Monegasque racing protege Charles Leclerc escaped serious injury on Sunday after Fernando Alonso’s car landed on top of him in a spectacular accident in the early stages of the Belgium Grand Prix in Spa.
Photo: G. Luci/ Palais Princier
The so-called ‘halo’, a new safety device designed to protect the driver’s head, was seriously damaged in the collision. The device has not been popular with drivers, but it would appear that in this instance it may have saved the F1 rookie from serious injury or worse.
Charles Leclerc said on his Twitter account: “I have never been a fan of the halo, but I must say that I was very happy to have it above my head today.”
Tourism in the French capital has broken records during the first half of 2018, according to the Regional Committee for Tourism (CRT) Paris Ile-de-France. Foreign visitors were credited for the numbers, despite the fact that the growth in the number of visitors from China and Japan is slowing somewhat.
A total of 17.1 million hotel arrivals were recorded in the first six months of the year, an increase of 4.1 percent year-on-year, “despite strikes in rail transport that affected mainly French customers and, to a lesser extent, some local European customers,” the CRT said. The year 2017 had already shown a sharp increase in visitors.
Among the nationalities represented, Americans remain in the lead, with 1.25 million hotel arrivals in Paris Ile-de-France over the first half, followed by the British (982,000) and Germans (592,000). The Chinese rank fourth, with 543,000 hotel arrivals over the period.
But despite the slowdown in the growth of Asian visitor numbers, hotel bookings of tourists from China, who have a strong purchasing power, grew 5.4 percent compared to 17.8 percent for the whole of 2017.
The figures are based on hotel arrivals, and don’t take into account airb’n’b bookings. The government’s goal is to reach 100 million foreign visitors by 2020, up from 87 million last year.
The first of Monaco’s schools to restart at the end of the long summer break, the International School of Monaco resumes classes on Tuesday, August 28, for middle and secondary school students.
Early Years and Primary School students return to school on the following day, Wednesday, August 29.
Staff have been hard at work at the school since the middle of August, preparing for the new term. More than 640 students are enrolled at ISM, which first opened its doors in September 1994, at 12 Quai Antoine 1, with just 34 pupils.
One of the landmark events in the history of the school was the expansion into the former Yacht Club, at 16 Quai Antoine 1, in September, 2015, to house the Early Years children, a cafeteria for the entire school and a rooftop playground.
A drunken motorist whose failure to stop resulted in Monaco police officers firing shots at the tyres of his car late on Saturday night has been released on bail in Nice.
The 46 year-old French national had been involved in a dispute with a staff member in front of a Monaco hotel before the police intervened shortly after 23:00. Two shots were fired at the wheels of his Mercedes, but despite having a flat tyre, the driver succeeded in making his way to Nice via the Moyenne Corniche. One Monaco policeman was reported injured.
Alerted by their Monaco colleagues, police officers based in Menton and Cap d’Ail gave chase and arrested the fugitive in front of Riquier train station. He has been charged with a hit and run offence and refusal to obey the orders of a police officer.
AS Monaco are licking their wounds after a 2-1 loss away to Bordeaux on Sunday. Monaco’s only goal was scored by 17 year-old Pietro Pellegri, his first for the club since joining from Genoa in January at the age of 16. He is the first player born in 2001 to score in Italy’s Serie A and much is expected of him at Monaco.
Bordeaux’s win was sealed by two goals from Guinea forward Francois Kamano, who scored his second in injury time after Bordeaux had failed to score from a penalty in the 89th minute following a lunging tackle by Monaco goalkeeper Diego Benaglio.
After just three games in the new season, AS Monaco now lie in second place behind Paris Saint Germain. The next game in France’s Ligue 1 is at home on Sunday, September 2, to Olympique Marseille. The game starts under floodlights at 21:00.
Monaco’s soon-to-be-opened conference centre makes the news
The One Monte Carlo Conference Centre will open in early 2019 on the site of the former Winter Sporting as part of the new Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer complex, citmagazine notes.
The centre will feature nine meeting rooms, equipped with electronic temperature and light control systems, an identical reproduction of the legendary Salle des Arts, with capacity for up to 300 for a drinks reception, and an auditorium with 80 seats.
A total of 1,445 square metres of floor space will cater for meetings, conventions, product launches, banquets and all manner of events, the convention and incentives publication says.
A combination of seven buildings will make up the wider complex of which the convention centre is part. Other amenities will include hotels, bars, partially pedestrian areas surrounded by gardens, high-end apartments, 4,500 square metres of luxury shops and 2,500 square metres of office space.
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