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Day: 6 February 2020

Prince’s foundation joins call-out to leaders

by: Stephanie Horsman
06/02/2020

The Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation has joined Rise Up’s ‘Blue Call to Action’, an initiative which calls on governments and businesses to start moving on “blue” economic models.

Launched by the Oceano Azul Foundation, Oak Foundation and Ocean Unite, Rise Up’s latest endeavour, ‘Blue Call to Action’, has just been officially endorsed by HSH Prince Albert II’s eponymous foundation to assist in the ongoing efforts to save our oceans for current and future generations.  

The call is being put out to business and governmental leaders to take the necessary actions required to stop the destruction of fragile oceanic ecosystems and to get what the United Nations calls the “lungs of the Earth” back on track again.

Rise Up was formed in May of 2019 as an urgent response to safeguard the seas. A cooperative of public citizens, indigenous peoples, fishermen and philanthropic organisations, this association will present their concerns at the next United Nations Conference being held in June of this year in Portugal. The focus will be to find agreement on topics such as common priorities, objectives, and target goals that will drive solid solutions to the threats plaguing the oceans today.

Source: Pixabay

With experts forewarning that mankind has perhaps only a decade to reverse damage and keep global warming in check before catastrophic damage is done, Rise Up is sanctioning radical changes to the world’s current economic model.  

Amongst the goals they have set out are to stop overfishing and create sustainable fisheries that protect the livelihoods of those who make their livings from the sea, whilst responsibly replenishing stock, an end to destructive fishing methods, awareness and educational programmes for fishing communities and total protection of endangered species and habitats.

They propose that businesses and governments stop passively supporting causes and act by investing more in transitioning to circular economies, including moving to sustainable and “blue” economic models.

The Prince Albert II Foundation supports a myriad of causes dedicated to protecting the environment, including activities related to energy efficiency and renewable energy, forestry practices and notably, the seas.

Read also:

Interview: Olivier Wenden, Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation Vice President

Students compete to protect the sea

 

Monaco Manga world premiere

by: Stephanie Horsman
06/02/2020

Manga fans, rejoice! The very first Monegasque Manga book, entitled Blitz, is being released to the public later this month at the Bibliothèque Louis Notari.

Blitz, based on an original idea by French entrepreneur and Japanophile Cédric Biscay, has been produced by Monegasque Shibuya Productions, known for video games Shenmue 3 and the animated series Astroboy Reboot. The book will be premiered on Thursday 13th February and will coincide with the world chess match taking place between Monaco and Japan that evening.

Shibuya Productions, owned by Mr Biscay, will be giving fans an opportunity to meet him, the animator Daitarô Nishihara, and the world-class chess players in attendance.

This meeting of the manga and chess worlds may at first glance seem an odd combination but makes perfect sense when revealed that the world’s most famous chess player, Garry Kasparov, sponsored and supervised the creation of the book and the plot revolves around the game.

The story centres on Tom, a schoolboy who has a crush on beautiful chess enthusiast Harmony. He joins the university chess club to get closer to her but hasn’t a clue how to play. He knows he hasn’t much time, so he starts intensive training, including learning the history of the game. He quickly learns of Garry Kasparov, and through the help of a virtual reality machine, is able to get into the mind of the master, leading to an unexpected event that takes Tom to the highest echelons of the chess world.

The evening stats at 6pm on 13th February at the Monaco Media Library. Admission is free. For more information visit www.mediatheque.mc

 
 

 

Ukraine oligarch buys €200m villa

by: Cassandra Tanti
06/02/2020

Ukraine’s richest man Rinat Akhmetov has been revealed as the mystery buyer of a historic €200 million villa in Saint Jean Cap Ferrat.
Mr. Akhmetov’s holding company SCM Holdings Limited, of which he is the sole proprietor, snapped up Villa Les Cèdres as a long-term investment, the company confirmed in a statement.
The Ukrainian billionaire’s latest purchase exceeds the €162 million he paid for a property in London’s lavish One Hyde Park development in 2011, at the time the UK’s most expensive apartment.
Villa Les Cèdres is a sprawling 19th-century Palladian mansion that was built in 1830 and was once the home of King Leopold II of Belgium. Campari acquired the property in 2016 when it bought Société des Produits Marnier Lapostolle, the maker of the orange liqueur Grand Marnier. The Marnier-Lapostalle family had owned the 14-bedroom home since the 1920s and, during their tenure, created and curated the 35-acre botanical garden that now encompasses the mansion.
Almost immediately after their 2016 acquisition, Campari put the 18,000-square-foot estate up for sale at €350 million, making it the most expensive home for sale in the world at the time. It sold to Mr Akhmetov for nearly half that in 2019, although details about the buyer were only released in January.

