Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/475084
Events 27 maltatoday, Sunday, 8 March 2015 New Opel Corsa sets standards in its segment The Opel Corsa is well established as a perennial bestseller: through four model generations spanning 32 years, 12.4 million Corsas have been sold. Together with the Astra, it is Opel's most popular model, ac- counting for over a quarter of the company's sales every year. The Corsa is currently number four in the small car segment in Western Europe. In Germany and the UK, it is number two and still keeping the competition at bay. The chic, fifth generation Corsa offers a fresh look and a fresh driv- ing experience with a new chassis and optimised steering, combining the art of German engineering with emotional design, superb digital connectivity and a great price/per- formance ratio. New generation gasoline and pro- foundly reworked diesel turbo en- gines ensure a new level of comfort, top performance and low fuel con- sumption. The new chassis does not inherit a single component from the pre- vious model. Straight line and cor- nering stability is increased. Roll behaviour, steering response and understeer characteristics are all improved. New damping characteristics give the fifth-generation Corsa bet- ter filtration of disturbances from potholes and uneven road surfaces, providing exemplary comfort in a small car. The highlight under the hood of the new Corsa is the installation of Opel's newly-developed gasoline- powered three-cylinder, 1.0 ECO- TEC Direct Injection Turbo. It is available in two output configura- tions, giving 66 kW/90 hp or 85 kW/115 hp. Both, of course, already meet Euro 6 emission standards, and the 66 kW/90 hp version only consumes 4.3 l/100 km in the com- bined cycle for emissions of just 100 g/km CO2. Opel's new generation small gaso- line engine does not only stand out with its quietness and silence, but also with its great responsiveness thanks to its massive torque already available at low revs. Both versions pump out 170 Nm of torque from just 1,800 rpm. The gasoline powertrain line-up also includes 1.2 and 1.4-litre four- cylinder engines. New to the range is a 74 kW/100 hp 1.4-litre turbo with 200 Nm maximum torque available from 1,850 to 3,500 rpm. This makes it the current torque he- ro within the new Corsa powertrain portfolio. Of course, both engines meet Euro 6 emission standards. Completely revised, more refined and now also Euro 6 compliant 1.3 CDTI engine with 70 kW/95 hp ex- pands the Corsa's powertrain offer. At launch, the most frugal Corsa diesel variant – with 70 kW/95 hp, a five-speed manual gearbox and braking energy recuperation system – can reduce the three-door model's CO2 emissions down to 85 g/km and fuel consumption down to 3.2 l/100 km over the combined cycle. This earns it the German A+ energy efficiency label. Designers of the new Corsa have combined its popular, dynamic sil- houette with flowing, sculptural lines and precise details which characterise Opel's award-winning design philosophy. At just 4.02 me- tres in length, the Opel bestseller still offers plenty of space for up to five occupants – in both family- friendly, five-door and sporty three- door body formats. Pop over to the Opel showroom at Cars International in Mdina Road, Qormi, to see have a first-hand experience of the fifth-generation Opel Corsa and book a test drive by sending an email to opelsales@cil. com.mt or by calling 2269 2122. You can also visit opel.com.mt or the Fa- cebook page Opel Malta. HSBC Bank Malta p.l.c. is celebrat- ing the power of technology through the launch of a Digital Week cam- paign to highlight the benefits of digital banking to its customers. The week-long campaign with the slogan "Think. Feel. Do. Digital", is set to run from the 9th until the 16 March. All HSBC Bank Malta p.l.c. branches will display new posters featuring the various digital options available to customers. A specially conceptualised digital mascot will be visiting certain branches to greet and encourage customers to use the Bank's digital and automated chan- nels. While experiencing the true ef- ficiency of HSBC's digital proposi- tion, HSBC Personal Internet Bank- ing registered customers may try their luck at an online competition available on the HSBC website and stand a chance to win an Apple iPad tablet. The popular HSBC Mobile Bank- ing App has now exceeded the 20,000 download, and the number of customers using the app to car- ry out their banking transactions has also increased considerably. The Head of HSBC Bank Malta p.l.c.'s Retail Banking & Wealth Management Paul Steel said: "HS- BC has invested significantly in creating a next generation suite of banking products and services that harness the true potential of digit- al banking. Customers can experi- ence an easier way to bank, anytime, anywhere. HSBC encourages all its customers to think, feel, do digital." Volume Four of this work by Mal- tese football historian, Carmel Bal- dacchino covers the period between 1949 and 1959. This work, which is planned to go to ten volumes is rec- ognised by the Malta Football Asso- ciation as its official history. This volume goes through in minute detail the late Forties and Fifties when the game in Malta was at its peak. The late Forties and early Fifties were constructive years for Mal- tese football. During this period the game rose gradually from the ashes of the Second World War and organ- ised itself into the biggest and most popular pastime on the island. The Fifties were years of abun- dance. The standard of the game was very high, and enthusiasm at its peak. The crowds for their part filled the terraces of the Stadium in their thousands. Those who were lucky enough to have lived through those glorious years will remem- ber with nostalgia the host of great Maltese footballers