Day: 28 December 2016

The full extent to which the Berlin attacker Anis Amri crossed several European borders in his flight from Germany has now become apparent.

Having fled from Berlin, where he had killed 12 people at a Christmas Market on December 19, the 24-year-old jihadist was able to board an overnight bus to the city of Nijmegen, in the Netherlands, before taking another coach to Lyon, in central France.

From Lyon, he took a train to Chambery, in the French Alps, before travelling on to the outskirts of Milan. His luck ran out only when he was stopped in the early hours of the morning at a suburban train station in the Italian city.

His flight across three European borders has called into question the Schengen Agreement, which was signed on June 14, 1985, and the efficiency of European intelligence services. But Mr Amri’s escapade is particularly galling for the French authorities, which only recently extended the country’s state of emergency.

For the 2017 elections, right-of-centre political parties, particularly in the Netherlands (March 15), and France (April 30 and May 7) and Germany (October 22), are expected to capitalise on the successive security failures.

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A charity event may help keep the children amused on Thursday, December 29, with a workshop day at U mazaghìn (18, rue Grimaldi) organised by Terres méditerranéennes (Mediterranean Lands), a Monaco-based association created in August 2004 with the ambition to showcase contemporary creation in the fields of Mediterranean art and crafts through exhibitions, markets and ateliers.

At 11 am, a Christmas tale for young and old will be offered by Fabrice Allia, while from 10:30 am to 7 pm, members of Terres méditerranéennes will welcome visitors for a sale of a wide range of local and international crafts, all for the benefit of two important Monaco charities.

A number of regional traditional products have been made thanks to the involvement of the students of the UNESCO Club “I garibai” (the skilled) from Collège Charles III, in favour of the Monegasque charities Namaste and Mission Enfance.

The aim of the Namaste association is to improve the living conditions of Nepalese, particularly in education and health, while Mission Enfance’s calling is to help children in distress throughout the world.

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With its head office in Sweden, Trelleborg AB’s engineered products operation played a key role in a project aimed at keeping the world’s longest floating dock up and running in Port Hercule.

Founded in 1905, Trelleborg is a world leader in engineered polymer solutions that seal, damp and protect critical applications in demanding environments. According to the industry website rubbernews.com, the company produced and was heavily involved in the installation of the firm’s high performance inflatable gaskets for the maintenance of the vital ball joint of the floating dock.

Part of the Trelleborg Offshore & Construction business, the engineered products unit worked closely with Strukton Immersion Projects B.V. from construction design through the installation of the gaskets, said Oscar Kosler, acquisition director for Strukton Immersion.

He said Trelleborg “was able to provide a one-stop shop for the design and manufacture of the inflatable gaskets and (provided) assistance during installation on the steel structure.”

The gaskets successfully sealed off a watertight workspace for the maintenance of the floating dock’s ball joint, which connects the 160,000-ton and 350-meter-long construction to the port and ensures that the structure moves with the tide, waves and current, Trelleborg said. (Feature image: Facebook Trelleborg Group. Source: rubbernews.com)

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A young Chinese couple have been sent to jail in Monaco for attempting to steal a dozen bottles of Chanel perfume in a shop in Monte-Carlo.

The man and woman made a first visit to the Paris 8 boutique on avenue Princess Alice on November 29, where their behaviour aroused suspicion. Only after they had left was it discovered that four bottles of the fragrance had also left the building.

When the two came back for a second visit on December 21, the police were alerted and eight bottles of the same brand of perfume were found in their bags as soon as they were stopped after leaving the store. A metal box the couple were carrying had been used to disarm the theft detectors, Monaco’s Criminal Court was told.

The court accepted that the theft was not a one-off misdemeanour, but part of a pattern of crime. The young woman had previously appeared in court in France for theft and her name is registered with Sirasco, a crime agency charged with investigating and recording organised crime.

The tribunal agreed with the prosecution, and sentenced the two defendants to 45 days in jail and ordered them to pay €448.50 in damages.

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