Rinat Akhmetov, Wikimedia

As Ukraine’s wealthiest oligarch, Mr Akhmetov is the latest outsider to buy into the “Billionaires’ Penninsula”. The 53-year-old father of two has a net worth of €5.7 billion and heads a business empire that spans mining, energy, telecoms, retail, property and transport, as well as Ukrainian football team Shakhtar Donetsk. It is unclear whether he will use the home as a residence.
“For SCM Holdings Limited, real estate is a key business area for investment in Europe and North America along with mining and metals, energy, media and transportation,” read the company statement.
The son of a coal miner, Akhmetov amassed a vast fortune buying up mining assets during the 1990s privatisation era in Ukraine.
For photos inside the villa, click here.
Top photo source: Savills
 
 

Call for Monaco to get behind annual COCC bike ride

by: Cassandra Tanti
06/02/2020

Monaco’s famous bicycle ride organised by the Champagne and Oysters Cycle Club is gearing up for another successful event in April, but this year they’re looking for more businesses to back the charity ride and in turn support the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation.
Established in 2011 as a way for seven friends to lose a few pounds while raising money for charity, the COCC ride has grown into a highly-anticipated annual event bringing together, on average, more than 100 riders each year, including Monaco personalities, celebrities and HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco.

Since its inception, the COCC ride has raised around 800,000€ for the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation in support of her swimming programmes across the globe.
This year’s ride kicks off on the morning of Sunday 26th April from Saint Tropez and ends at Stars n’ Bars in Monaco that afternoon. The infamous ‘street party’ follows at Slammers, with food, drinks, and live music.
While the ride generates around 100,000€ per year for the Princesses’ foundation, the organisers would like to raise the bar, so this year they are looking for more Monaco businesses to sponsor the ride.
“The rider’s kits are traditionally sponsored by local businesses who are friends of friends, and some people pay upto 10,000€ to be on the kits,” Damian Crean told Monaco Life. “What we want is to have more established Monaco businesses either sponsor the event itself or make donations directly to the charity.”
Businesses can choose a variety of sponsorship options, from pre and post-event representation to sponsoring the start of the race in Saint Tropez, the end of the race at Stars n’ Bars, or the street party.
“Anyone who sees what the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation does should be willing to help, especially considering there are many wealthy Monaco businesses who could easily donate,” said Mr Crean.
People can still sign up to take part in the event, and Mr Crean is encouraging more women to join the ride. Although, they are advised to do so quickly as training for the 135 kilometre journey should start now.
The 1,000€ entry includes kit, mechanical backup, insurance, brunch at the halfway point at Ma Nolan’s Nice Port, water and energy supplies, and contribution to the charity. Participants only need bring a bike and a sense of humour.
For more details visit: www.coccmonaco.com
 
 
 

Nice Athletics and IM2S sign partnership

by: Stephanie Horsman
06/02/2020

Monaco’s world-class orthopaedic clinic IM2S and Nice Côte d’Azur Athletics (NCAA) have signed a partnership agreement giving priority access to the association’s top athletes.

Signed by Dr Julien Brizi, specialist in Sports Medicine and Traumatology at the Institut Monegasque de Médecine du Sport (IM2S) and President of NCAA Jean Daumas, this exclusive partnership aims to grant the association’s top athletes rapid access to appointments for consultations and examinations, as well as to medical and trauma follow up treatments.

Nice Côte d’Azur Athletics represents a large number of top-ranking athletes who have careers both in France and abroad. The arrangement will solidify cooperative efforts between the two entities, thus strengthening the relationship.

The Institut Monegasque de Médecine du Sport is an osteoarticular and ligamentary surgical clinic known in particular for its expertise in sports medicine and which

brings together over 40 specialists in all osteo-articular pathologies.