who graced the game. Who can ever forget the great Ajax team, which reached its peak and took Maltese football by storm during the Fifties? The Ajax were a symbol of a new generation which, having passed through the fires of destruction, emerged determined to succeed were others before it had failed. The Ajax were a great team, but they were not alone. One must also mention the great Sliema Wander- ers' team of that era. The Blues had a fine team which reached its peak in 1955-56 when it won the quadru- ple crown. The same can be said to a certain extent of Valletta, Hiber- nians and Hamrun Spartans. These three protagonist played second fid- dle to the Sliema and Floriana but they had fine teams in their own right. In fact, every team in the First Division had its own quota of stars and this made football in those days of such a high standard. This transformation period how- ever, was not without its teething troubles. The Fifties were turbu- lent years as far as crowd behaviour was concerned. Hardly a game was played without some trouble be- tween the players and the specta- tors, but somehow the game not only survived this difficult period but also produced some of the best players in the history of the game. Malta's first-ever international against Austria in 1957 served to whet the appetite of the Maltese for more international commitments, not only on a National level but also on a club level. This dream how- ever could only be realized if Malta joined FIFA. This dream came true towards the end of the era but the first step towards this goal was tak- en on that faithful day in 1957 when the National team made its interna- tional debut on the bone-hard pitch of the Stadium against mighty Aus- tria. The 1959 FA Trophy final brought to an end one of the most memora- ble eras in the history of the game in Malta. It was also the start of the end of another era in the history of Maltese football. After more than 70 years of British dependence the MFA began to find its feet and take the first steps towards full inde- pendence. In this volume the author has cap- tured those great moments and this will surely revive many fond memo- ries to those who still remember that glorious era. Once again, as in the first three volumes Baldacchino has kept his story in chronological order. The book is divided in four parts: Foot- ball in Malta, The National Team, Foreign Teams and the A-Z of Mal- tese Football While Parts 1 to 3 give the story of what was happening in Maltese football during the period covered by this volume, the narrative is sup- plemented by a huge amount of sta- tistical data which makes this book a must for all football lovers. Part 4 is a true encyclopaedia of Maltese football in that it lists all events, competitions, players, refe- rees, coaches, officials, Maltese and foreign teams and football writers of the era. The book which is published by Ho- rizons is available from all leading bookshops in Malta and Gozo. Emirates to commence daily service to Bali Emirates, a global connector of peo- ple and places announced that it will launch a new daily service to the island of Bali in Indonesia, from 3 June 2015. One of the most popular islands in Indonesia with spectacular mountains and picturesque beach- es, Bali is a leading tourist destina- tion which welcomed more than 3.7 million foreign tourist arriv- als in 2014. Emirates' new service will add to Bali's global connectiv- ity, further stimulating the island's economic and tourism growth. Bali will be Emirates' 148th global destination, adding to the airline's route network in the Asia Pacific region which currently spans 23 destinations in 13 countries. The non-stop service between Dubai and Bali will be operated by a Boe- ing 777-300ER aircraft in a two- class configuration. "Bali is a significantly important market for Emirates. There is high interest in Bali from across our network, specifically in the leisure segment. We are pleased to be able to offer the Emirates product on a daily basis, connecting passengers in Bali to Dubai and to more than 80 destinations in Europe, the Mid- dle East, Africa and the Americas, via one convenient stop in Dubai." said Thierry Antinori, Executive Vice President and Chief Commer- cial Officer, Emirates airline. "The new service will greatly in- crease convenience, choice, and consistency of travel experience for consumers who currently have to travel via multiple stops, or via other points in Indonesia to reach Bali." Emirates' new daily f light to Bali will depart Dubai as EK398 at 0820hrs* and arrive at Bali's Denpasar International Airport at 2140hrs* the same day. The re- turn f light, EK399, will depart at 2340hrs* and arrive at Dubai Inter- national Airport at 0500* the next day. Throughout all cabin classes, passengers can enjoy more than 2,000 channels of entertainment on demand on ice, the airline's award- winning in-flight entertainment system. Passengers on all Emirates flights also have the added bonus of gen- erous baggage allowance with 30 kilogrammes for those travelling in Economy Class and 40 kilogrammes for Business Class. Emirates commenced services to Indonesia in 1992 with three flights per week via Singapore and Colom- bo, and since March 2013, the airline has been operating three non-stop flights daily from Jakarta to Dubai with a Boeing 777 aircraft. Emirates operates daily scheduled flights between Malta and Dubai via Larnaca, Cyprus. From Dubai Emirates offers passengers from Malta very convenient connection times to destinations in Indonesia, the Far East, Australasia, and the Americas. *Flight times are according to re- spective destinations and per sum- mer scheduling HSBC celebrates the power of technology during its Digital Week campaign 'Goal, the Official Encyclopaedia of Maltese Football - Volume Four 1949-1959