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Day: 1 December 2020

Petition gains momentum

by: Stephanie Horsman
01/12/2020

Nice Mayor Christian Estrosi is amongst thousands of petitioners including 70 ministers and mountain industry professionals calling for the French government to allow the reopening of ski stations in France for the Christmas holidays.

An open letter to French President Emmanuel Macron was printed on Saturday in Le Journal de Dimanche asking for a rethink on the decision not to open ski resorts in the country for the busy upcoming holiday period.

Christian Estrosi, Mayor of Nice, also put forth a proposal along with other mayors of the municipalities concerned. He asked the Prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes and French Prime Minister Jean Castex to consider a plan that they devised that would allow ski stations to reopen safely, following “strict sanitary protocols”.

The plan includes the usual mask-wearing and social distancing requirements, but also adds in additional measures such as single-person lifts, click and collect meals at restaurants, and no closed cabin lifts.

In an effort to prevent an influx of people coming from other regions and countries, the mayor suggested mandatory internet reservations for tickets, limiting attendance to 50%, and only allowing those who are homeowners or residents of the 06 department to have access.

Mayor Estrosi sent a message along with the proposal, saying, “Opening our ski resorts and lifts would be a government gesture after Storm Alex in relation to the distress and the risk of seeing the inhabitants permanently leaving our valleys and never coming back. As this is a local clientele, the population flows that will circulate will be those experiencing one of the lowest incidence and circulation rates of the virus in France.

“The mere fact of opening the ski resorts and ski lifts in December, and showing that they are perfectly accessible, will send a positive message after Storm Alex so as not to lose a clientele in the years to come. Failure to resume at our stations would have a more lasting impact than anywhere else in France.”

France’s ski industry is enormous, with 350 stations employing 120,000 seasonal workers every year. The Christmas holidays account for anywhere between 12% and 25% of the year’s total takings in this €11 billion per year sector.

As of now, the government says they will not reopen until January, but the new added pressure may change that in the days or weeks to come.

 
Photo source: Pixabay
 
 

New Environment Council kicks into action

by: Cassandra Tanti
01/12/2020

A range of new regulations have been put towards the Environment Council for consideration, including more government subsidies to reduce energy consumption in the Principality and a ban on plastic waste.
The Environment Council met for the first time on 30th November, during which six draft regulatory texts were submitted by the Department of the Environment for analysis by members of the Board.
“I am delighted with this first meeting of the Environment Council, which fully fulfilled its role by issuing enlightened and collegial opinions on draft environmental regulations that are important for the Principality in order to ensure the full effectiveness of the Environmental Code,” said Minister of Equipment, Environment and Town Planning Marie-Pierre Gramaglia.
The first regulatory text covers waste management and reducing waste at the source. Regulations include new bans on products that generate waste, and on those that are particularly harmful to the environment yet can be easily substituted with more ecological products. More environmentally conscious consumption patterns will also be facilitated. The measures are aimed at achieving ‘Zero Single-Use Plastic Waste by 2030’.
The second text focusses on regulating air quality monitoring methods and setting the maximum thresholds for atmospheric pollutants both short and long term, with the aim of sustainably improving air quality in the Principality.
Boosting the production of solar energy in the Principality is also a key text of the proposed new regulations, opening the possibility of funding third-party investors to increase the quantity of solar electricity produced in Monaco.
Finally, the draft text introduces a subsidy for roof insulation and sets the conditions for allocation and the amounts to be allocated. This would support the current subsidy for the replacement of single-glazed windows, all with the aim of helping owners to significantly and rapidly improve the energy efficiency of their properties and reduce energy consumption in the region.
The Environment Council was created in July 2020 to give an opinion on all the draft texts relating to the protection of the environment, to the actions of the population, and on any measure taken by the Minister of State in matters of economy, energy or the encouragement of renewable energies.
The Environment Council is chaired by Minister of Equipment, Environment and Town Planning Marie-Pierre Gramaglia and includes, among others, President of the National Council Stephane Valeri, Mayor Georges Marsan, Vice-President of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation Olivier Wenden, and independent expert Grégoire Leray, Doctor of Environmental Law.
The Environment Council meets in plenary session at least once a year.
 
Photo © Government Communication Department / Michael Alesi
 
 

