Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron in China. Photo: Facebook Emmanuel Macron
French president Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron has been enjoying a successful official visit to China, where until now he has been not well known.
While the Chinese public seems fascinated by the president’s marriage to Brigitte, 24 years his senior, the Chinese leadership has indicated that it views France as an increasingly important strategic partner in Europe, especially in the context of Brexit and the waning of British influence on the continent.
Macron is not only one making himself available for the role, he has brought with him a number of leading French companies to put their signatures to strategic sales and future partnerships. He arrived in China with the offer of an industrial partnership with Airbus, if the Chinese place orders for the A380, the world’s biggest passenger jet that faces trouble if more orders fail to materialise.
However, the French leader is also keen to impress on the Chinese that initiatives, such as the giant Belt and Road project, should not end up in a cul-de-sac and that bilateral relations depend on a two-way street. He said in Xia’an on Monday, January 8, at the start of his visit: “New roads cannot go in one direction.”
Meanwhile, Macron has praised China’s commitment to the Paris climate change accord, and in doing so has underscored the common values of the two nations in the fight against global warming, in sharp contrast with the stance of US President Donald Trump.
Specially-trained undercover members of France’s elite Republican Guard have been travelling on certain TGV trains in an experimental deployment. The scheme lasted one and a half months and came to an end at the close of 2017.
Called “Train Marshalls”, the armed soldiers travelled on certain routes that had been identified as more likely targets for terrorists. However, only three teams of two officers were deployed, meaning that at any given time only a small fraction of TGV routes were covered.
The scheme will now be evaluated for its usefulness. Any further use of the special teams is likely to be influenced by manpower considerations and the fact that anti-terror officers are thinly spread.
It’s no secret that these days we’re willing to spend a lot of time and a whole lot of money on how we look and feel. Yet since we spend a considerably large percentage of our life at home, it’s also essential for our wellbeing to invest in our personal space, which can make you more productive and give you energy. With the New Year around the corner, why not start 2018 in a happy place?
2-minute Home-Satisfaction test On a scale of 1-10, how true are the following:
I feel relaxed and in harmony with my home
I feel inspired and content when I look around my home
I have no desire to add or change anything to my home
I have the home I’ve always dreamed of
My home reflects perfectly who I am
I am proud of my home when I entertain guests
If you scored a perfect 60, congratulations, your personal home space is a temple.
If you scored less then 48, then maybe you should consider changing your home style to a more balanced yet functional beauty.
Happy home vision When I walk into a room, I can instantly see what needs to be done to create a space that matches the homeowner’s vision.
I sense the energy of the room, taking in the colours and shapes, and start designing on my notepad a desired version of the room. After a chat with the owner, and a little brainstorming, I offer a few suggestions.
One of my most common recommendations is to objectively look at your furnishings and home accessories, which should give an interior a personal touch. When done well – grouping them in interesting patterns and displaying them where they can shine – they tell the story you want to be told. When cluttered or mismatched, they are noise and distracting.
Decluttering Sometimes all a home needs is a few minor changes, a reshuffling or a decluttering. A home has to be functional and its objects should play a practical role.
It’s not always a question of acquiring more things to restore the room’s balance. In fact, objects that no longer serve a purpose should be thanked for good service and retired. “Less is more” is still valid in interior design.
Home accessories shopping Other times, a home needs a few additions. Pillows, blankets, candleholders and mirrors are the most functional items and create the most warmth in a room.
I have a long list of home accessories and furniture contacts for different home styles and know where to take clients shopping and/or do the shopping for them.
Down to a fine art One of the biggest and most universal mistakes people make when hanging art – however expensive or magnificent the piece – is to either cover an existing hole or spot on a wall, or to use the last available space in between furniture or other artworks. Symmetry, esthetics and the visual lifting up of a room, all need to be taken into account. Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder but hung properly a work of art can be appreciated by everyone in your happy home.
With access to contemporary artists worldwide, Galerie OSCAR “Brings Art to Real Living Spaces” to Monaco and the French Riviera. This year, Galerie OSCAR launched an interior decoration and styling service, which includes personal shopping. Article first published December 28, 2017.
Heavy rains will continue Tuesday as the weather alert for Monaco and the Alpes-Maritimes department has been reduced from Orange to Yellow.
Risk of floods and storm warnings are in effect until 10 am. Wind gusts continue also this morning, reaching up to 60 km/h.
From the first trains operating Tuesday, SNCF has reported delays of up to 50 minutes and cancellations due to “weather conditions”. Check the latest updates here.
At noon, flights in and out of Nice-Côte d’Azur airport were on schedule.
Prince Albert will visit Burkina Faso from January 10 to 12, according to sources close to the Burkina Faso Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
Prince Albert will visit the West African country as the guest of its president, Roch Kaboré. Among other appointments, the Sovereign is expected to visit a training centre for students specialising in health, in hospitality and sustainable agriculture.
Monaco has been involved in long-term projects in Burkina Faso, including an extensive programme to develop the country’s emergency fire service capabilities. The Principality has also helped in fighting severe malaria among children in hospital and in preventing malnutrition.
In addition, Monaco has helped improve literacy and has donated cash towards the building of a secondary school. The biggest single grant, of €500,000, has been to help street children in Barnako and Ouagadougou.
Burkina Faso is a very poor country, even by West African standards, with more than 80 percent of the population depending on subsistence farming. The help that Monaco is providing is making a great deal of difference to the daily lives of many people.
As a prelude to this visit, on January 7, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs travelled to Loumbila, a few kilometres from the capital, to visit the new Aquatic Rescue and Training Centre, which aims to materialise cooperation between Burkina Faso and the Principality of Monaco.
The centre’s first stone was laid on June 27, 2016, and the building is the former Monegasque Pavilion from the Expo Milano 2015, which was relocated to Loumbila and has been reconstructed as a six hectare first aid and CPR training complex, as financed by the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation. This will allow the training of “rescuers and lifeguards from Burkina Faso and other countries in the region”. Director of Aquatic Rescue Centre of Monaco, Pierre Frolla, an Ambassador to the Foundation, as well as four-time freediving world record holder, has overseen the development.
Monies raised from the 2017 Riviera Water Bike Challenge were put towards this project, a joint partnership with the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation, the Monaco Red Cross and the Burkinabe Red Cross.
Its inauguration is planned over the next week.
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Gstaad.com misses deadline, loses out to Monaco resident
The upmarket resort of Gstaad has an online problem, and a person living in Monaco is to blame, according to local news reports.
In 2006, the Gstaad-Saanenland Tourist Office forgot to renew its domain name, gstaad.com. The domain was put up for sale by auction, and bought by the Monaco resident for €26,330 ($31,500).
A year ago, the Gstaad took the case to the Commercial Court for the Canton of Bern and lost its case at the State Arbitration Court. The office has now appealed to the World Intellectual Property Organisation, one of 17 specialised offshoots of the United Nations and the accepted forum for rulings on domain rights.
