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Month: September 2020

Nine-man Monaco takes victory

by: Stephanie Horsman
28/09/2020

AS Monaco showed they have the right stuff when, despite some difficult moments, they held off Strasbourg for a 3-2 win at home on Sunday.
Winning their third match of the season, AS Monaco came out on top over Strasbourg in a game that saw them two men down for the last 25 minutes.
Despite the disadvantage, the team rose to the challenge and played a spectacular match against worthy opponents.
The first goal came in the ninth minute, as Kevin Volland set Wissam Ben Yedder up for a perfectly timed shot into the corner of the net, edging past Strasbourg Goalkeeper Bingourou Kamara. The goalie didn’t make that mistake again when in the 14th, he blocked a beautiful kick by Aurelien Tchouameni, and another in the 21stwith a one-two from Ben Yedder and Fodé Ballo-Toure.
Before the end of the first half, the Red and Whites struck again, at 45’ +2’. Ruben Aguliar aimed at the far end of the post and made it past Karama with a fantastic header.
After the break, Strasbourg came out determined. So determined, in fact, that within a minute, they lessened the score gap to 2-1 with a goal by substitute Medhi Chahiri. Ben Yedder leapt back into action and in the 53rd minute took control of the ball and put it between the posts on another Volland assist.
Not long after, Tchouameni was handed a red card, thus ejecting him from the rest of the game. One man down, the team carried on and held the score at 3-1. But in the 67th minute, Axel Disasi was given walking papers after a foul on Ludovic Ajorque.
Now two men down, the Strasbourg team launched an attack that resulted in another goal by Ajorque, cutting the Monaco lead to one point.
Undeterred, the red and Whites played strongly and kept the Alsatians at bay. They played out the remainder of the match two men down, and without another goal scored by either team.
Coach Kovac was overjoyed by the result and said after the game: “We finished brilliantly and those who came on did their part by showing character and giving all they had. It’s a unifying victory, that’s what I told the players.”
Team captain and top scorer of the game Wissam Ben Yedder was also proud of the team, adding: “At the end of the game I saw the determination and the desire not to want to concede a goal. We have a young team, but we have a lot of character and personality. They have shown these values and what they did in the last 20 minutes to not concede a goal is very good and bodes well for the future.”
AS Monaco faces Brest next Sunday at Stade Francis-Le Ble.
 
 

Ocean conference looks at better pollution solutions

by: Stephanie Horsman
28/09/2020

Experts have revealed during an ocean conference in Monaco that society must go on the offence, not the defence, if it wants to stop the problems plaguing our seas.

The Oceanographic Museum was the scene on Wednesday evening for a conference held on the future of the seas called ‘Ocean Health, Human Health’. The event, co-organised by the museum, the Prince Albert II Foundation and French magazine L’Obs, was part of the Week of Planetary Health, and attracted many in-house participants and guests as well as followers on YouTube, where the event was broadcast.

The bottom line coming from the speakers was that the oceans are in need of a lot of help. Between overfishing, plastic and agricultural pollution, and global warming, the seas are in big trouble.

The conference was opened by Robert Calcagno, Director General of the Oceanographic Institute, and punctuated with the speeches by Professor Patrick Rampal, President of the Scientific Centre of Monaco (CSM), Lucile Courtial, from the association Beyond Plastic Méditerranée (BeMed) and François Houllier, President and CEO of IFREMER.

Mr Calcagno reminded listeners of the links between the oceans and man and explained that health meant not simply the absence of disease, but that it has a broader meaning in the context of general well-being. He also highlighted the contributions and research offered by the agencies in attendance.

A video on the virtues of net and line fishing versus industrial trawling was then shown and the stage was taken over by Patrick Ramal. Mr. Rampal announced that a report would be made available from research undertaken during the lockdown period when the sea had a chance to rest from all the usual human interference. He said that research shows it is possible to preserve the planet if we act now, adding, “Humanity cannot survive without healthy oceans. Marine plants in the oceans produce 70% of the oxygen we breathe on land. Two billion people depend on the product of the oceans for their protein intake, 97% of our water resources come from the oceans. The ocean absorbs 30% of the CO2 produced by human activity. The oceans are in great danger because of their pollution which is due to the huge amount of waste that we dump there every year.”

After pointing out the laundry list of ills affecting the oceans, such as the so-called Great Pacific Garbage Patch, an enormous vortex of mainly plastic rubbish that equals an area roughly a fifth of the size of Europe in the North Pacific Ocean, the high levels of pollutants found in fish, especially the larger marine predators who feed on smaller fish and that we as humans consume regularly, and the widespread use of pesticides and livestock waste that gets habitually dumped into the seas, he handed the stage over to François Houllier.

 

Mr Houllier emphasised the links between human health, animal health and, finally, that of the environment in general. He pointed to aquaculture as a possible solution to some of the problems currently being faced, especially in terms of food security. He cited that it is a sustainable way forward as the demands on the seas to provide food for humans increases.

 

Lucile Courtial then spoke about one of the biggest pollution problems and the one that is currently at the top of most environmental agendas: plastics. Consumers, she says, are slowly becoming savvier and more conscious of plastic usage and are beginning to make efforts to reduce. On the industry side, Ms Courtial’s organisation has been working with manufacturers to look at alternatives to plastic packaging to reduce waste. 

Prince honours Sting at red carpet gala

by: Cassandra Tanti
26/09/2020

Hollywood stars have gathered in Monaco to support Prince Albert and the Monte-Carlo Gala for Planetary Health, while rock legend Sting was honoured for his environmental activism.

Accompanied by HSH Princess Charlene, HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco chaired the 4th annual Monte-Carlo Gala for Planetary Health on Thursday 24th September at the sumptuous Terraces of the Opera de Monte-Carlo.

