Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/516462
Events 45 maltatoday, Sunday, 24 May 2015 On the heels of the successful launch of its Apple Watch app, Emirates announced the debut of the Emirates App for Android, the world's largest mobile plat- form. With more than one hun- dred thousand monthly users of its iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch apps, Emirates is ramping up its efforts to enhance its passengers' travel experience through mobile technologies. Developed in-house, the Emir- ates App for Android is a true personal journey planner, ena- bling users to: book f lights and review travel itineraries; manage every aspect of a booking, from seat selection to on-board menu and what's on ice; download their boarding pass directly to Google Now or send it to a phone via SMS or email; receive quick up- dates on f light boarding and gate changes, get notifications about our Chauffeur-drive service; ver- ify the status of a f light and sign up for alerts to know when it has departed or arrived and manage all the details of their Skywards account such as favourite destina- tions, aisle or window seats, and preferred newspaper. "Our passengers are mobile and increasingly reliant on mobile de- vices to stay connected, no mat- ter where they are in the world," said Alex Knigge, Emirates' Sen- ior Vice President – Digital. "We believe the right mobile technol- ogy can significantly improve our customers' experience." During the development of the Android app, Emirates conducted testing with employees and Sky- wards members. Feedback from these users was instrumental in fine tuning the overall experi- ence. "With the popularity of Emir- ates' first app for iPhone, many customers have asked for the Emirates App for Android. In fact, half of all users who access our website via mobile devices are on the Android platform," comment- ed Alex Knigge, Emirates' Senior Vice President - Digital. Emirates continues to enhance its existing apps and develop new technologies that will benefit cus- tomers using a variety of mobile devices. For customers on-the-go who do not have iPhones, iPads or Android devices, Emirates also offers mobile.emirates.com as a mobile solution. Customers can download the free app from the Android Mar- ket. To download the app, please visit https://play.google.com/ store/apps/details?id=com.emir- ates.ek.android. For more infor- mation, please visit http://www. e m i r at e s . c o m /e n g l i s h /f l y i n g / emirates-app/index.aspx. Emirates currently operates daily scheduled f lights between Malta and Dubai via Larnaca, Cy- prus. When it comes to securing the best performance from its hydro- gen fuel cell technology, Toyota's scrutiny is reaching unprecedent- ed levels with a new monitoring system that plots the behaviour of nanometre-sized – one-millionth of a millimetre – particles. The focus of its research is the way in which platinum in the fuel cell stack catalyst "coarsens" over time. These changes at par- ticle level have an impact on the metal's performance supporting the chemical reaction between hydrogen fuel and airborne oxy- gen to create the electricity that powers the vehicle engine. The detail may be minute, but securing optimum performance and being able to detect where and why this coarsening happens are important issues as Toyota ac- celerates its fuel cell vehicle pro- gramme. Toyota is in the process of bringing Mirai, its first full- production hydrogen fuel cell ve- hicle to market and the new model will reach Europe's roads later this year. The rarity and high cost of platinum as a raw material adds to the value of the research. Until now, it has only been pos- sible to observe platinum particles at fixed points – before and after the reaction that causes the coars- ening. Working with the Japan Fine Ceramic Center, Toyota has pro- duced a new observation tech- nique in which test samples are placed in an exact simulation of the environment and conditions in a fuel cell stack. Together with a new method of applying voltage to the sample inside a transmis- sion electron microscope, this al- lows the coarsening process to be observed in real time, at all stages during electricity generation. The intelligence gained will help Toyota better understand and address the issues that cause coarsening and the characteris- tics of the carbon material used as a carrier for the platinum in the catalyst. This will help in the development of a new generation of more efficient and durable fuel cell stacks. For more information on Toy- ota and the Toyota line-up visit the Toyota showroom situated in Mdina Road Zebbug log on the Toyota Malta Facebook page or call on 2269 4000. MSV Life announced its new publication, A Simple Guide to the MSV With Profits Fund. This is the second in a series of pub- lications by the company aimed at helping the public understand financial matters in an uncomplicated way. "We truly believe that creating these guides and making them freely available will be beneficial to our clients and the public in general. Unfortunately, there are gaps in knowledge on financial issues we need to start addressing," commented David G. Curmi, MSV Chief Executive Of- ficer. "Financial literacy is a nationwide social issue. Everyone can benefit from knowing more about how certain investments work and what options are