Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/682623
44 Events maltatoday, Sunday, 22 May 2016 Although the listing rules no longer require listed companies to issue interim statements, in the in- terest of transparency and provid- ing the market with information, the board of Directors at Medserv plc have agreed to continue with their commitment to communi- cate with the market on regular basis and will continue to issue in- terim reports. In the Interim Report issued ear- lier today, the Company reports that despite the slight recovery in oil prices, the group continues to feel the effect of the price of oil as the market maintains the pressure for discounts on the Company's services. Albeit, the Company remains very busy and forecasts that the total revenue for 2016 is expected to exceed that of 2015 and profits are expected to remain stable. In Malta the base continued to host a number of staff from IoCs and contractors working on the offshore contracts in which the Company is engaged. As a con- sequence, the Company's offices, warehouses and open areas are al- most fully utilised. the Company has been awarded two contracts in respect of the re- placement of an offshore storage facility permanently lying offshore libya. the Company is delighted to be part of this major project and to be housing the main contractors and their representatives at the Medserv base in Malta. the Company expects explora- tion drilling to re-commence off- shore libya in July of this year and reports that there are a number of contracts relating to other projects in the renewal or final negotiation stage. the integration of the MEtS group following the acquisition of the Middle East based group of Companies earlier this year, is pro- ceeding well. As Medserv moves into the more technically advanced areas of essential engineering ser- vices for the oil and gas Industry, the Company reports that indi- cations being received suggest a strengthening demand for MEtS core services of inspection, stor- age and repair of premium oCtg pipe. MEtS business remains particu- larly strong in oman and is expect- ed to continue at these levels or im- prove during the year. MEtS Iraq and MEtS uAE have experienced a slowdown in the first quarter of this year, but the Company reports that the business pipeline is indi- cating an improvement in the sec- ond quarter of this year. the activities of Medserv Cyprus remain at an extremely reduced level while the Company is await- ing the decisions of its main cus- tomer ENI on their future drilling programme offshore Cyprus. In the meantime, a bid has been sub- mitted for a contract to be awarded by another IoC who intend to drill from the Port of limassol as an alternative to the Port of larnaca. the government of Cyprus have also announced a new bidding round for areas delineated for ex- ploration drilling. the Company also reports that it is working on a number of poten- tial new projects in new geographi- cal areas. An international tender has been issued by a major IoC relating to the provision of a com- prehensive supply base in trinidad. the Company reports that it has bid for this business and has also tendered for a contract related to an exploration well offshore Portu- gal, the latter being at a more ad- vanced stage of the process. the Company is also continuing to study how it can enter the mar- ket in other parts of the world in- cluding Egypt and Iran. For more information, log on to: www.medservenergy.com Contactless payments are here – a first for global payments CAShIERS and customers across Malta and gozo have new reasons to exchange smiles instead of cash as more retailers adopt Contactless payment technology in 2016. this is now possible as global Payments have successfully man- aged to certify the Contactless functionality with both Visa and MasterCard. Contactless payments allow customers at checkouts and shop counters to pay by simply tapping their card against a reader, without the need for swiping their cards and entering a PIN. At the heart of this new way of paying is Near Field Communica- tion (NFC) technology, found in most smartphones and increas- ingly being added to newly issued bank cards. Customers just tap their Contactless-enabled card or mobile device (smartphone, key fob, or even a wristband) onto a Contactless-enabled reader. the chip and antenna in the device securely transmit payment de- tails to the reader which is con- nected to a merchant's Point-of- Sale (PoS) system. "Cash gave way to card and the magnetic stripe on the card made way for the chip. Now, the chip is being overtaken by the antenna built inside the card. the future of payments is here today as more merchants and customers realise they can reduce queuing and en- joy more of the actual shopping experience," said Stephen teuma Country Manager, global Pay- ments Malta. this powerful convenience fac- tor has attracted a lot of attention from retailers and service provid- ers, from supermarkets to cafes. For example, in the uK commuters are being offered the option to pay on buses, tubes, trams and most of the rail services using Contact- less. travellers simply tap their cards against the Contactless-en- abled readers, swerving in and out of stations without the need to ever buy a ticket again. "to merchants and retailers, the main advantage is shorter queues at check-out points, as less fum- bling of cash and swiping of cards takes place," added teuma. other benefits to merchants include the reduced costs related to cash handling, increased number of transactions, and higher average transaction speed, as cardholders aren't limited to the cash they're carrying. Currently, the Contactless cards have a daily cap that varies be- tween €20 and €25 depending on the type of card. Medserv issues Interim Report Customers pay by simply tapping their card against a reader Toyota partnership expands knowledge of threats to global biodiversity thE International union for the Conservation of Nature (IuCN) and toyota Motor Corporation (toyota) today announced a five- year partnership to provide fund- ing to broaden the scope of the IuCN Red list of threatened SpeciestM. this will significantly increase knowledge about the ex- tinction risk of more than 28,000 species, including many that are key food sources for a sizeable number of the world's population. With our planet experiencing extinctions at the fastest rate in its history, IuCN and toyota believe that there has never been a greater need to understand the current status of the species upon which our survival depends. this new knowledge will pro- vide a roadmap to guide conser- vation; concrete action which could positively affect the liveli- hoods of hundreds of millions of people worldwide. toyota's sup- port for the IuCN Red list is the first project to preserve species to be implemented under the com- pany's scheme to reduce the envi- ronmental impact of automobiles, the toyota Environmental Chal- lenge 2050. this year alone, toyota will provide grants amounting to ap- proximately $1.2 million towards the project. Inger Andersen, IYCN Director general, said: "the toyota Envi- ronmental Challenge 2050 ad- dresses not only climate change, but also biodiversity. they are two sides of the same coin which can- not be dealt with separately. "this generous grant from toyota will enable our Red list researchers to take a big leap to- wards reaching our goal of assess- ing 160,000 species by 2020. this would also help IuCN's work in supporting the implementation of the Sustainability Development goals adopted last year by all members of the united Nations, in particular the Zero hunger goal." Papaya: more than your typical summer fruit PAPAYAS are a great summer treat to have, with its refreshingly cool taste, 60 calories per portion and 220% of the daily recommended Vitamin C intake. Its high fibre content aids in digestive health and the diverse antioxidant filled vita- mins and minerals that it contains help prevent cholesterol build up and heart disease. this makes it the perfect fruit to include in your five-a-day; however, it also makes it a great fruit to use in the mainte- nance of healthy skin and to obtain a radiant appearance. the papaya imported from Fruit- land Company contains a ton of enzymes, which means that once applied to the face it will work to remove any dead cells and exfoli- ate the surface of your skin while keeping it hydrated through the Vi- tamin C properties. Further to this, the papaya is a great tool to bright- en and whiten your skin naturally. these properties already make the papaya a great ingredient to have in a facemask alone, but other ingredients can be added. Combin- ing it with natural yogurt, which serves as a soothing and anti-in- flammatory agent that tightens the skin, and warm honey, which hy- drates and moisturises, help make the papaya face mask even more effective. Blend everything together to cre- ate a smooth paste, apply by hand or with a make- up brush and leave on for 20-30 minutes. Rinse with cold water and pat dry; your face will have an instant, natural glow. Fruitland Company is situated in Pitklali Road, Attard. For more information about find- ing this fruit, call 9945 5893