AI Imagines Malta When Social Media Was Down

6 Months Sentence For Match Fixing By Former Committee Member

Mar 5 2024

Former Attard FC committee member Rudgear Scerri, aged 24, was initially sentenced to two years in prison, suspended for four, and fined €50,000 for match-fixing.

Scerri admitted to manipulating an amateur league match between Attard FC and Kalkara FC in December 2020 and failing to report it to the police. However, following an appeal by the Attorney General, his sentence was increased.

The Court of Criminal Appeal, led by Mr. Justice Neville Camilleri, upheld the appeal, stating that under the Prevention of Corruption in Sport Act, a prison sentence was mandatory for match-fixing.

Consequently, Scerri was sentenced to six months in prison and banned from attending any sporting events for ten years, with perpetual general interdiction.

Despite Scerri’s clean record and early plea, the court deemed the increased punishment necessary in accordance with the law. The match-fixing scandal also had repercussions for Attard FC, which was stripped of nine points, fined €1,000, and barred from international tournaments for five years.

#MaltaDaily

Uber Eats To Start Using Delivery Robots In Tokyo

Mar 5 2024

Uber Eats Japan Inc. and Mitsubishi Electric Corp. are introducing a new food delivery service in central Tokyo using self-driving robots, with initial operations limited to Tokyo’s Nihombashi district.

The robots, developed by Cartken Inc. and adapted for Japan by Mitsubishi Electric, can carry up to 20 kilograms and navigate at a maximum speed of 5 kilometers per hour.

Although initially offered in a small area with limited restaurant options, plans are underway to expand the service. These boxy robots, equipped with artificial intelligence and sensors, autonomously navigate sidewalks and avoid collisions with pedestrians and obstacles.

While users cannot specifically request robot delivery, they may receive it if selected for them. Despite concerns about potential job displacement, Uber Eats executive Alvin Oo reassures that human delivery partners will still be needed.

Such practices have already become common in certain US cities, with Serve Robotics, which spun out from Uber in 2021, deploying up to 2,000 sidewalk delivery robots.

This innovative initiative aligns with Japan’s recent change in traffic laws to accommodate delivery robots on public streets, addressing labor shortages and offering potential solutions for both urban and rural areas.

#MaltaDaily

Fridges Left On Side Of Maltese Roads

Mar 5 2024

Cleansing and Maintenance Division Clean Malta once again bemoaned the reckless abandonment of bulky waste left all around the island.

This time, it was a set of three fridges and other waste left on the side of a Maltese road.

The division reminded the public that there are specific sites where people can throw away all forms of rubbish instead of polluting the Maltese environment.

This is part of a series of posts uploaded by Clean Malta highlighted the reckless throwing away of waste.

#MaltaDaily