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Month: October 2020

Writing Monaco into the record books

by: Cassandra Tanti
27/10/2020

Monaco’s Venturi Group will celebrate its 20th anniversary year with 12 incredible world speed record attempts by motorcycle world champion Max Biaggi over the coming days.
The enormous challenge will take place on 30th October, 31st October, and 1st November on the runway of Châteauroux airport in France.
The world speed record attempts were originally due to take place last July on the planet’s largest salt flat, Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia, but it was ultimately postponed due to Covid-19.
With no immediate prospect of travel to Bolivia, and to ensure the 20th anniversary is still marked in fitting style, Venturi President Gildo Pastor has opted to set up at Châteauroux airport, in central France, whose runway meets the criteria laid down by the International Motorcycling Federation (FIM).
Voxan, the iconic motorcycle manufacturer brought by Venturi in 2010, and six-time world motorcycling champion Max Biaggi will hit the tarmac with both the semi-streamliner and non-streamlined Wattman.

On the left, the non-streamlined Wattman; in the centre, the lighter version of the semi-streamliner Wattman (used in case of side winds); and on the right, the fully decked-out semi-streamliner Wattman. Photo courtesy Venturi

Each 270 kW machine will attempt to set the stopwatch alight over the following distances: ¼ mile, 1 mile, and 1 km – each time from both a standing start, and a flying start.
In six of these categories, no official attempt has ever been made before, and so six new records are guaranteed. In the remaining six categories, there are records to be beaten. The target speeds vary considerably. In the semi-streamliner category, for example, the speed for the ¼ mile is 87 km/h, whereas for the mile the figure is 329 km/h.
“The whole team has been ready to take on these world records for several weeks,” said Gildo Pastor. “So instead of waiting to find out whether we will be able to ride in Bolivia in June 2021, I have decided to make the attempt now, on the track that’s both best suited and closest to our base in Monaco. If the weather conditions are good, we will be able to collect some records. It will be a fine way to mark 20 years of the Venturi Group.
It will be the third time the team that is riding on the runway at Châteauroux airport. “The performances in testing in June and August gave us confidence,” said Max Biaggi, rider of the Voxan Wattman. “We are more than ready. This weekend, if the track is dry and the side winds are light, we will be able to beat several records. I can’t wait to bring these titles back to Monaco and the team!”
 
 
Top photo: Max Biaggi during the last test sessions of the Voxan Wattman at Châteauroux airport (France), courtesy Venturi
 
 
 

Ducruet takes up new role at Forest

by: Cassandra Tanti
27/10/2020

Louis Ducruet, son of Monaco’s Princess Stephanie, has joined Nottingham Forest football club as an advisor for international projects.
After weeks of speculation, Louis Ducruet, former vice-presidential assistant at AS Monaco, confirmed on Instagram that he has been recruited as part of the club’s backroom staff. The official role he will take on for the Reds is advisor for the team’s international projects.
“It is a great pleasure for me to announce that I’m officially joining NFFC,” Ducruet posted on Instagram. “I’m glad to join such a historical club, I’m ready for this new challenge! Let’s go Reds!”
In his new position, the 27-year-old will be helping the club expand its presence worldwide.
Louis Ducruet left his position at AS Monaco last summer after five years with the team. He started in the marketing department then moved up to international recruiting, followed by his last position as Assistant to Vice-President and General Manager Oleg Petrov.
Before accepting the two-year position in Nottingham, Ducruet was rumored to have been courted by clubs in Belgium and Switzerland.
Nottingham Forest expressed their “delight” at welcoming Ducruet and said that they hope he will “use his overseas experience to help expand the global presence of the club.”
 
Photo by Nottingham Forest football club
 
 

Grimaldi's connection to Antibes

by: Stephanie Horsman
27/10/2020

Monaco’s historic links to Antibes are being celebrated with a new plaque, unveiled in the town by Prince Albert II on Monday.

Antibes Mayor Jean Leonetti met Prince Albert II on Monday, 26th October for the official unveiling of the plaque situated across from Fort Carré, one of the town’s most iconic sites. The plaque shows that Antibes is now part of the Grimaldi Historical Sites of Monaco network.

After the unveiling ceremony, the Prince then visited the Picasso Museum in old town Antibes, which was once a Grimaldi-held castle, to view medieval parchments he was involved in acquiring for Antibes’s municipal archives. These documents provide a clear picture of the Grimaldi family’s possession of the city and castle around the end of the 14th century.

