Paris votes to ban rental e-scooter use in the city

Apr 3 2023

Parisians have voted to ban the use of rental electric scooters in the city, with almost 90% of votes cast on Sunday favouring the ban.

Despite this, only 8% of those eligible turned out to vote as the referendum was called in response to a rising number of injuries and deaths related to the vehicles in the capital.

Of 1.38 million people on the city’s electoral register, just around 103,000 participated in the referendum. 91,300 voted against scooter use.

This came despite Paris becoming one of the first cities to adopt the alternative mode of transport but immediately drew criticism.

This was due to reckless use as drivers weaved through traffic, dodged pedestrians on pavements and over speeding. The scooters were also left around parked unsafely.

Operators argued against the referendum saying that accidents related to them made up only a small proportion of traffic incidents. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo still called the referendum, leading to the ban.

Malta has seen similar concerns raised about the use of scooters. As the government promises more parking bays for the scooters, it was revealed by Transport Minister Aaron Farrugia that there were 15,000 daily e-scooter rides in the summer.

#MaltaDaily

Badly entangled turtle rescued from Golden Bay area

Apr 3 2023

NGO ‘Wildlife Rescue Team Malta’ took to social media to thank Aquamarine Water Sports for rescuing a badly entangled loggerhead turtle from the Golden Bay Area.

The turtle was entangled in fishing gear and other disposed items, with large debris stuck to one of the front flippers.

This caused the turtle flipper to deteriorate and being lost, with the turtle now under medical treatment and rehabilitation with Nature Trust Malta.

The NGO thanked the public who call them whenever they notice a distressed animal so that they can address the issue.

#MaltaDaily

Police patrols in Sliema after Bisazza street youth gang fights

Apr 3 2023

The Sliema Local Council took to social media to inform residents and the general public that the Malta Police Force have begun patrolling the areas following reports of youth gang fights.

The police are patrolling the area both on foot and via patrol cars, with the effort already reportedly addressing the first public disturbance.

A group of police officers have reportedly, according to the Sliema Local Council, took immediate action in stopping a group of youngsters who were playing very loud music through their portable speaker last night.

The effort came after the same local council shared footage of a large group of youth coming together in large groups and, apart from causing a public nuisance, organised fights between members of their cohort.

Well done to the Malta Police Force for addressing the issue with such urgency.

#MaltaDaily

‘Dumb phones’ reportedly making a comeback with Gen Z

Apr 3 2023

Despite the constant releases of new iPhones and other technological gadgets, it seems as though Gen Z might be reverting back to ‘dumb phones’ such as Nokia.

Apparently, Nokia reportedly sold tens of thousands of phones each month last year. According to HMD Global, the US saw a rise in feature flip phone sales in 2022 as well.

The finding follows a Counterpoint Research report which suggests that nearly 80% of feature phone sales, like the Blackberry, in 2022 were from the Middle East, Africa and India.

The rise in dumb phones, as opposed to smart phones due to their lack of internet connectivity and touchscreens, may be attributed to rising awareness of the harmful psychological effects of constant exposure to social media.

Experts are suggesting that there might be a 5% increase in dumb phone sales in the coming years. And even though this won’t put smart phone producers under any serious pressure (just yet), it does seem to indicate a shifting mentality when it comes to social media and the use of technology.

#MaltaDaily