Day: 15 May 2018

Prince Albert officially inaugurated the house of his mother, Princess Grace, surrounded by his American cousins and two hundred guests, on May 11 in Philadelphia.

In September 2016, the Sovereign Prince acquired the house that was built in 1935 by John B. Kelly Sr, his maternal grandfather. The Kelly family had lived in this house until the mid-1970s.

It was from this same abode that Prince Rainier and actress Grace Kelly announced their engagement on January 5, 1956.

Sold several times, the house had suffered the ravages of time and needed a serious renovation. This was undertaken last year under the leadership of Suzan Von Medicus, her son William, and John B. Kelly Jr, all cousins of Prince Albert.

The renovated House in the style of the 40s will house the headquarters of the American branch of the Prince Albert II Foundation, of which John B. Kelly is the President.

Cultural events will also be held in collaboration with the Princess Grace Foundation-USA.

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While the newly-renovated Monaco Herculis Post Office, located at 12 Chemin de la Turbie, will reopen on Wednesday, May 16, at 8 am, there is news that Monaco’s mail delivery service will be seriously impacted later this year when the sorting office at Nice Airport is moved to Toulon.

“Every morning, the trucks that bring the mail to Monaco will no longer leave Nice airport but Toulon, so they will have more road to travel and are likely to suffer traffic delays accessing the Principality,” La Poste Regional Director Jean-Luc Delcroix told local French daily Monaco-Matin.

The first mail truck to Monaco will arrive half an hour later than its current time of 6 am, while the second, which now arrives at 6:45 am, will come almost one hour later.

The distribution of mail will therefore begin an hour later, although packages and Chronopost will not be affected.

The first impact will be felt on June 11, when mail pickup times will change from 2 pm to 2:45 pm, with mail from Post Offices leaving at 3:45 pm instead of 4:30 pm.

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On Sunday, May 20, The Animal Fund (TAF) will be holding a fun-filled, informative and educative afternoon around ocean protection and plastic pollution on the beach in Nice.

The event runs from 2:30 pm until 5:30 pm between Ruhl Beach and Le Galet (facing McDonald’s) on Promenade des Anglais. There is no charge and a snack will be provided.

TAF’s long-term mission is to end the use of plastic bottles by informing people about the deadly waste overtaking our oceans.

“We want to bring together children and adults to participate in our ambition towards making our planet a cleaner and healthier place to live in, through fun, instructive and educative activities,” the organisers said.

Plastic pollution is one of the most serious threats to the ocean as it does not biodegrade – it breaks down progressively into smaller pieces, but never disappears. As a result, marine life is rapidly dying out. Therefore, the non-profit organisation is to raise awareness on the consequences of plastic pollution and to promote a healthier lifestyle for our planet.

“It is important that we are aware of how our habits impact the ecosystem and how we can prevent further damage and danger to the ocean,” TAF explained. “This campaign brings together people from different age groups and different backgrounds but we are all fighting for the same outcome: a cleaner ocean with an abundance of marine life.”

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Many species of birds occupy cavities, such as hollow trees, interstices on a facade or the spaces under a roof to shelter in the winter and nest in the spring. In an urbanised environment like Monaco, where natural shelters are becoming more rare, man can intervene to provide suitable nesting places.

Monaco’s Environment Department has taken up the challenge and is installing artificial nest boxes to encourage the nesting of a number of bird species in parks and gardens.

In addition to contributing to the conservation of bird populations for their own sake, these boxes help the nesting of small insectivores for natural parasite control. Some nesting boxes are being set up in places with an educational focus to help the study and monitoring of bird populations of scientific interest.

The target species are mainly sparrows, already accustomed to an urban environment, as well as two small raptors – the Scops owl and the kestrel. A preliminary study, carried out by the Conservatoire d’Espaces Naturels of Provence Alpes-Côte d’Azur, identified the nest boxes best adapted to these species and chose the most suitable locations in the gardens and parks of the Principality.

In addition, as part of interdisciplinary practical training in life sciences and technology, nesting boxes for great tits have been designed by a third class of College Charles III and installed in Monaco’s gardens.

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