Among the celebrities to walk the red carpet were Johnny Depp, Maisie Williams (Game of Thrones), Helen Mirren, Sienna Miller (The Loudest Voice, Wander Darkly), Rebel Wilson (Pitch Perfect), actress and activist Naomi Campbell, and fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger.

Dame Helen Mirren, Andy Garcia, and Kate Beckinsale served as Masters of Ceremonies, but the main attraction was rock royal Sting, who was honoured by real-life royal Prince Albert for his environmental work over the years.

The 17-time Grammy Award winner, along with his wife Trudie Styler and Dr Franca Sciuto, co-founded the Rainforest Foundation back in 1989 and has been a well-known eco-activist. The Foundation works with the indigenous people of the Central and South American rainforests to help them protect their forests through training and providing resources, thus conserving their ancestral lands.

Past honourees included Robert Redford, Leonardo DiCaprio and Orlando Bloom.

The Gala featured an auction of some covetable items and occasions. Under the hammer were things such as a private dinner with Prince Albert, a doubles tennis match with Novak Djokovic and Prince Albert, an Aston Martin V8 Vantage ‘X Pack’, a day on the set of Garcia’s next film, a six-day Arctic expedition with Prince Albert aboard the Commandant Charcot, artworks by Banksy, Roberto Matta, and Joan Miró, and the autographed water bike used by Princess Charlene to make the incredible crossing between Calvi and Monaco. 

The funds raised will go towards the Foundation’s projects to fight climate change, the loss of biodiversity, and access to water.
“For 15 years, the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation has supported projects aimed at restoring the balance between Man and Nature,” said Olivier Wenden, Vice-President and Managing Director of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation. “The Covid-19 pandemic has revealed our fragility as a species and sends us a very clear message: our own health is closely linked to planetary health.”

Money will also go towards supporting the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the Monaco Red Cross for their humanitarian projects linked to the pandemic.

The Prince’s Foundation says the event was held with strict health protocols in place.

“We gave much thought as to whether to hold this event or not, given the prominence of ongoing concerns and health issues,” said the Prince during his address. “However, the commitment of all the individuals involved in protecting our planet and of all of you…led us to make this decision. And we did so because the challenging situation in which we are living best not erase the environmental crisis. Our health depends on the health of the environment in which we live. That is why more than ever before we need to continue our efforts and actions to protect our planet for future generations.”

Click on the photos in the gallery below to enlarge… Photos by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images for The Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation

Covid-positive woman dies of other causes in Monaco

by: Cassandra Tanti
25/09/2020

An elderly woman suffering from comorbidities including Covid-19 has died in hospital in Monaco.
The government revealed on Friday 25th September that the 91-year-old woman had been admitted to the Princess Grace Hospital for a cause other than Covid-19 and subsequently tested positive for Covid in accordance with the admission protocol.
The woman succumbed to one of the comorbidity factors she suffered, said the government.
“The Government turns its thoughts to the family and assures them of their support during these times of pain,” it said in a statement.
 
 

Tourism in Monaco “less gloomy” than predicted

by: Stephanie Horsman
25/09/2020

The summer tourist season was better than expected thanks to the loyalty of French, Swiss and Italian visitors, according to the latest figures by the Tourism and Congress Department.  

Statistics don’t lie, and in this case, that’s positive news. It turns out the summer was less of a disaster than anticipated and despite a health crisis-related drop in tourists, the numbers still show that it was not a total loss.

“If the numbers are clearly on the decline, in the current health context, the results are better than expected,” said Guy Antonelli, the Director of Tourism and Congresses, during a press conference on Thursday.

July’s occupancy rate was 40% – roughly half the number than the previous year, but by August, that percentage went up to 56.6%, with a few notable exceptional days when some establishments hit 95% of capacity. This is less than the usual 80% August figures, but not a bad considering the times.

Not surprisingly, the clientele was primarily European. French, Swiss and Italian visitors remained the most loyal repeat guests, but there was a marked increase in those from other neighbouring countries this year. Dutch and Belgian travellers were on the rise, and there were more French and Swiss than usual.

Monaco hoteliers adopted a strategy that seemed to work for them. Despite the loss of the Russians, Americans and Asians, who tend to spend more in general for accommodation, they held firm on pricing and left suites empty whilst filling other rooms.

As for attractions, the Oceanographic Museum was amongst the only one to remain open and even though maximum capacity was cut to 700 visitors at a time, they still saw 50,000 visitors coming through in the first half of August. This is only a small decrease over the previous year where 60,000 people came in the same period.

As far a business tourism is concerned, the Director of Tourism said that, “the Government has in no way cancelled professional events. It has implemented health protocols in compliance with the measures taken in the Principality of Monaco to limit the spread of the virus. Despite their efforts, the organisers of these events decided to cancel, either by choice of economic profitability or by lack of exhibitors. For those who maintain and who continue to have confidence in the Principality, the Tourism and Congress Department supports them on a daily basis, logistically but also financially, in particular by covering some of the additional costs linked to the application of the measures. It is also a help for our partners, hotels and the Grimaldi Forum, in this particularly difficult context.”

 
Photo by Monaco Life
 

Inside Monaco's major development sites

by: Cassandra Tanti
25/09/2020

Minister of State Pierre Dartout has toured the main construction sites of the Principality, taking stock of the major developments that are currently under way.
Despite the rainy conditions, Mr Dartout headed to Monaco’s construction sites on Thursday.
He visited the west entrance over the Exotic Garden, the New Princess Grace Hospital Centre and finally the Pasteur Island (’îlot Pasteur).
To see inside Monaco major development projects, see the gallery below…
Photos © Communication Branch / Michael Alesi and Bernard Touillon for FPMC