New carpooling app launched

Klaxit has been launched in Monaco and the government is hoping the carpooling app will have an impact on the tens of thousands of workers who travel into and out of the Principality every day.

The short-distance carpooling app has already found success in France and is now available for commuters in Monaco who are looking for ways to lessen the traffic burden and help the environment. In addition to ride-sharing, Klaxit offers workshops, reports, milestones and documentation so users can follow the impact of the app.

Twenty-five companies, all signatories of the National Pact for Energy Transition and representing 9,300 employees, are participating in the programme. The aim is to quickly hit a “critical mass” of users in order to best assess how effective the app is.

“50,000 French and Italian employees travel to the Principality daily, most of them by car, with an average occupancy rate of 1.1 people per vehicle. This flow of employees, which is obviously essential to the economic dynamism of the Principality, poses a huge challenge particularly in terms of congestion and greenhouse gas emissions,” said Marie-Pierre Gramaglia, Minister of Equipment, Environment and Town Planning.

Despite current health restrictions which limit the number of people able to ride together, the government decided to go ahead with the launch. The reasoning is that mobility solutions to cut pollution and traffic are “essential” to Monaco and delaying won’t alter that, especially as the goal is to cut traffic density by 20% in the next decade, equalling levels not seen since 1990.

The experiment is due to last one year as a collaborative public-private venture supported by the Mission for the Energy Transition, the Directorate of Prospective, Urban Planning and Mobility, and the Department of Digital Services.

 

 

Celebrities to support Prince at fundraising gala

Singing legend Sting will be honoured at this week’s Monte-Carlo Gala for Planetary Health, as Prince Albert rolls out the red carpet to raise money for his Foundation’s conservation efforts.
For the fourth year in a row, the exclusive gala will bring together global philanthropists, policy makers, business leaders, scientists and celebrities on the terrace of the Opéra de Monte-Carlo.
Organised by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, this year’s event will be held under the theme ‘The Ocean, Earth and Humanity’ and take place on Thursday 24th September.
17-time Grammy award winner Sting will be honoured by the Prince for his deep commitment to the preservation of the planet and indigenous communities. He will follow in the footsteps of previous honourees Leonardo Di Caprio, Orlando Bloom and Robert Redford.
Academy award winning actress Dame Helen Mirren, actor Andy Garcia and actress Kate Beckinsale will serve as Masters of Ceremony.
Guest list aside, one of the highlights of the Monte-Carlo Gala for Planetary Health is the jaw-dropping auction, which features many lots donated by Prince Albert himself. Last year his customised DaVinci Hyper electric supercar and personal electric powerboat were among the items that went under the hammer of Simon de Pury.
Traditionally, all proceeds go towards the Foundation’s priority projects including those mitigating the impact of climate change on the ocean. But in this unprecedented year, the Foundation will also be supporting the Monaco Red Cross in their activities on the ground to fight the global Covid-19 pandemic.
The Foundation says that strict health measures will be applied throughout the evening.
 
Photo: Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation
 
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Planet health in the spotlight

