McDonald’s are testing out a fully-automated restaurant with ZERO human workers

Mar 9 2023

As ever-evolving technology continues to take over the world as we know it, a new McDonald’s branch in Texas is driving the Golden Arches into the future with the brand’s first ever fully-automated restaurant.

That’s right – a test restaurant near Fort Worth Texas has been set up with touchscreens, conveyor belts and other methods of enhanced technology in an attempt to improve order speed and accuracy.

The decision was met with reactions from both sides of the coin; some praised the tech’s untapped potential while others lamented the fact that minimum wage in Texas hasn’t increased in almost a decade as many struggle to keep up with the cost of living.

Some machines took orders at the front, others served food at the drive-thru, with no humans in sight. The game-changing application of technology in the hospitality sector could change the way we consume fast food as we know it.

@themadivlog How did I end up a butter #fyp ♬ The Office – The Hyphenate

On the other hand, a TikTok creator went online with a number of difficulties she faced when trying to order, namely due to the communication barrier between man and machine, as the McDonald’s technology did not seem to understand what the client was saying. Business Insider stated that such difficulties show that robots won’t take over restaurants any time soon, with every other McDonald’s restaurant in the world relying on its human workers to offer service with a smile.

Would you like to see technology like this in Malta?

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Malta has lowest fertility rate in EU at 1.13 live births per woman

Mar 9 2023

According to Eurostat data published on Thursday, Malta has the lowest fertility rate in all of Europe at 1.13 live births per woman.

This is a significant drop from the EU average of 1.53 births per woman. The data tracks births around Europe until 2021, finding how just over 4 million babies were born throughout the year.

Malta’s fertility rate started to drop as of 2012, when it was 1.42 live births per woman. The sharpest decreases were registered between 2017 and 2019.

This is in contrast to the EU’s fertility rate which remained steady over the same period. meanwhile, the average age at which women give birth was found to be climbing to just under 31.

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Malta’s rugby team needs support for upcoming Cyprus match!

Mar 9 2023

Malta’s International Rugby season for 2023 is about to kick off, with the island’s team facing Cyprus in a Conference 1 South Fixture on the 25th of March – and they need all the support they can get!

Following the last two international fixtures, Malta came away with a loss and a win, having just played Bulgaria and Slovenia.

They now sit in third place out of five teams in this prestigious competition, with a match against Israel awaiting them on the 15th of April. Malta should be able to climb to second place just behind Bulgaria following these matches.

“The Malta Rugby Football Union (MRFU) are expecting a large crowd to attend this farewell game for Coach Damian Neill, with many supporters and ex-National players travelling to the venue, to make it a “Festival of Rugby”.

The match will be played at the Tony Bezzina Stadium in Paola, with gates opening from 12:30 and kick off at 14:00. Purchase your tickets here.

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PN presents bill to combat sexual abuse on the workplace

Mar 9 2023

The Nationalist Party has presented a bill in parliament to amend the Law and continue its zero tolerance work for sexual abuse in the workplace.

In a statement, the Opposition pointed out that according to local reports and surveys by NGOs, there are one of three sexual abuses in the workplace that are not reported to the police.

This is mainly due to the victims not knowing what to do to report such abuse, the statement continued. It was also discovered that 3 out of 4 female workers are victims of sexual abuse on the workplace.

The amendment would introduce for the first time in Malta the obligation that workplaces considered as medium or larger enterprises (more than 49 workers) to implement anti-sexual harassment policies.

The Bill was tabled by PN MPs Ivan Castillo, Graziella Attard Previ and Darren Carabott.

The party also encouraged smaller business to explore the potential of introducing such a policy to combat workplace harassment.

‘For employers to be part of this change, the Nationalist Party is proposing that in the same law, the government authorities should publish a model document which can be utilised.

The document should, the PN said, have the aim, the definition of what constitutes sexual harassment on the workplace, the procedure of reporting such abuse and the disciplinary measures in the case of abuse.

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