Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/618165
48 Events maltatoday, SUNDAY, 20 DECEMBER 2015 48 Highest national honour for MSC Cruises chairman THE President of Malta has pre- sented MSC Cruises Executive Chairman Pierfrancesco Vago with the Malta's Order of Merit, a rare honour reserved only for those who have demonstrated exceptional merit in the service of the country. Vago received the decoration during the annual Republic Day Honours List ceremony at the Grand Master's Palace in Vallet- ta, from President Marie Louise Coleiro Preca. Non-Maltese citizens are sel- dom selected for the award, but the Government of Malta chose Vago, an Italian who has lived in Switzerland since 2001 because of his and MSC Cruises' substan- tial and continuing contribution to the Maltese cruise industry, which translates into a substan- tial contribution to the economy. MSC Cruises enjoys a solid, longstanding relationship with the island of Malta, where its ships have been calling since 2002. As the first CEO of Gene- va-based MSC Cruises, and as its Executive Chairman since 2013, Vago's hand was behind the con- struction of this relationship together with Norman Hamil- ton, who was then the Executive Chairman of Hamilton Travel Co. Ltd. and who became and still remains MSC's Exclusive General Sales Agents in Malta. This relationship continues to go from strength to strength. In 2015 MSC Cruises brought more than 230,000 visitors to the island, with a further 330,000 MSC Cruises guests due to call there in 2016. Vago said, "I'm deeply hon- oured and humbled to receive such merit and recognition from the Maltese Government. Malta is a beautiful and vibrant place to visit, with three UNESCO World Heritage Sites and an extremely rich history and culture. And on top of that it has a top-drawer tourism industry, which is why our guests consistently rate Mal- ta among their favourite Medi- terranean destinations." Hamilton Travel Co. Ltd. of 4, St. Publius Street, Floriana are the exclusive General Sales Agents for MSC in the Maltese Islands. For further information please call on 21241292 or www. hamiltontravel.com.mt Lightsabers and jet packs dominate Star Wars fans' most wanted list A new study of Star Wars fans has found that lightsabers and Boba Fett's jet pack are the most in de- mand pieces of technology, closely followed by our own personal droids. The research was carried out by mobile casino www.LeoVegas.com to celebrate the release of the latest film in the Star Wars saga, Episode VII - The Force Awakens. Fans of the block-buster franchise were given the option to choose their favourite two pieces of technology from the films, which choices rang- ing from blasters and lightsabers to bionic hands and car-bonite freez- ing chambers. Lightsabers were chosen by 30% of fans, while 24% opted for the jet pack worn by interga-lactic bounty hunter Boba Fett. The option to have their own personal droid was taken up by only 20% of fans, closely followed by an A99 Aquata Breather – the underwater breathing appara- tus used by Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi- Wan Kenobi in the Phantom Men- ace – which was chosen by 18%. Shenaly Amin, UK Country Manager of www.LeoVegas.com, commented: "Star Wars is a suc- cess for a multitude of reasons and we believe one of them is the im- aginative technology that appears throughout the franchise. While we expected lightsabers and blast- ers to do well, it was surprising that a few fans picked less obvious pieces of tech, such the trash com-pactor from the first film and the oil bath used to clean C3PO." Mark Newbold, co-owner of UK- based Star Wars fan site Jedi News said "I'm not surprised a lightsaber is the most in-demand piece of Star Wars technology, it's one of the most recog-nisable weapons in film his- tory, even its sound is iconic. Plus, if you're any good with a lightsaber you won't need bionic hands. Boba Fett's jet pack might not be as well recognised as the lightsaber but I can see why fans want their own jet pack, especially as associated with one of the coolest characters in the Star Wars universe." Despite the appearance of ball- like BB-8 in the trailers for The Force Awakens, R2D2 is still the droid most fans would want to own. Half of those surveyed picked R2D2 as their dream droid, followed by C3PO with 26% of votes. BB-8 was chosen by only 7% fans and was even beaten by the probe droids sent to Hoth in the Empire Strikes Back (11%). When it comes to lighsabers, fans prefer to be traditional, with 59% picking the classic Jedi lightsaber as their sabre of choice, followed by Dart Maul's double-bladed ver- sion (31%) and the crossguard form (10%) wielded by Kylo Ren in the forthcoming Episode VII - The Force Awakens. The popularity of traditional lightsabers, Boba Fett and R2D2 might have something to do with the research from LeoVegas.com showing that of the six films in the franchise, the orig-inal films are the most popular, picking up 59% of votes between them. However, At- tack of the Clones from the latest trilogy proved more popular than the final film in the six-film se-ries, Return of Jedi. Favourite tech: Lightsaber – 30% Boba Fett's jet pack – 24% A personal droid – 20% A99 aquata breather – 18% Bionic hands – 16% Favourite films: The Empire Strikes Back (VI) – 24% A New Hope (IV)– 20% Attack of the Clones (II) – 17% Return of the Jedi (VI) – 15% The Phantom Menace (I) – 13% Revenge of the Sith (III) – 10% Symington Family envoy in Malta EMILIANO di Renzo, the Syming- ton Family's envoy, recently visited Malta to conduct two events show- casing Portugal's ports and DOC wines from the famed Douro Val- ley – a tasting at Farsonsdirect's The Wine Shop in Mriehel and a dinner at Radisson Blu Resort & Spa Golden Sands' award-winning Essence Restaurant in Ghajn Tuff- ieha. McDonald's serves up new digital games for families McDonald's has unveiled a series of new educational games for its Happy Studio website and app. The games have been specifically designed with guidance from edu- cational experts to help children develop through play. The aim is to make Happy Studio an even better resource for parents who want to combine their children's love of dig- ital gaming with learning. The new games will launch with the much-loved Peanuts characters in Malta on the 19 December. They include an inventor game to help develop creative and logic skills; an artist game to encourage creativity, memory, attention and physical ac- tivity; and a musical game in which children can improve creativity, memory and physical skills. The Happy Studio makeover has been designed by a panel of child development and play experts. They have been working with McDon- ald's to create an exciting educa- tional environment for purposeful play – play that grows children's im- aginations and encourages innova- tive thinking. Lee Warren – Marketing Director for Malta and Greece said, "Parents are always on the look-out for great ways to help their children learn through play and Happy Studio was created to do just that. Apps are increasingly part of children's lives – in some cases children use apps more regularly than their par- ents. Children can now have fun and learn alongside characters they know and love." Happy Studio supports McDon- ald's commitment to bring families together by providing ideas and ac- tivity kits for parents and children so they can continue to play and learn together offline, such as mak- ing a guitar from household items, or creating some "crazy science gloop". Happy Studio will be available for download from the iTunes App Store or Google Play Store, and will be fully optimised for use on smart- phones and tablets. A desktop web- site version will also be available. It is completely free and safe: the app download requires a credit card be attached to the relevant account (al- though it won't be charged), and the website version of the site includes a prompt to seek parental permission before use and a simple maths cal- culation must be completed before use. In addition, the app will not fea- ture or advertise any food items, in- cluding branded McDonald's menu items. Pierfrancesco Vago being congratulated by President Marie Louise Coleiro Preca