Surrounding the dazzling Monte-Carlo Gala is a week of exclusive events that are open to the public and also place human and planetary health firmly on the agenda.
While Thursday night’s star-studded gala is likely to draw the biggest headlines, there are a series of presentations leading up to the gala that are also important to the Prince’s cause.
This year, the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation has joined forces with the Yacht Club of Monaco, the Société des Bains de Mer, the Oceanographic Institute, the Monaco Yacht Show, the Nouveau Musée National de Monaco and the Monaco Private Label to support not only the environment, but also the local economy during a week that is normally filled by the Monaco Yacht Show.
The week of events kicked off on Monday 21st with a charity golf tournament organised by the Monaco Private Label at Terre Blanche Golf Club.
Film
There will also be an outdoor cinema installed on the roof of the Monaco Yacht Club, where documentary films dedicated to the environment will be screened. South African explorer Mike Horn will open the week with a preview of his film retracing his last Arctic expedition. Three other documentaries will be presented in collaboration with the Jackson Wild Film Festival: Reef Rescue on the 23rd, Sea of ​​Shadows on the 25th, and Corona – The Pandemic and the Pangolin on the 26th, in the presence of representatives of the production teams.
On Tuesday 22nd September, the Oceanographic Museum will host the screening of Planète Méditerranée, a documentary about the scientific expedition led by diver and marine biologist Laurent Ballesta to discover the little-known depths of the Mediterranean.
On Wednesday 23rd, the Oceanographic Institute will offer a conference dedicated to the Health of the Ocean and Human Health.
Art
Meanwhile, the New National Museum of Monaco and the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation will present Miró: La Peinture au Défi, an exhibition organised by the Joan Miró Estate, his grandson Joan Punyet Miró, and Galerie Gmurzynska in collaboration with the Successió Miró and the Fundación Mapfre. The exhibition brings together 63 works by the artist and will be on show from 23rd September to 25th October 2020 at Villa Paloma.
Meanwhile, one of Joan Miró’s works, generously offered by his grandson, will be auctioned during the Monte-Carlo Gala for Planetary Health.
Fashion
Responsible fashion will be in the spotlight on 23rd September when Pauline Ducruet, daughter of Princess Stephanie, hosts a master class around her Alter fashion brand in the ballroom of the Yacht Club. The designer will offer an exceptional pop-up store during the week, while Tommy Hilfiger will also offer an exhibition of his range of eco-responsible products within the Yacht Club of Monaco.
Gastronomy
On 22nd September at the Monte-Carlo Beach Hotel, Michelin-starred chef Benoit Witz will lead a sustainable cooking master class, highlighting the preservation of biodiversity through the use of local and seasonal produce and those sourced from sustainable fishing practices.
All of these events are by invitation or registration only in an effort to respect the strict health measures in place in Monaco.
 
 

Slovenian Tadej Pogacar wins Tour de France

The Tour de France ended Sunday with a win by young Slovenian racer Tadej Pogacar. Meanwhile, three Monaco-based cyclists had their time in the spotlight during the world famous race.

This year saw masked teams being presented at the opening ceremonies in Nice, a positive coronavirus test for Director of the Tour Christian Prudhomme, and a surprise win by a relative unknown.

In a Tour de France filled with odd moments, one thing is for sure: there is a new set of young guns who have hit the scene and are making road racing exciting again.

Tadej Pogacar, the first Slovenian to win the yellow jersey and the youngest winner of the Tour de France in a century, has made his dream come true on the eve of his 22nd birthday, which he celebrated on Monday.

Monaco residents Caleb Ewan, Sam Bennett and Richie Porte all had their days in the sun, as well along the way.

26-year-old Australian sprinter Ewan, who currently rides for UCI World team Lotto-Soudal, won podium victories at stages three and 11. In stage three, he blasted past Bennett at the last second for the top spot and had an equally narrow win in stage 11 showing his determination and a bit of flair for the dramatic.

Sam Bennett, the 29-year-old Irish cyclist who races for UCI World team Deceuninck-Quick Step, took to the podium twice as well, at stages three and five. He also took the green jersey in this stage, becoming the first Irishman to do so since Sean Kelly in 1989. 

Meanwhile, Monaco-based Richie Porte became only the second Australian to secure a podium finish at cycling’s biggest race.
The 35-year-old’s bid looked under threat when his bike got a puncture towards the end of stage 18, one of the toughest of this year’s 21 stages. But the race’s final three stages proved smooth-sailing and Porte finished third.
 
 

Roca team launches season

Players and representatives of AS Monaco Basketball have announced the 2020-21 season by introducing new players and showing off their new kit.

Roca Team players and management gathered at the Yacht Club of Monaco on Friday 18th September to officially unveil their new season.

Team Captain Dee Bost had the honour of presenting the team’s new jersey for the season while Executive Director Oleksiy Yefimov revealed the signing of Mathias Lessort, formerly at Bayern Munich, and the replacement for Vladimir Stimac who departed for the Chinese championships.

Mathias Lessort said during the press conference that he is delighted with the move, adding, “I am particularly motivated to join a very good team from Monaco. Back in 2017, I was not far from coming to play on the Rock and I am very satisfied to come and work under Coach Mitrovic with whom I have often been in contact. Monaco has great ambitions and we will meet the challenge together. The Euroleague has been a very enriching experience. It only makes sense to return to this competition with AS Monaco.”

The basketball season kicks off on Wednesday 23rd September with a Jeep Elite game against Boulogne-Levallois.
 
Photo © Stephane Danna