What If Robot Helpers Were Part Of Maltese Society?

Jan 24 2024

Taking to social media, social media artificial intelligence artist malta.ai imagined Maltese society if it welcomed helper robots.

‘Midjourney’s CEO predicts a billion robots by the 2040s, and Elon’s on board’, malta.ai wrote. ‘How will Malta adapt to this new era of companions and helpers?’

Midjourney is a generative artificial intelligence program and service created and hosted by a San Francisco-based research lab, founded by David Holz.

malta.ai shows the robots integrating into Maltese society, helping the elderly and even sharing a cup of tea in one of the old cities.

What do you of this?

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Men Should Hang Out With The Boys Twice A Week, Says Study

Jan 24 2024

A 2013 study from the University of Oxford suggests that regular gatherings with friends, particularly for men, contribute significantly to good health.

Conducted by psychologist Robin Dunbar, the research indicates that men should engage in social activities with friends at least twice a week to fully benefit from male friendship.

The study emphasises the positive impact of activities like having a pint or engaging in team sports, asserting that meeting up twice a week with the four closest friends is crucial for maintaining strong bonds.

Benefits of regular social interactions among men include a stronger immune system, increased endorphin release, reduced anxiety levels, and heightened generosity.

The study highlights that maintaining such friendships helps prevent depression linked to financial and job insecurities, and individuals with strong social connections tend to recover more swiftly from illnesses.

However, the study reveals that a significant portion of men, around 40%, struggle to incorporate frequent male bonding into their routines, with only a weekly occurrence for many.

Dunbar suggests that despite spending 20% of their day interacting through other means, face-to-face meetings are essential for sustaining robust friendships, and socialising over a few beers serves as an effective means of achieving this.

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Fleet Of 24 New Police Motorcycles Inaugurated

Jan 24 2024

The Traffic Police section has unveiled a new fleet of 24 vehicles, representing a €600,000 investment, as part of ongoing efforts to enhance traffic management and safety.

The inauguration ceremony, led by Minister Byron Camilleri and Police Commissioner Angelo Gafà, highlighted the government’s commitment to the Police Force and its impact on community safety.

This investment in the Traffic Police fleet is seen as a strategic move to improve operational efficiency and aligns with the upcoming implementation of the Roads Policing budget measure, incorporating advanced technology in law enforcement.

The newly acquired vehicles are equipped with various safety features, aiming to facilitate the work of officers responsible for daily patrols and traffic management. Additionally, a fleet of 22 scooters from the Central Delivery Office has been introduced to assist in the distribution of court documents across Malta and Gozo.

Commissioner Gafà emphasized that the investment not only enhances operational capabilities but also contributes to a safer working environment for officers, ultimately resulting in more effective community service. Inspector Nicholas Vella from the Traffic Police section highlighted that this investment signifies a continued commitment to improving road safety for both Maltese and Gozitan communities.

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Forced Marriage To Be Added To EU Human Trafficking Laws

Jan 24 2024

MEP negotiators and the Council have provisionally agreed to expand the scope of the EU’s anti-trafficking law by adding forced marriage, illegal adoption, and surrogacy as forms of exploitation.

The update to the 2011 directive on preventing and combating human trafficking requires EU countries to impose sanctions on individuals knowingly using services provided by trafficking victims.

Sexual and labor exploitation were the primary purposes covered in the original directive, but the updated law now explicitly addresses forced marriage, illegal adoption, and surrogacy, which accounted for 11% of all victims in the EU in 2020.

The agreement mandates criminalizing the use of services provided by trafficking victims, with penalties that are effective, proportionate, and dissuasive.

The exploitation of surrogacy, coerced or deceived, is also targeted. The maximum penalty for these offences is at least five years of imprisonment, increasing to ten years for aggravated offenses.

The new law recognizes the amplifying impact of information and communication technologies on trafficking and strengthens sanctions against legal entities involved in trafficking, including exclusion from public funding and the withdrawal of permits. Swedish MEP Malin Björk praised the agreement for enhancing victim protection and urging member states to intensify their response to human trafficking.

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