Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/598356
Events 47 maltatoday, Sunday, 8 november 2015 Record number of runners for 25th anniversary of Nestlé Fitness Malta International Challenge Marathon "Over 225 runners are expected to participate in the 25th edition of the Nestlé Fitness Malta Inter- national Challenge Marathon, out of whom 200 will be partici- pating in the challenge, while an- other 25 will be taking part in the relay team." This was announced by Barry Whitmore, founder and race director of the Malta Interna- tional Challenge Marathon on 3 November, 2015 during a media conference held at Dolmen Re- sort Hotel, the official hotel and race HQ. "Competition for this year's marathon challenge is expected to be extremely stiff following the registration of some of Mal- ta's best athletes including Keith Galea who was recently crowned champion in the Malta National Triathlon Championships," he added. Addressing the media confer- ence, Parliamentary Secretary for Research, Innovation, Youth and Sport, Chris Agius said that the government is doing its utmost to fight obesity. It has embarked on a pilot project in collaboration with the Parliamentary Secretariat for Health and introduced dancing sessions during break time for secondary school students. The Parliamentary Secretary reminded those present about the budget measure whereas a reduc- tion of VAT on sporting activities including gym memberships and fitness centers from 18% to 7% will be in place. He wished all athletes, especially the local ones, success. The press conference was also addressed by Alfred Borg, Mar- keting and Corporate Commu- nications Manager Nestlé Malta claiming, "Our sponsorship to this Marathon is yet another confirmation of the endeavours that Nestlé Malta undertakes to support local sporting activities in all spheres, from education, to charity, to supporting local enti- ties who promote healthy lifestyle initiatives taking place in the Community where we operate." Similar to previous years, the marathon will be spread over three days, starting on Friday, 20 and coming to an end on Sun- day, 22 November. Day one will consist of a race covering a total distance of 11.1km starting from Mdina Gardens and finishing at Rabat. Day two will cover a short- er distance of 6km starting at St George's Bay in Birzebbuga and finishing in front of the Birzeb- buga Parish Church. The third and final race will consist of a 25km run starting at St. Paul's Bay adjacent to the Wignacourt Tower and finishing at Freedom Square in Valletta. Emirates' super jumbo message against the illegal wildlife trade Two massive Emirates A380 jets take to the skies this week, wear- ing special livery in support of United for Wildlife, a global col- laboration that unites the efforts of the world's leading wildlife charities in the fight against the illegal wildlife trade. The beautiful livery, featur- ing some of the planet's wildlife threatened by poaching and the illegal wildlife trade, aims to raise awareness of the illegal wildlife trade and communicate the need for urgent action. The Rt Hon The Lord Hague of Richmond, Chair of the United for Wildlife Transport Taskforce said: "We welcome the efforts and commitment made by Emir- ates airline to combat the illegal wildlife trade. "The illegal wildlife trade is now recognized as a serious and organised transnational crime. It will take a concerted effort, involving not only effective de- terrents against poaching and smuggling, and vigilance in polic- ing and punishing these crimes, but also efforts to increase con- sumer education to cut demand to protect these animals for the future." Sir Tim Clark, President Emir- ates Airline said: "Many animals, in particular African elephants, rhinos, tigers, and pangolins, are under extreme pressure because of an unprecedented spike in the illegal wildlife trade. "Emirates believes that the glo- bal transport industry, including airlines, can play a significant role to break the supply chain of illegal wildlife trade. And at Emirates, we are committing the resources to do our part." Emirates' two A380s will be op- erating f lights this week. The first one departed for London (LHR) on 2 November and a second will operate to Mauritius (MRU) on 5 November, each wearing a differ- ent design featuring endangered wildlife. In addition to its two A380s literally "f lying" the f lag for the cause, Emirates will run regu- lar feature stories about wildlife protection in its inf light maga- zines, and showcase podcast in- terviews, wildlife programming and feature films on its award- winning ice inf light entertain- ment system. The airline is also collaborat- ing with international organisa- tions to train and better