Lewis Hamilton contracts coronavirus

by: Cassandra Tanti
01/12/2020

Seven-time Formula One world champion and Monaco resident Lewis Hamilton will miss this weekend’s Sakhir Grand Prix after testing positive for Covid-19.
News broke on Tuesday that Hamilton had tested positive for the virus on Monday, just one day after his victory at the Bahrain Grand Prix.
The PCR test was mandatory for the upcoming Sakhir Grand Prix at the same circuit this weekend.
His team Mercedes said that Hamilton had tested negative three times the previous week, including Sunday afternoon ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix, but he woke up Monday morning with mild symptoms and subsequently tested positive. He was reportedly informed on Monday that a contact prior to his arrival in Bahrain had also tested positive.
Hamilton returned to his home in Monaco after his title victory in Turkey to spend time with his family before travelling to Bahrain.
“In accordance with COVID-19 protocols and public health authority guidelines in Bahrain, he is now isolating,” said the sport’s governing body, the FIA, in a statement on Tuesday.
“The procedures set out by the FIA and Formula 1 will ensure no wider impact on this weekend’s event.”
Mercedes added that “apart from mild symptoms, he is otherwise fit and well”.
The 35-year-old has already secured this year’s drivers’ title, but he will miss this weekend’s Sakhir Grand Prix and could miss the season finale the week after in Abu Dhabi if he fails to return a negative test following 10days in isolation.
Sunday’s race will be the first Hamilton has missed since his F1 debut at the 2007 season-opening race in Australia.
“I’m devastated that I won’t be racing this weekend,” Hamilton wrote in an Instagram post. “Since we started the season in June, my team and I have been taking all the precautions we possibly can and following the regulations everywhere we’ve been in order to stay safe.
“Please look after yourselves out there, you can never be too careful. These are worrying times for everyone and we need to make sure we are looking after ourselves and each other. Stay positive.”
 
Photo: Lluis Gene / AFP
 
 

Backlash over school naming in Cap d’Ail

by: Stephanie Horsman
01/12/2020

Parents of the newly opened school in Cap d’Ail are not particularly pleased with the mayor’s proposed plan to rename it after slain teacher Samuel Paty.

After the brutal assassination of schoolteacher Samuel Paty in October, long-time Cap d’Ail Mayor Xavier Beck made a proposal to name the newly opened Saint-Antoine School after him as a tribute to his memory.

As with so many well-meaning plans, the decision turned into a controversy when parents of the school objected over concerns it would turn the learning establishment into a target. Some have even gone so far as to say they would take their children out if the name change goes through.

“I have nothing against the idea of ​​renaming a square or a street, but for a school it is not the best way to honour Samuel Paty,”, one school parent told France 3.  

Despite the protests, Mayor Beck is not backing down without a fight. “We must mark in a very solemn way the fact that our conception of the Republic is not that of the Islamist terrorists,” he said. “The students are no more in danger than the children who were on the Promenade des Anglais on 14th July 2016, who were eating ice cream while watching fireworks and who were murdered by a terrorist. The danger is everywhere when it comes to terrorism.”

The mayor made reference to a school near Cannes that was renamed to honour Lieutenant Colonel Aranud Beltrame who was also the victim of murder by terrorism and where no incident has ever occurred.

The fuss may all be moot in the end, as the town hall needs to obtain permission from Paty’s family first before making the change official. That approval is still pending.

 
Photo: Cap d’Ail Mayor Xavier Beck, source Twitter
 
 

Tensions heightened between Vettel and Leclerc

by: Stephanie Horsman
01/12/2020

Ferrari teammates Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc nearly collided at the Bahrain Grand Prix on the weekend, and Vettel openly declared that he was none too pleased with the Monegasque’s moves.
“Again! He can’t just do that, as if I wasn’t there. It’s the same as Austria, seriously. This time maybe we should have crashed, maybe that was the better option!”
That was the heat of the moment war cry from Sebastian Vettel on his car radio as Charles Leclerc nearly side-swiped him through a corner at the Bahrain Grand Prix on Sunday, thus pushing him from the inside track.
The frustration level expressed by Vettel stems from a similar incident at the Austrian Grand Prix where Leclerc actually did side-swipe his teammate, causing damage to his own car and forcing Vettel to immediately retire from the race. Leclerc had to follow suit only a few laps later.
Tensions between the two are well-noted and have grown significantly since the start of this season. They speak of one another through a very thin veneer of politeness, but the cracks are apparent to all. Neither has much good to say about the other these days.
“I took extra care for Charles who I think maybe was a bit ruthless,” Vettel said in an interview with F1 after the race. “After that I think maybe it was a lost fight from there.”
He went on to say, “All morning we talked about leaving space for each other, and then you go into the smallest gap that doesn’t exist and pray that the other sees you and gets out of the way. I was considerate of the other car from us. But I think he showed no consideration. I was particularly careful with Charles, but he was maybe a bit inconsiderate.”
Leclerc was quick to defend himself, declaring, “From my side, I can only say that it was of course extremely tight. But unlike at the Styria Grand Prix, where I did not position myself in a visible position, this time I tried to advance further so that he could see me. But I made sure that he saw me. You can argue that maybe there wasn’t enough spacing between our cars, considering we’re on the same team. But yes … that’s it.”
The end result is that neither pilot had a stellar day, with Vettel finishing 13th and Leclerc in 10th. The race also saw a horrific crash, being touted as one of the worst ever, where Romain Grosjean’s car hit the rails and burst into flames. Happily, the French driver came out relatively unharmed with some burns to his hands and is due to be released from hospital on Tuesday.