Month: February 2017

Svalbarði, a luxurious drinking water that is sustainably gathered from icebergs far above the Arctic Circle, is set to make its entrance to the luxury market of Monaco. The pure drinking water will make its debut in Monaco at an exclusive Boucheron event on Thursday, March 2, which will be hosted by Club Vivanova.

During a presentation on fine jewellery and luxury watches at the Boucheron boutique in Les Pavillons de Monte-Carlo, above the Hotel de Paris, a representative of Svalbarði will be in attendance to discuss the unique drinking water. Served alongside a Louis Roederer champagne aperitif, Svalbarði Polar Iceberg Water will be offered to guests in Baccarat crystal glasses that will be provided by Sabrina Monte Carlo.

In 2013, Norwegian-American Jamal Qureshi collected melted water as a gift for his wife while travelling in the Norwegian island territory of Svalbard – one of Europe’s last great wildernesses. The pure water would make for a delicious cup of tea, he thought. Four years later, his whimsical notion has been transformed into an epicurean product.

With approval from the Governor of Svalbard, Mr Qureshi charters an icebreaker – the Ulla Rinman – and seeks out the purest of icebergs, as fresh as the day it fell as snow up to 4,000 years ago, in Kongsfjorden, just 1,000km from the North Pole at 79° north. Some 15 tonnes of this ice is gathered by the Svalbarði crew and is then gently melted in a specially constructed machine and bottled by hand, capturing the water in its purest form. In order to retain the water’s natural composition and premium taste, no chemistry-altering filters are used, only micron filters and UV light to adhere to international standards. Each expedition yields 13,000 bottles; each batch is therefore a limited edition.

READ ALSO

News

READ ALSO

News

UPDATE February 27, 2017: The Monaco prosecutor’s office has opened a dossier following the discovery on Friday of the body of an Italian chef at Pulcinella, the popular upmarket restaurant at Le Portier. Hervé Poinot, an assistant prosecutor, said that there were indications of premeditation or an ambush.

Another inquiry has been opened in Italy by the Imperia public prosecutor’s office, due to the fact that the alleged perpetrator of the stabbing is of Italian nationality and was arrested in Bordighera after fleeing the Principality. Monaco may ask for the extradition of the suspect, named as Ricard Nika, but there is no certainty that the Italian authorities would agree to it. At the moment, the suspect is still being held in jail in Imperia.

ARTICLE FEBRUARY 24: A thirty-year-old Sicilian man was found stabbed to death Friday, February 24, at 5:45 pm, in the cellar of Pulcinella in Monaco by an employee re-opening the Italian restaurant for dinner service, according to Monaco-Matin.

First reports claim the Public Security and Monaco fire department arrived shortly after at the eatery at 17 rue du Portier in Larvotto, which first opened in 1979. The crime weapon, a knife, was also found on the scene. The victim, a chef, was reportedly pronounced dead at 6:15 pm. He was married and lived in Menton.

Purportedly, just after 6:30 pm, the suspect, Ricard Nika, was picked up by the police in Bordighera, where he lives. The alleged perpetrator of the stabbing is an employee at the same restaurant.

According to Italian press, “I fought with a colleague in the restaurant where I work, so I stabbed him, I do not know if he is alive or dead,” the 30-year-old Albanian told the police.

While the motive remains unclear, according to the prosecutor’s office, a witness reportedly said that “a dispute between the victim and another employee of the Pulcinella restaurant had taken place a month earlier”..

Article first published February 24, 2017.

READ ALSO

News

READ ALSO

News

Seventy-five teams representing 16 countries are preparing to leave their mark on the International Business Plan Competition organised by the International University of Monaco.

“The Mark” is a Business Plan Competition for graduate students whose aim is to encourage and reward innovative ideas in the field of luxury and premium services. The competition, created by the IUM in 2014, is made up of a committee composed of professors, IUM students and professionals from Monaco.

The IUM has registered the participation of 234 students, divided into 75 teams representing 33 business schools from 16 different countries. The winner of this fourth edition will receive a prize of €2000, as well as a consulting package in marketing and communication worth €10,000, in support of the development and launch of the idea.

Prizes will be offered by the sponsors of the event: Money Mail Me, Ambra Ventures and Ingenium Media. Entries are now closed and participants have until March 27 to submit their business plans to the jury. The finalists selected will participate in the last stage of the competition on April 25, 2017.

READ ALSO

News

READ ALSO

News

Monaco’s Director of the Environment,Valérie Davenet, emphasises the importance of everyone’s involvement in World Wildlife Day, which takes place this Friday.

March 3 was proclaimed World Wildlife Day by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 2013. This choice of date corresponds to the timing of signature of the Washington Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, known as CITES.

For 2017, the theme of the day is “Listen to the Voices of Youth”. Knowing that a quarter of the world’s population is between the ages of 10 and 24, awareness-raising efforts need to focus precisely on young people.

In September 2016, in Johannesburg, the 17th Conference of the Parties to CITES adopted the first Resolution of this Convention on Youth Engagement, calling for their interest and involvement in conservation issues.

“Beyond youth, who are our future, and who are already very conscious of the stakes involved in preserving wildlife, we must also draw the attention of all to the consequences of our choices in terms of consumption and leisure, because our choices have an impact on the preservation of fauna and flora, both locally and internationally,” Ms Davenet said.

The Environment Directorate has recently published a brochure presenting CITES. It explains its application and role in the protection of biodiversity. This brochure is available on the Prince’s Government website.

READ ALSO

News

READ ALSO 

News