Day: 22 October 2017

After three days of fruitful discussions, the fourth international workshop on ocean acidification ended in the presence of the Prince Albert.

The event, which concluded on October 17, presented political recommendations as well as scientific and technical findings, which this year focused on coral reefs. Professor Denis Allemand, Scientific Director of the Scientific Centre of Monaco, reminded participants that ocean acidification results from the dissolution of carbon dioxide in the oceans emitted by human activities.

He said that coral reefs, which are fragile ecosystems and sensitive to climate change, act as “sentinels” for the state of health of the oceans, playing the part of both actors and victims of global warming.

During his closing address, the Sovereign Prince spoke of the importance of protected marine areas, which delay the action of global warming. He concluded his speech on the importance of bearing in mind commercial considerations in environmental issues.

This fourth workshop led to several recommendations, such as the necessity of monitoring protected areas, determined by human and scientific criteria; the development of education, awareness and communication; and the restoration of the reefs. The conference also highlighted the necessary coordination of economic and political actions and the development of research to collect scientific data, which is essential to anticipate our future.

The workshops on ocean acidification were born from the Monaco Declaration (2008), which aimed to challenge policy makers on the issues of ocean acidification and encourage research efforts in this area.

Organised by the Monaco Scientific Centre, in partnership with the IAEA’s Laboratories for the Environment, the Prince Albert II Foundation and the French Ministry of Ecological and Solidarity Transition, the workshop brought together some sixty world specialists around technical, scientific, economic and political solutions to “save” the reefs.

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Monaco’s Employers’ Federation, FEDEM, has challenged the PACA regional government to come up with solutions to the poor rail service for Monaco.

President of FEDEM, Philippe Ortelli, has written to Renaud Muselier, President of the Regional Council the neighbouring PACA Region, to express the organisation’s dismay.

Mr Ortelli recounts the many problems encountered by rail users, especially employees in the Principality who rely on the train service for their daily commute.

Trains are frequently cancelled, strikes are a major disruption, trains are too crowded, and there is a lack of information for passengers, he said. The problems have been going on “for too long”, Mr Ortelli added. The inconveniences engendered by the unsatisfactory rail service have major repercussions for the wellbeing of employees.

Mr Ortell said that FEDEM stands alongside employees in seeking solutions, so that Monaco can maintain its attractiveness as a place to do business.

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The auction house Hermitage Fine Art is presenting over 500 items of Russian art and history of the XVIII-XX centuries on October 27-29 at the Hotel Metropole.

Hermitage Fine Art is a new auction project founded in 2017 in Monaco, comprising a team of leading international specialists working in various art sectors across Europe and Russia, united by their love for Russian culture, history and fine arts, and by their wish to preserve and popularise Russian cultural heritage abroad.

“We are honoured to present a rich collection of Russian art items from the last three centuries, which has been carefully collected for many decades,” President of Hermitage Fine Art, Alessandro Conelli. “Presenting materials associated with the times of the Russian Revolution 100 years ago has symbolic significance to us.”

An important distinction of the auction catalogue is the special themed sections dedicated to the Romanovs dynasty in the form of art and engraved items, memorial items belonging to the reign of the last Tsar, and documents and books about the causes and stages of the revolutionary movement. An unusual surprise is a selection of books from the library of Russian businessman B Berezovsky.

The organisers have decided to dedicate their first auction to the memory of Russian poet, Nikolay Turoverov (1899-1972). The catalogue presents a large selection of his books and autographs.

Among other items, Hermitage Fine Art will present the most rare samples of porcelain owned by members of the Imperial House; the album of essay engravings “Darling” by F Tolstoy; autographs of Peter the Great, Anna of Russia, Catherine the Great, Alexander I, Nicolas II, Rasputin, Stalin; the last letters of the love correspondence between Alexander II and Catherine Dolgorukov, archive materials of His Highness Duke S. G. Romanovskiy; and a most rare album of photographs about the early history of Russian aviation.

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A delegation of two representatives of Senegal’s CENTIF came to Monaco on October 11 and 12 to learn from their counterparts at SICCFIN about techniques to help in the fight against money laundering and the financing of terrorism.

The officials of the Senegalese Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) were able to discuss a number of issues with specialised SICCFIN agents, including the topics of investigations and international judicial cooperation. Meetings also involved the Directorate of Judicial Services, in particular the Prosecutor General’s Office.

In addition, the visit was aimed at strengthening existing links between the two FIUs. Requests for visits to Monaco from other FIUs testify to the recognition of SICCFIN’s quality of the work carried out by its agents and the Principality’s commitment to the fight against the scourge of money laundering.

Two years ago, SICCFIN  received a delegation from the CENTIF of Côte d’Ivoire, and another from Niger’s CENTIF representatives.

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