Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/509499
Events 29 maltatoday, Sunday, 10 May 2015 On Tuesday 5 May 2015 BMW Mal- ta together with Muscats Motors launched the New BMW 1 Series exclusively to the Press. During this event, the main at- traction was the introduction of, the number one music artist in Malta, Ira Losco - who has now chosen to drive a BMW 1 Series. BMW was ecstatic to be associ- ated with such a successful artist! Besides her huge success from her music career, Ira has recently been named Goodwill Ambassador for Sustainable Development by the Mediterranean Commission for Sustainable Development. This connection from Ira's commitment to sustainability is fitting to the new BMW 1 Series as this model aims to further reduce emissions and consumption, contributing to a more sustainable environment. BMW group has established eco- logical and social sustainability throughout the value chain, com- prehensive product responsibility and a clear commitment to con- serving resources as an integral part of its strategy. "I'm really excited about my brand new drive - A BMW 1 Series! I am thankful for everything I have given the chance to do. Driving this little beauty is one of them! Thank you Muscats Motors and all the BMW team!" says Ira Losco. Almost two million units of the BMW 1 Series have been sold worldwide over the last ten years, and this latest edition is poised to set another new benchmark in driving pleasure in the premium compact segment. The new 3-door and 5-door BMW 1 Series models come with a comprehensively re- vised engine line-up and additional measures designed to reduce fuel consumption and emissions, allow- ing them to lead the way once again in the introduction of new BMW EfficientDynamics technology. The selection of engines available for the new BMW 1 Series model range has been enhanced by the addition of latest-generation pet- rol and diesel units with three and four cylinders. The torquey and high-revving engines with BMW TwinPower Turbo technology team up with rear-wheel drive – still a unique selling point in the compact segment – to deliver a suitably in- tense driving experience. Carefully considered up- dates to the exterior design of the new BMW 1 Series shine the spotlight on its sporting elegance and high-end presence. A new- ly designed BMW kidney grille and larger air intakes help to emphasise the car's dynamic potential in famil- iar BMW style. Headlights with a significantly f latter geometry play a similar role. They come with LED daytime driving lights as standard and can now be specified in full-LED speci- fication as an option. The rear lights have also been completely remodelled. They now display the "L" shape characteristic of BMW models and reveal LED-powered lights. Else- where, the sophisticated design of the upper centre console with the controls for the radio and climate control system is foremost in accentuating the pre- mium ambience on board the new BMW 1 Series. This new and improved vehi- cle will be available from Muscats Motors this month. The starting price of the BMW 1 Series 5-Door is €24,550 which comes with a va- riety of options. For further in- formation please visit our website http://www.bmw.com.mt or, contact the BMW sales team at Muscats Motors, the official BMW dealer- ship in Malta, on 23264582 / email info@mml.mizzi.com.mt. Throughout this week no fewer than 32 fashion designers will be showcasing their collections on the catwalks of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Malta, which opened yester- day evening and runs until next Sat- urday. The labels include twenty five designers who are Maltese nation- als or currently resident in Malta as well as designers from the UK, Serbia, France, Cyprus, Nigeria and the USA. This is apart from some forty high street fashion brands that are also being showcased in separate shows, and several other related fashion sectors such as fashion photography, jewellery, hairstyling and makeup that are being celebrated through- out this week. Through a close collaboration with the V18 Foundation and sev- eral government entities, most of the shows are being held in Valletta at various interesting locations that are not normally associated with fashion shows. These include Ord- nance Street under the new Parlia- ment building, Palazzo De La Salle, the Chamber of Commerce Build- ing, the Grandmaster's Palace and Pjazza San Gorg, the Mediterranean Conference Centre and Lascaris Wharf beneath the Barrakka Lift. Other shows are being held at The Point in Sliema and the Garden of Serenity in Santa Lucija. Invitations to the weekday shows were oversubscribed within a few days from launch