is, but sources revealed he has chronic arthritis.

Speaking to Corriere della Sera, the Pope said that he would undergo an intervention with infiltration. This involves the injection of anti-inflammatories into the joint. He is also allegedly taking pain killers as well as treating the pain with ice.

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9 people died in first three months of 2022 due to traffic accidents

May 5 2022

The first three months of this year saw nine people die in traffic accidents. According to the National Statistics Office (NSO), the victims were eight men and a woman.

Five of the victims were drivers whereas four were pedestrians. A 10th person died early in January, but the accident occurred in 2021.

In the same period last year, there had only been one fatality, indicating a worsening situation when it comes to traffic accidents. Nine of the fatal accidents involved four drivers hitting other vehicles and a driver crashing into a property.

Three pedestrians were hit by a vehicle, with the remaining incident being a vehicle hitting a person riding a horse sulky. The NSO warned that the number of traffic accidents in the period – 3,595 – also increased when compared to last year.

The number of casualties increased by 6.2% to 324, with 81 people grievously injured. The largest number of casualties involved passenger cars.

During the same period, 13 cyclists were involved in traffic accidents. Five of these suffered grievous injuries. The highest number of traffic accidents were registered in Birkirkara at 260 cases. Qormi and Mosta followed close with 198 and 162 cases.

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Malta seeking compromise on EU Russian oil ban plan

May 5 2022

Transport Minister Aaron Farrugia has confirmed to Times of Malta that Malta is seeking a compromise with the EU on the proposal that seeks to ban the transportation of Russian oil on EU-flagged or controlled ships.

European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen presented the plans in an effort to detach the bloc off it’s dependence on Russian energy sources following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

Von der Leyen told the EU parliament on Wednesday that it was seeking to phase out crude Russian oil in six months and refined products by the end of the year. The plan requires approval of all 27 member states in order to see implementation.

It is understood that Malta signalled reservations during a meeting between EU member states on the sanctions package on Wednesday. Sources told the newsroom that the ban on transportation of oil could massively impact thee shipping industry.

Minister Aaron Farrugia said that technical discussions about the matter are currently ongoing. He said that Malta has its own interests to protect but it also wants to balance that with meeting the sanctions obligations.

‘When we have all the information in hand the government will make a decision as it always has’ said Farrugia. The Minister was reluctant on elaborating further but said that Malta’s shipping industry is of huge strategic importance and that its flag has an ‘important difference’ to that of other countries.

According to international news portal Politico, Cyprus and Greece also raised concerns with the Commission about the proposal.

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World famous Netflix graffiti artist to bless Malta with his art

May 5 2022

Jay Kaes, a Spanish Street Artist who has garnered international acclaim for his pristine work with big names worldwide, will be blessing Malta with his art.

Kaes will be making his way to the island to create some more of his exquisite pieces, which feature colourful and evocative tags and burns on walls.

His work will also officially be featured in the new Havana Club in Paceville upon its upcoming launch. The artist will contribute to embellish an already established Hip Hop and RnB scene in the Entertainment Mecca.

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A post shared by Jay Kaes | Murals | Paintings (@jaycaes)

Back in 2019, Kaes painted his biggest mural to date, which consisted of a 600 square foot wall for Galeria Vertical to renew a small town in North Spain. He has also worked with giants such as Netflix, Marvel, Sony, BBC and ex-One Direction member Louis Tomlinson.

We will have to wait and see what Kaes will create for our island, tagging his place in the local history by doing what he does best on a global scale.

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