Princess Charlene was at Larvotto Beach on Monday morning, together with fifty schoolchildren and a number of teachers.
The day was part of the Princess’s ongoing crusade against the dangers of drowning, and the former Olympic swimmer was personally engaged in teaching the children how to prevent aquatic accidents in Monaco.
“I am passionate about saving lives and it is so important to teach our young people essential water safety skills, especially at this time of year as everyone heads to the beach for the summer,” Princess Charlene told Monaco Life. “I am very grateful to all the athletes and volunteers who gave up their time to put together such an excellent day of activities.”
Princess Charlene with Pierre Frolla. Photo: Eric Mathon/Palais Princier
“We are very fortunate to have the Centre de Sauvetage Aquatique de Monaco here at Larvotto which is run with such commitment by Pierre Frolla and I am very excited that through last week’s Riviera Water Bike Challenge we will be able to establish a similar aquatic rescue centre in Burkina Faso.”
The day-long event consisted of several hands-on workshops, including rescue techniques for people in trouble in the water.
Princess Charlene continues to be very active worldwide in fighting the dangers of drowning, reported to be the third leading cause of accidental death with 360,000 incidents annually. The highest drowning rates are amongst children under the age of five.
Photo: Eric Mathon/Palais PrincierPhoto: Eric Mathon/Palais PrincierPhoto: Eric Mathon/Palais PrincierPhoto: Eric Mathon/Palais Princier
Mathilde Lemoine, Chief Economist at Edmond de Rothschild Banking Group
Mathilde Lemoine, the top analyst at the Edmond de Rothschild Banking Group, was a special guest speaker at Top Marques in Monaco earlier this year.
Writing in the bank’s latest global macro-economic projections, published on Monday, June 12, the Group’s Chief Economist pointed out that the focus for international financial experts has partly moved from the US to China. She has also warned that the 39 percent rise in oil prices between the summer of 2016 and February 2017 has weighed on household consumption in both developed and emerging countries.
Ms Lemoine forecasts that over the next few quarters, global GDP growth could remain buoyant despite the negative impact of the recent decline in commodity prices on emerging market exports. Moreover, the slowdown in inflation is expected to push up domestic demand, she added.
“That being said, consumer prices should continue to rise, albeit at a slower pace than at the beginning of 2017. As a result, inflation is likely to remain higher than in 2016 and thus keep real interest rates at a low level. However, the tax cuts announced by the US President should not be implemented before the beginning of 2018, as we had already anticipated.”
China is one of the world’s primary consumers of raw materials: it absorbs two-thirds of global iron ore imports and half of zinc, copper, steel and aluminium imports.
“This shifting of the Chinese economic policy has largely contributed to the acceleration of inflation and world trade,” Ms Lemoine states. “The latter benefited from the improved terms of trade of commodity-exporting countries. It has also been driven by strong household consumption and the resumption of the industrial cycle, insofar as international trade is still very dependent on investment. After falling by 18 percent between July 2014 and January 2016, world exports have grown by more than 6 percent in value since the summer of 2016. Eighty-four percent of this acceleration came from emerging market imports and 66 percent from imports from Asian countries alone,” Ms Lemoine writes.
Since tax cuts in the US have not yet been implemented, and there will be a time lag before they feed through to the US economy, the key player for global GDP growth is Xi Jinping, not Donald Trump, she argues.
Turning to Europe, Lemoine notes that the various financial authorities are determined to save the euro at all costs.
“Since 2010, heads of state and government leaders have steadily strengthened the eurozone’s financial architecture. The European Stability Mechanism that can raise funds to be lent to distressed eurozone countries, the ‘two-pack’ and the ‘six-pack’ – which allow more efficient monitoring of budgetary policies – the importance given to structural reforms via the Treaty on Stability, Coordination and Governance, or the Single Supervisory Mechanism, which gives the European Central Bank the means to monitor the eurozone’s banking and financial system, are all reforms that show the governments’ determination to save the euro at all costs.”
Following the success of the first Défi Solidaire (Solidarity Challenge), initiated by the Directorate of International Cooperation (DCI) in June 2016, the government is launching a new edition of the challenge in which members of the administration will be able to participate, from June 12 to 30.
This year, the Défi Solidaire will allow each official and state agent to vote for micro-entrepreneurs of their choice through the Babyloan platform, a partner of the government. Projects with the highest number of votes will receive microcredits.
The amount of €28,000, allocated by the DCI, will be supplemented by the €22,000 loaned in 2016 and already reimbursed. Thanks to this system of reinjecting funds, more than 100 micro-entrepreneurs will be supported.
“Operation Babyloan” in 2016 attracted 800 voters over one month and as a result 52 projects were selected and financed by the DCI to the tune of €22,000. Four additional projects were financed with the first amounts reimbursed and 100 percent of loans have been repaid.
An information meeting was held on Monday, May 29, in the presence of Arnaud Poissonnier, Founding President of Babyloan. More than forty people participated, demonstrating their interest in social entrepreneurship. Babyloan, the first European solidarity lending site, allows people with very low incomes who are excluded from the traditional banking system to access a microcredit of €400 to €800 to set up or develop a small business.
On Sunday, June 11, some twenty cycling enthusiasts took part in the first “39 Cycle Club” outing.
The group left 39, Monaco’s newest private sports club at 39 avenue Princesse Grace, for an aller-retour to Ventimiglia and then enjoyed brunch on the club’s terrace chatting to Calvin Watson of Aqua Blue Cycling.
As a follow-up, this weekend will see the launch of “39 Run Club” led by the club’s ambassador Paula Radcliffe, world record holder for women’s marathon since 2003.
As Lucy Earlam, Sports Manager at 39, told Monaco Life: “The Cycle Club was a great success and this Sunday, June 18, a 5km run with Paula is open to all abilities. Both the cycle and run clubs are free to everyone – it’s a non-profit community exercise.”
The run departs from the club at 9:30 am will be followed by brunch at 39 dining. People can join 39’s Cycle and Run Club on Strava – the social network for athletes (search “39 Monte Carlo”) – to keep up to date with organised activities.
For Sunday’s run with Paula Radcliffe, reserve your spot by email sport@39montecarlo.com or 39 members can use the club’s booking application.