and tickets to the final night are selling out very fast. Malta Fashion Week culminates on Saturday night at the Chamilia Malta Fashion Awards which is being held for the first time at the Shipbuilding Warehouse in Marsa. This disused industrial venue is be- ing transformed to host some 5,000 people in a party environment where fashion award winners in eight cat- egories will be announced, amongst selected catwalk shows from the en- tire fashion week, glamourous hair shows and other on stage perform- ances. More information about Malta Fashion Week and Awards (MFWA) may be found at maltafashionweek. com, which as from today, is being constantly updated with reviews and photos from the shows on an ongoing basis. IHI announces that its €45 mil- lion Bond issue maturing in 2025 at a coupon of 5.75% per annum has been heavily oversubscribed. The Com- pany has received applications total- ling €186 million for its €45 million bond offering, meaning that its offer was more than three times oversub- scribed. More than 82% of bondholders in the bond that is being redeemed exer- cised their option and converted their holding into the new bond. IHI con- siders this to be an enormous vote of confidence by the investing public in the Company. In a statement released today, IHI wishes to express sincere apprecia- tion for the overwhelming support received, for which the Board and Management wish to thank existing bondholders, the managers to the is- sue, financial intermediaries and the investing public. The total value of the subscription is Malta's largest ever for a corporate bond in real terms, and the largest ev- er over-subscription in relation to the size of bond being issued. As a result, the offer was closed on the same day it opened on Monday 4th May. The Board of Directors will be consider- ing an appropriate allocation policy in line with the Bond prospectus, to be announced by the 11th May. IHI owns seven Corinthia hotels in Malta, Lisbon, Budapest, Prague, Tripoli and St Petersburg, as well as a half share in the luxury Corinthia Hotel in London, besides extensive commercial and residential real estate in several of these cities. The Company acts as an investor and developer of hotels and real es- tate, as well as owner and operator of the Corinthia Hotels Brand. As- sets are valued in excess of one billion Euro, and EBITDA for the year ended in 2014 stood at €35 million despite reduced demand for hotel accommo- dation in Tripoli and St Petersburg, balanced by record performances in all other hotels in the portfolio. Besides the redevelopment project in Malta, IHI plans to roll out a number of new Corinthia Hotels in major cit- ies in Europe and elsewhere in the coming years, principally as a devel- oper and operator acting on behalf of third party investors. Five Actavis employees, namely Odette Belizzi, Jeunesse Gafa, Maximillian Grech, Donatella Mizzi and Jeffrey Scicluna have successfully completed a Level 3 Certificate Course in Applied Laborator y Science at MCAST. W hilst presenting the certifi- cates to the employees, Actavis' Managing Director Malta Opera- tions, Patrick Cachia, said, "Act- avis is committed to continue to provide training and development opportunities for all our employ- ee." Cachia congratulated the em- ployees and appraised their ef- forts, the HR team and MCAST for their dedication and energ y to ensure that this initiative was a success. Cachia added, "The organiza- tion of this training course forms part of the Company's commit- ment to engage its employees and provide them with opportunities to challenge themselves to im- prove their skills to meet strin- gent market requirements." This certificate course offered a strong grounding in fundamental science and technolog y principles, as well as an initial exposure to vocational science subjects found in health, environmental and en- gineering industries. During the course, Actavis em- ployees were made aware of the physical principles behind cer- tain technologies, the science of different materials, and the prin- ciples concerning forces, speed, heat and energ y. Actavis also made the necessar y arrangements to offer the employ- ees a training schedule which ac- commodated their working shif t pattern Ira Losco chooses to drive BMW Tailor-made applied laboratory science training for Actavis employees IHI Bond Issue heavily oversubscribed Actavis' Managing Director Malta Operations, Patrick Cachia (sixth right) and Silvio De Bono, Chairman MCAST (seventh right) together with MCAST officials and Actavis employees. This week is Malta Fashion Week PHOTOΩ BY CNG PhotoGraPhy Lovely Ira, lovely car On the catwalk at Malta Fashion Week