Museum Curator Jean-Louis Andral then took the Prince around the museum to show him the permanent and temporary exhibitions.

Both the Prince and the Mayor expressed hope that these historical links could pave the way for future ones as well.

 

Photo: © G. Luci / Prince’s Palace

 
 

 

Moore launches new sustainability platform

by: Cassandra Tanti
27/10/2020

Monaco resident Christian Moore has officially launched Global Environment Media (GEM) with a team of likeminded nonprofit, civic and corporate leaders from the around the world. GEM is a content platform designed to educate, engage, and empower audiences to tell positive stories of progress about our planet.
Global Environment Media was launched on Friday 23rd October and coincides with the 75th anniversary of the United Nations.
Seeing the need for positive solutions that address the current environmental crises, Christian Moore, Vincent Roger, Dennis Kucinich, Michael Clemente, Elizabeth Kucinich, Marc Scarpa and Doug Scott joined forces to build a media company with the support of the non-profit organisation GEMA.
The aim is to “lead current and future generations to a healthier, more sustainable planet.”
The founders share a vision to curate, produce and distribute inspiring environmental stories with positive solutions.
“GEM embodies the mindset that people must fall in love with the natural world first in order to then be engaged and excited enough to save it. This was why we launched GEM as the first-of-its kind media network,” said Christian Moore, Managing Partner of GEM and president of the Global Environment Movement Association (GEMA).
GEM-TV.com will be divided into four primary sections: Live TV; Topics – with an expansive VOD library featuring ‘solution-oriented’ videos covering nine environmental topics: energy, climate change, people on earth, forests, the ocean, biodiversity, food, sustainable living and water; Research – an education section with infographics and academic papers serving as a portal to global environmental courses; and Kids – a special learning section for children.
“We believe in positivity and wanted to create a destination where people can explore stories of innovators who are impacting the world,” said Vincent Roger, Managing Partner of GEM and Treasurer of GEMA. “We know that governments can only go so far and together with GEM, individuals, businesses and NGOs can take action and catalyse the change needed to heal our planet.”
GEM has already partnered with 50 institutions, foundations, NGOs, and nearly 40 global advisory members.
 
 
 
 

Boosting business success

by: Cassandra Tanti
27/10/2020

Minister of State Pierre Dartout inaugurated the 8th Monaco Business expo on Tuesday at the Auditorium Rainier III, an annual event dedicated to helping entrepreneurs do business in the Principality.
Monaco Business has been bringing Monegasque administration and entrepreneurs together for several years now with the aim of fostering exchanges and giving business people the means to increase their success in the Principality.
Featured companies and entities included the Caisses Sociales de Monaco, CCI Nice Côte d’Azur, Carlo, the Monaco Employment Office, statistics group IMSEE, Monaco Economic Board, MonacoTech and one of its start ups – Oghji.
The expo featured various workshops and networking events, conferences and round tables.
The event was conducted in respect of the government’s strict health measures.
 
Photo © Communication Department / Michael Alesi
 
 

TEDx Monte Carlo on Tuesday 27th October

by: Stephanie Horsman
27/10/2020

In a topic relevant to the age of Covid, TEDx Monte Carlo is holding a virtual event about how science, technology, engineering and maths in a lab environment translate to human health in the 21st century.
TEDx Monte Carlo will be having a one hour virtual salon today, Tuesday 27th October at 5pm on Zoom on the topic of human health in the modern world.
Professor Alan Wolf and Gil Lainer from the Technion Israel Institute of Technology are the guest speakers, and the session will be hosted by Nazanine Matin, Curator of TEDx Monte Carlo and board member Andrew Knox.
The health crisis has shown that technology has become a useful tool in the fight against disease and in the future of health care. This TEDx talk will discuss when it is best to decide to “use cheap, effective, easily implemented methods and technologies, and when to conduct fundamental research.”
The talk will focus on the use of applied science in problem-solving in laboratory settings and will feature a question and answer session after.
Professor Wolf, founder of Medrobotics Corporation, has spent his career working on finding applications for his theories on bio-kinematics and biomechanics, as well as finding practical ways to incorporate medical robotics into daily life.
Mr Lainer, a veteran of the Israeli Foreign Service, is currently the director of the Division of Public Affairs and Resource Development at the University. He has served as a diplomat with postings in Africa and North America.
For more information or to sign up, go to www.tedxmontecarlo.com to register.