Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/288366
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 2 APRIL 2014 18 Events All-time greats Cristiano Ronaldo and Pelé join forces with Emirates for new campaign TODAY, Emirates Airline, an Of- ficial FIFA Worldwide Partner, an- nounced that Cristiano Ronaldo, Portuguese captain and winner of the FIFA Ballon d'Or 2014, is its newest Global Ambassador. In the same press conference, held in Ma- drid, the airline also premiered its campaign video featuring the foot- ball superstar alongside Brazilian legend and fellow Global Ambassa- dor for Emirates, Pelé. Emirates, a global connector of people and passions, has brought the two football idols together with fans in its f lagship A380 onboard lounge in a new digital campaign, which launched today around the world. Every generation of football enthusiasts has a hero, but many have different views of who is the greatest footballer of all time. Whether that is Ronaldo, Pelé or someone else altogether, the debate will continue this summer during the World Cup. The announcement comes just 74 days before the world's most watched sporting event kicks off in Pelé's home country of Brazil. Twice named FIFA Player of the Year, Ro- naldo, who plays for the Emirates- sponsored Real Madrid, will lead his national team to South America to compete in his third tournament, his second as Captain. Making his senior team debut for his country in 2003, he has since been capped over 100 times, holding the record for the youngest Portuguese player to reach the number while also setting the record for most goals scored. In January, the airline announced three times World Cup winner Pelé as their first Global Ambassador since the 2006 competition in Ger- many, when Franz Beckenbauer was brought on board. Continuing with the tradition of only working with the very best on the field, Cristiano Ronaldo was the ideal choice to stand alongside Pelé. Boutros Boutros, Emirates Di- visional Senior Vice President of Corporate Communications and Brand said: "Both Cristiano Ronal- do and Pelé are well-known around the world. It is not only that their names and faces are synonymous with top-quality football, but also that they have the ability to inspire and connect with people within and beyond the sports arena. Each year Emirates is involved in more than 200 sports events, where fans and customers share exclusive experi- ences. This campaign ref lects the Emirates philosophy to go beyond transporting people and to connect them through sports and culture. "Cristiano Ronaldo is an icon for this generation of football fans and is widely regarded as one of the greatest footballers on the pitch today. He has broken records and earned awards throughout his ca- reer. He is massively talented but he doesn't rest on his laurels. Instead, he works hard to continue pushing himself to new heights. This ethos, plus his ability to inspire fans across the world is why we are delighted to be working with him." An official FIFA Partner since 2006, Emirates has been involved with the FIFA Women's World Cup, the FIFA U20 and U17 World Cup, as well as the FIFA World Cup – in- cluding the upcoming 2014 event in Brazil. Watch the video by visiting http:// youtu.be/OFbryriZ3is or for more information visit www.emirates. com/alltimegreats Emirates Global Ambassador Cristiano Ronaldo and Emirates Country Manager Fernando Suarez de Gongora SEPA migration end-dates extended for Malta THE Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) migration end-date Regula- tion (No 260/2012) had established 1 February 2014 as the date when national credit transfer and direct debit schemes in the Euro Area had to cease operation and be replaced by the new SEPA Credit Transfers (SCTs) and SEPA Direct Debits (SDDs) schemes. Due to the low SEPA migration pace for SCTs and SDDs regis- tered in a number of EU countries till the end of 2013, the European Parliament, the European Com- mission and the Council of Min- isters decided, in February 2014, to extend the migration period by another six months, so as to ensure full compliance and minimise the potential risk of market disrup- tions. In view of this end-date exten- sion, the Central Bank of Malta, as the appointed competent author- ity for SEPA in terms of the Regu- lation, has decided, in close col- laboration with the Malta Bankers' Association, to extend, locally, the SEPA migration end-date for SCTs by three months until 1 May 2014 and by six months for SDDs until 1 August 2014. These extended periods are be- ing granted in view of the on-going progress that is being registered, whereby national and cross-border SCT migration increased from 42% compliance in December 2013 to 80% in February, while SDD mi- gration increased from 46% com- pliance in December 2013 to 75% in February. The Central Bank of Malta and the Malta Bankers' Association urge payment service users, such as corporates using payroll soft- ware for credit transfers and serv- ice providers using direct debits, to maintain the momentum towards achieving 100% SEPA compli- ance in the shortest time possible within the newly established time- frames, after which national non- SEPA compliant direct credit and direct debit transactions will no longer be accepted for processing by payment service providers. Top international speakers for ISACA Malta conference AN impressive panel of interna- tional information securit y ex- perts is lined up to address del- egates during the ISACA Malta conference that will take place on Friday 4 April at the Radisson Blue Resort, St Julian's. Entitled 'Enterprise mobilit y - Securing information on the go', the conference will delve into several current debates related to information securit y on mo- bile devices and new emerging risks that threaten the securit y of information accessible through these devices. Mobile computing devices have become a critical tool in today's networked world. Enterprises and individuals alike rely on mobile devices to remain reachable when away from the office or home. While mobile devices such as smartphones, laptops, PDAs and USB memory sticks have facilitat- ed increased convenience for in- dividuals as well as the potential for increased productivit y in the workplace, these benefits present their own risks. Mr Godfrey Vella, Board Mem- ber of the Malta Communications Authorit y, will deliver the key- note speech, followed by a pres- entation by Ms Wendy Goucher. Mr Richard Hollis will deliver two presentations focusing on se- curing mobile devices and geo- location issues. Ms Danielle Jacobs will deliver a presentation on roaming and the deployment of mobile applications while Mr Neil Hare Brown will attempt to quantif y the risks posed by mo- bile technology. Mr Morat Lostar will focus on the OWASP Mobile Securit y Project. The full day conference starts at 8.30am. The registration fee for ISACA Malta members is €150 per delegate while non-members pay €200. More information can be found on http://www.isaca-malta.org/ conference or by visiting the Con- tact us page on the conference website. No auction sales process initiated – Melita MELITA makes reference to local and international media reports published recently and would like to clarif y that the company initi- ated a process of refinancing ex- isting debt weeks ago. The proc- ess is underway and has involved many international lenders. As part of and in support of the process, a valuation of the busi- ness was conducted within which several offers have been received. In contrast to what has been re- ported, no auction sales process for sale of the company has been initiated. The company remains focused on completion of the refi- nancing process to support its on- going success and rapid growth.