Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/527016
Events 47 maltatoday, Sunday, 14 June 2015 Forty members of Banif Bank's retail team have been certified as Professional Cash Handlers, after completing a training programme jointly developed by the Central Bank of Malta and the Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit (FIAU), with the support of the Malta Bankers' Association. The objective of this nation-wide project is to equip cash handlers with the necessary skills to con- tribute towards the ongoing bat- tle against the counterfeiting of banknotes and the prevention of money laundering and financing of terrorism. As a result, all Banif employ- ees who handle cash through the course of their duties have excel- lent awareness more than ever before on the measures needed to carry out transactions in com- pliance with the latest rules and regulations, whilst continuing to offer a high quality service to cli- ents. Presenting the certificates at Banif 's Naxxar Branch were Al- exander Demarco, Central Bank Deputy Governor, Peter Paul Tabone, Head for Currency Oper- ations and Security at the Central Bank and Manfred Galdes, FIAU Director, in the presence of Adri- an Coppini, Chief Officer Corpo- rate Services at Banif Bank. "This certification represents the second stage in our three phase plan, focusing on professional cash handlers working within fi- nancial institutions," said Alex- ander Demarco. "Cash handlers are the first line of defence in the measures that are put in place to detect counterfeits and to prevent the financial system from being used to launder the proceeds of criminal activities. "This joint project is in conso- nance with the Central Bank's and FIAU's objectives, and we are very pleased with the feedback received from participating institutions thus far." "The Bank strongly believes in the importance of training our team to keep up to date with the latest practices and standards," said Adrian Coppini, Chief Of- ficer Corporate Services at Banif Bank. "We believe that with the knowl- edge obtained from this course, our employees are better equipped to help protect the Bank and our customers, as well as the economy in which we operate. "The objective of this presenta- tion is to acknowledge the achieve- ment of those receiving certifi- cates today, as well as to underline the importance of raising aware- ness of the issues that institutions like ours face with regards to risk, compliance, anti-money launder- ing and financing of terrorism." A group of 25 employees from dif- ferent sections working within the Malta Environment and Planning Authority (MEPA) spent a full day carrying out voluntary work at St. Joseph Home in Santa Venera. St Joseph's Home houses 18 boys between the age of 8 and 18, who for one reason or another are not able to live in their family home. At the Home the boys are given the opportunity to receive the necessary support and skills to live in a normal home environ- ment and help them integrate into society. The employees carried out a number of jobs, from cleaning to maintenance works, such as the painting of walls and corridors, the removal of tiles, all in prepa- ration for the creation of a mul- tipurpose hall. Some gardening work and cleaning of rooms was also carried out. Some of the vol- unteers also cooked food in bulk that was then frozen for future use. All the raw ingredients, tools and paints were acquired through donations. MEPA Chairman Perit Vincent Cassar visited the premises in or- der to encourage the volunteers. A donation of €1,100 was also pre- sented to Fr Frankie Cini who is responsible for the management of the Home. The donation was collected by the organising committee during various initiatives organised at the Authority prior to the event. This initiative was organised by MEPA's Flimkien Fund Committee with the support of the Dynamite Team as part of MEPA's corporate social responsibility programme. Emirates, a global connector of people and places, celebrated the opening of its 38th dedicated lounge at Terminal 2 of Narita International Airport. The open- ing not only showcased Emirates' premium lounge, but provided a unique opportunity for guests to experience the airline's on-board food offering on its Japan routes. The Emirates Lounge at Narita I n t e r n a t i o n a l Airport is the first airline- owned lounge in Japan. It will provide an experience of seamless lux- ury and com- fort for its First and Business Class custom- ers, as well as Platinum and Gold mem- bers of Emir- ates Skywards – the airline's frequent flyer p r o g r a m m e . This first lounge opening in Japan reinforces Emirates' ongoing com- mitment to the Japanese market. "Japan is a very important mar- ket for Emirates and the dedicated lounge at Narita demonstrates our ongoing efforts to provide the best airport experience to premium Japanese travellers and our Sky- wards Platinum and Gold mem- bers," said Mohammed H Mattar, Emirates' Divisional Senior Vice President Airport Services The Emirates Lounge at Narita International