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Day: 3 September 2020

Photos: 76th anniversary of the Liberation of Monaco

by: Cassandra Tanti
03/09/2020

A number of ceremonies have been held throughout the Principality to mark the 76th anniversary of the Liberation of Monaco, which took place on 3rd September 1944.
The occasion marked the first public responsibility for Minister of State Pierre Dartout, who presided over the ceremony on Thursday evening in front of the Monument aux Morts in the Monaco Cemetery.
The Principality was occupied from 1942 by the Italians and then by the Germans in 1943.
After a few days of clashes and fire by the Allied navy in the hills of Beausoleil, La Turbie and Mont Agel, Monaco was liberated on 3rd September 1944 by American troops and resistance forces. There were many Monegasque heroes, including René Borghini, Secretary of the Presidency of the National Council, and Esther Poggio, his liaison officer, who were arrested in Monaco in July 1944 for resistance and shot on 15th August 1944 in Nice, as was Joseph Lajoux, another Monegasque hero of the resistance.
To mark these events, and to pay tribute to the known and anonymous heroes of this period, the National Council joined in the ceremonies marking the 76th anniversary of the Liberation in front of the commemorative plaque dedicated to René Borghini and Esther Poggio at the foot of the National Council building.
National Council President Stéphane Valeri paid tribute to the resistance fighters, saying, “we remember all those who fell to liberate our countries, after the leader of France Libre called them to resist,” alluding to General de Gaulle, whose grandson, Yves de Gaulle, was present at the ceremony.
A number of remembrance ceremonies took place throughout the day, including those in Beausoleil and Cap d’Ail.
Click on photos below to enlarge…
 

Twins accompany Prince and Princess to film screening

by: Cassandra Tanti
03/09/2020

Prince Albert, Princess Charlene and their children were out and about in Corsica this week to support Laurent Ballesta at the premier screening of his documentary Mediterranean Planet.
The film retraces the extraordinary 2019 scientific expedition led by the Gombessa Expeditions team to discover the unknown depths of the Mediterranean. It was both a physical and personal achievement for the team, and it benefited from the support of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation and Monaco Explorations.
The princely couple, accompanied by their children Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella, were welcomed on Tuesday 2ndSeptember in Ile Rousse, northern Corsica, by Gilles Simeoni, President of the Executive Council of the Collectivity of Corsica, and Angèle Bastiani, Mayor of Ile Rousse.
A description for the documentary film reads: “Laurent and his comrades went very far, without really leaving. They stayed at home in the Mediterranean…  Where few divers venture, there are oases that seem to resist destruction and extinction. They are the last refuge for all the gone species of a coastline under pressure. Here are the portraits of these unknown inhabitants and endangered landscapes. More than a new world, it is another planet, the Mediterranean Planet.”
The documentary will be broadcasted on 19th September at 8:50pm on the ARTE channel.
A hardcopy book version of Mediterranean Planet is now available for order from the website.
© Eric Mathon / Palais Princier
 
 

Free digital revision lessons for students

by: Cassandra Tanti
03/09/2020

More than 170 middle and high school students are taking part in digital pre-school support classes funded by the Monaco government.
Given the unprecedented situation with education amid the Covid-19 health crisis, the Monegasque Government and Extended Monaco decided to join forces with Parkours, a company specialising in school support, to offer a pre-school refresher course during the first week of September. It was made available to children who experienced difficulties during their third trimester or who simply need to revise to make their return to school easier.
The week focuses on three fundamental subjects: French, mathematics and English.
Much like distance education during confinement, daily support is provided via videoconference by student tutors selected and trained by Parkours, in groups of three to four students.
At the beginning of the week, a diagnostic test identified the areas that needed reinforcement or improvement in each child, and at the end of each session, parents receive a detailed SMS informing them of what has been achieved, followed by a full report at the end of the week.
Digital education is one of the key points of the Extended Monaco program.
 
 

Monaco-built satellite launched into space

by: Stephanie Horsman
03/09/2020

Despite series of events that had prevented the launch of the Vega rocket carrying a nanosatellite built in the Principality three times this year, it was fourth time lucky for Orbital Solutions this week. 

First it was the global health crisis, then it was the weather at the launch site in Guyana back in June, then it was a typhoon that thwarted the launch of the Vega rocket meant to take a Monegasque-built satellite into the heavens.

Arianespace, the company charged with the launches, was forced to cancel the launch on Tuesday night due to a South Korean typhoon.

But the hiatus ended late Wednesday with the successful deployment using a new dispenser system that will now become a regular feature on future missions.

The first flight of Vega’s rideshare service using the Small Spacecraft Mission Service (SSMS) dispenser for light satellites, launched from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana at 02:51 BST / 03:51 CEST on 3rd September (22:51 local time on 2nd September).
Vega’s return to flight proves new launch service capabilities on an ESA-developed launch vehicle while ensuring continuity of Europe’s guaranteed and independent access to space.
 

 

 

Subsidy offered for energy efficient windows

by: Stephanie Horsman
03/09/2020

The Prince’s government is sharing the price burden of installing new windows in residences around the Principality in order to make homes more energy, and cost, efficient.

In line with the government’s principles on energy conservation and eco-friendly practices, a ministerial decree has been set forth establishing a subsidy for those who wish to change out their old windows for new, more environmentally sound versions.

This new window renovation programme is designed as part of the nation’s objectives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and control energy demand.

The subsidy is open to anyone in a residential or mixed-use building who would like to improve the “thermal comfort” of their home. To accomplish this, the owner would need to replace single-glazed windows or patio doors with double or triple-glazed ones. The offer does not extend to homes that were built within the last decade.

“This system is financed by the National Green Fund and its overall cost is estimated at a maximum of €11.6 million for avoided greenhouse gas emissions of around 600 tonnes per year, direct and indirect, on several decades,” said Marie-Pierre Gramaglia, Minister of Equipment, Environment and Town Planning. “In this period when our country is suffering the consequences of the pandemic, it is important to support the local economic fabric, which is why the system favours the use of companies from the Principality by granting applicants who make this choice an additional subsidy of 5% and the ceiling, per window, of the subsidy is then raised.”

The subsidies have been available since 1st September and will continue over a five year period which the government hopes is sufficient time to mobilise all those who are eligible to make the transition. The estimated number of new windows installed could reach 24,500, saving consumers money as well as saving the environment.

For more information and to request the subsidy, go to www.envinnement@gouv.mc

 
Photo by Monaco Life, all rights reserved