equip its ground and cargo staff to detect and deal with illegal wildlife prod- ucts in transit. As the required paperwork for movement of some wildlife products is often forged, Emirates also made the decision to ban trophy shipments. Quick facts about the threat to wildlife from poaching and ille- gal trade There are as few as 3,200 tigers left in the wild. Illegal trade in their parts and products is one of the biggest threats to wild tigers. Between 2000 and 2014, the parts of at least 1,590 tigers were seized in Asia. Rhino poaching in South Africa increased from 13 rhinos in 2007 to 1215 rhinos in 2014. That now equates to more than three rhinos a day. Africa-wide, 1,293 rhinos are reported to have been poached in 2014. Around 30,000 African el- ephants are killed by poachers each year. Central Africa is worst hit with a poaching rate twice the continental average. Left unad- dressed, poaching could cause the extinction of elephants in Central Africa. The pangolin is the world's most-trafficked mammal. Over a million pangolins are estimated to have been poached in the last ten years. Park rangers are often ill equipped and inexperienced to tackle armed and ruthless poach- ers. Poaching syndicates have changed the way they operate and are now using sophisticated weaponry and equipment to in- crease their activities and avoid detection (helicopters, veterinary drugs, night vision equipment). 1,000 rangers are estimated to have been killed in ten years while protecting wildlife. Emirates operates a daily sched- uled f light between Dubai and Malta via Larnaca, Cyprus. For further information and f light schedules, one can visit the site: www.emirates.com/mt Vodafone Malta thanks its customers by offering a full day of free mobile internet On 9 November, Vodafone Malta will be saying a big 'thank you' to all its customers by giving them a full day of free mobile inter- net. For twenty-four hours on that date, between 00:00hrs and 23:59hrs, each and every Voda- fone customer will automatical- ly be able to use mobile internet anytime and anywhere absolute- ly free of charge. This applies to all prepaid and pay-monthly Vodafone custom- ers, regardless of whether they are on a business or customer tariff. Throughout this week, Voda- fone employees will be saying an even more direct and personal thank you to their customers and are taking to the streets in town centres across Malta and Gozo to meet individual customers and thank them for their loyalty. Vodafone came up with the 9 November event to celebrate its mobile network. This has seen heav y investment in recent years, resulting in a fast, strong and se- cure network that remains the only 4G network on the island. Vodafone in fact announced last week that only two years after 4G was first launched this has now reached 99% population coverage. Superfast 4G connec- tivity typically offers speeds up to ten times faster than standard 3G or public Wi Fi on customers' mobile devices. "Here at Vodafone we have re- ally focused on producing the fastest and most reliable network for our customers. We want our customers to experience the best possible speed and quality at every step of the way, whether for voice calls, which is why we are the only operator to offer HD Voice, or mobile internet, which is why we did not rest until we could offer 4G to all the Maltese population," explained Amanda Nelson, Vodafone Malta's CEO. "However we believe that a net- work only comes to life when it is used and enjoyed and this is why we want to celebrate this important milestone with the people who really matter to us, our customers. Offering this full free day of mobile internet will ensure that each of our custom- ers has the opportunity to expe- rience the very best of what our network has to offer. It is our way of saying a big and special thank you." For more information on 9th November log onto www.voda- fone.com.mt/thankyou. Enchanted by this magical season that brings out the luminosity of colors like no other, the Chanel Makeup Creation Studio has de- veloped a collection of essentials caught between shadow and light combining muted undertones and radiance. The warm and subtle harmonies compose a collection of timeless el- egance, focused on khakis, browns, fawn and ochre notes, lush greens and flamboyant reds. A tribute to all of these natural shades that indulge in one last dance before settling down to sleep. Both brilliant and melancholy, the season is an invita- tion to a gentle sensuality. Chanel is distributed by Alfred Gera & Sons Ltd. Collection Les Automnales - Autumn 2015 makeup collection Parliamentary secretary Chris Agius (second from left ) spoke about the Nestlé Fitness Malta International Challenge Marathon