available in the mar- ket. This will lead to informed decisions being taken, and eventually individuals can become more financially independent." The guide explains how the MSV With Profits Fund combines investors' mon- ies which it then invests directly in a wide range of assets including equity, bonds, property, cash and others. From the re- turns made, a bonus rate is declared on an annual basis and distributed to policyhold- ers. A special feature of the With Profits Fund is what is known as "smoothing", which is the process of holding back some of the in- vestment return in good years to support bonuses in times of weaker investment per- formance. This means that the Fund is able to declare a relatively similar bonus rate year on year, even when investment mar- kets experience many changes over time, giving investors greater peace of mind. The MSV With Profits Fund also offers capital guarantees, optional annual income and the potential to receive an additional bonus when the plan matures, depending on how long the money is invested for. Un- der current legislation, policyholders are not liable to pay any tax on investments in the Fund, making it one of the most tax- efficient savings options available. For 2014, MSV Life declared an annual bonus of 3.35% on the plans currently available and a final bonus of 1.5% for each year over the 10th year in respect of poli- cies maturing in 2015. For a free copy of A Simple Guide to the MSV With Profits Fund, you can send an email to info@msvlife.com or download it from the MSV Facebook page under 'Download'. MSV Life p.l.c. is authorised by the Malta Financial Services Authority to carry on Long Term Business under the Insurance Business Act, 1998. Toyota takes hydrogen fuel cell research to nano-particle level MSV launches its Simple Guide to the MSV With Profits Fund FUNDACIÓN MAPFRE has an- nounced the winners of its 2014 Social Awards. The winners are the tenor Placido Domingo, the Colores de Calcuta Foundation, Cardiac Risk in the Young and the Youth Capacity Development Pro- gramme. These international prizes recog- nize people and institutions that have made outstanding contribu- tions for the benefit of society in the scientific, cultural and social fields. The prize money for each of these awards is 30,000 euros and they will be given out on Thursday, June 18 at a ceremony chaired by Her Majesty Queen Sofía to be held at the Casino of Madrid. This year there were over 450 nominations. Placido Domingo has been award- ed the José Manuel Martinez Life- time Achievement Award. Placido Domingo, born in Madrid in 1941, is a Spanish tenor, orchestra con- ductor, producer and composer. He is an international figure of the lyric arts with over 56 years of expe- rience as a singer, and more than 40 as a conductor, and he is currently the Director of the National Opera of Washington and of the Los An- geles Opera (California). The award celebrates his dedi- cation to his professional activ- ity, his boundless energy, personal involvement in the discovery and promotion of young talent and his capacity to collaborate selflessly in many social causes. The Award for the Best Social Action Initiative was given to the "Comprehensive health care pro- gram in the Pilkhana neighbour- hood in Calcutta," a project by the Colores de Calcuta Foundation. Fundacion Mapfre values the social contribution of this project which looks after the most disadvantaged social groups in India, mainly young people and women. The aim of the project is to reduce malnutrition among young people, mitigate their mortality rate and improve their health. The organi- zation has opened pediatric offices, promotes vaccination campaigns and performs surgical operations. Cardiac Risk in the Young was given the "Award for the Best Health Promotion Initiave." CRY is a UK- based organization dedicated to the research and prevention of cardiovascular disease. It supports research into the diseases that pre- dispose people to a cardiac arrest, has provided material resources to cardiac units, and has funded the Cardiac Pathology Center and the CRY Center for Hereditary Heart Disease and Sports Cardiology. In recent years it has saved the lives of many young people who could have suffered an episode of sudden cardiac death. The Award for the Best Road Pre- vention and Safety Initiative was awarded to the Youth Capacity De- velopment Program by Youth for Road Safety which is based in Hol- land. The aim of this program is to increase awareness among young people of the importance of road safety, to encourage this group of people to participate actively in ac- tions designed to prevent accidents, and to develop their skills to imple- ment best practices in this area. The organization conducts its ac- tivity through conferences, events and other informative initiatives organized all over the world with the aim of training young people, primarily under the age of 25 years, who are the main victims of road accidents, to prevent this type of incidents. FUNDACIÓN MAPFRE is a non- profit institution which was created in 1979 by Mapfre. Local Insurance company Mapfre Middlesea is a member of the Mapfre Group. For more information you can visit www.fundacionmapfre.org FUNDACIÓN MAPFRE announces the winners of the 2014 Social Awards Emirates expands its mobile footprint, launches an Android app