Airport provides a seamless transition to the elegant environment of the onboard First Class and Business Class offer- ing with a colour palette reflect- ing the neutral, earthy tones that customers have come to associate with the Emirates brand. In the lounge, passengers are able to choose from a complimen- tary selection of fine beverages and a wide range of hot and cold delicacies from a gourmet buffet. State-of-the-art LED TVs ensure passengers remain up-to-date with the latest news and enter- tainment, and a fully equipped business centre is available for those needing to catch up on that last bit of business before flight. Complimentary Wi-Fi service is also offered throughout the facil- ity to ensure passengers remain connected. Passengers are also able to freshen up prior to their flight with the lounge's shower facilities. Emirates has invested more than US$330 million in its lounges worldwide serving over 22 mil- lion customers since the opening of Emirates' first international lounge outside its Dubai hub. The airline currently has 37 dedicated lounges around its six- continent network including in Auckland, Bangkok, Beijing, Bir- mingham, Brisbane, Colombo, Delhi, Dubai (x6) , Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Glasgow, Hamburg, Hong Kong, Istan- bul, Johannesburg, Kuala Lumpur, London Gatwick, London Heathrow, Los Angeles, Man- chester, Melbourne, Milan, Munich, New York - JFK, Paris - Charles de Gaulle, Perth, Rome, San Fran- cisco, Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney and Zurich. Emirates com- menced services to Japan in 2002 with four weekly flights to and from Osaka. Since then, more than three mil- lion passengers have chosen Emir- ates to fly from Dubai to Japan and from Japan to Dubai. Pres- ently, Emirates has daily flights to three gateways in Japan - Osaka, Narita and Haneda. Globally, the airline employs over 430 Japanese nationals. Emirates operates a daily sched- uled flight between Dubai and Malta via Larnaca, Cyprus. For further information and flight schedules, one can visit the site: www.emirates.com/mt October 2014 – Love at first sight – with a car. The Skoda Fabia third generation impresses with its sporty proportions combined with a sharper design. The new Skoda Fabia brings innovative safety, comfort and infotainment systems into the small car segment. The Skoda Fabia is modern, crisp and fresh. The front is more imposing due to the sharp, wide headlights, crystalline glass, slat- ted grill and the brand's logo on the bonnet. A crisp wing line marks the side of the car and un- derscores the Fabia's dynamic ap- pearance. The interior is tidy and features high precision with great attention to detail. The infotainment systems in the new Skoda Fabia are all new con- cepts based on Volkswagen's MIB (modulare infotainment matrix) technology. This enables an array of applications including touch display with swipe operation. This innovative technology features new functionality for pairing smartphones. SmartGate applica- tions allow data transfer of certain vehicle data to specific applica- tions on a smartphone via WiFi technology. The new Skoda Fabia is more fuel efficient down to 3.1 l/100 km and CO2 emissions of just 82 g/km in the Skoda Fabia GreenLine. These remarkable improvements are the result of a completely new genera- tion of petrol and diesel engines, radical weight reduction and im- proved aerodynamics. A choice of four petrol and three diesel engines are available and all engines are EU6 emission stand- ards and come with Start-Stop System and brake energy recovery. All 1.2 litre turbo-charged TSI en- gines have four cylinders with a four-valve technology with an in- jection pressure of up to 200 bar. The chassis setup has been great- ly improved through the interplay between the new electro mechani- cal steering or C-Eps, new engines and the re designed engine mount- ing having a front axle, which is a MacPherson strut with triangular wishbones. The vehicle design is based on a modular concept hav- ing 30 mm wider track at the front and rear and a lower body, which has made the new Skoda Fabia more agile and sporty. The new Fabia comes with cut- ting edge safety systems. The optional radar sensor Front As- sistant with integrated City Emer- gency Braking Function, which automatically brings the vehicle to a complete stop, reduces the risk of rear-end collisions. The new Skoda Fabia impresses with lots of space and more func- tionality. The model has 17 'Sim- ply Clever' features on offer. Simply clever – the new Skoda Fabia Cash handling certification for Banif Bank retail team Emirates unveils first dedicated lounge in Japan – at Narita Mepa employees carry out voluntary work at St Joseph Home in Santa Venera Modern, dynamic and full of emotion incorporating big technology and top level safety From left: Simon Grech, Head of Department, Corporate Services, Adrian Coppini, Chief Officer Corporate Services, Adriana De Carlo, Relationship Officer (all Banif Bank), Alexander Demarco, Central Bank Deputy Governor