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Day: 8 April 2021

100% vaccinations for cruise crew and guests

by: Cassandra Tanti
08/04/2021

Luxury cruise line Silversea Cruises, headquartered in Monaco, has announced that it will return to service in June with a fully vaccinated crew and guests. The health measure is increasingly being adopted by cruise lines across the globe as the industry battles for its recovery.
America’s Centres for Disease Control and Prevention issued long-awaited technical guidance for cruise lines on Friday, bringing them one step closer to sailing again, particularly in U.S. waters.
It said that vaccination is critical in the safe resumption of cruising and it recommended all eligible port personnel, crew and passengers get a Covid-19 vaccine as soon as one becomes available to them.
But like many of its European counterparts, Silversea Cruises has gone one step further, making vaccination mandatory for both crew and passengers.
The company will set sail from 18th June with Silver Moon, the cruise line’s new flagship, for 10-day itineraries to the Eastern Mediterranean from Greece.
“Our guests share our excitement for our eagerly-anticipated healthy return to service. In recent months, we have seen the cruise industry resume responsibly in destinations around the world and we are delighted to announce these new inaugural sailings for our flagship,” says Roberto Martinoli, President and CEO of Silversea Cruises. “Vaccinations will play a critical role in ensuring the health and safety of our guests, crew, and the communities we visit, which we prioritise above all else.”
Norwegian Cruise Line, one of the industry’s biggest operators, said Monday that it will resume sailing in Greece, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic in July with mandatory vaccinations for all crew and guests. During a press conference this week, President and CEO Harry Sommer said vaccines paired with multi-layered health and safety protocols meant the chances of an outbreak on a ship was “astronomically low”.
Silversea Cruises also says the vaccinations will form part of a comprehensive, multi-layered set of science-backed protocol approved by the Royal Caribbean Group’s Healthy Sail Panel, and that it will continue to work closely with relevant governing bodies and health authorities to evolve its health and safety procedures, as new health recommendations are issued and as the fluid situation advances.
The protocol includes enhanced sanitation procedures, increased air filtration, high-quality onboard medical care with state-of-the-art medical equipment, and enhanced medical teams on each ship.
Cruise ships across the globe have been docked for over a year because of the pandemic and many can only restart operations by following the CDC’s Framework for Conditional Sailing Order.
Other lines to announce mandatory vaccinations include Saga Cruises, Royal Caribbean, Crystal Cruises, Virgin Voyages, and P&O Cruises.
 
READ ALSO: Completing a cruise ship during Covid
 
Photo by Fiippo Vinardi
 
 

Finance ministers meet for climate change action

by: Stephanie Horsman
08/04/2021

Monaco’s Jean Castellini has joined finance ministers from across the globe in a meeting designed to foster economic growth strategies that take into account the environment and the challenges for all nations associated with climate change.
Launched two years ago, the Coalition of Finance Ministers for Climate Action is a meeting of 60 nations’ finance ministers to deliberate and find ways to work together on economic planning strategies that are beneficial in the fight against climate change.
These minister’s countries represent approximately 39% of greenhouse gas emissions and 63% of global gross domestic product.
The virtual meeting on Tuesday was an opportunity for the coalition to renew their calls for the development of sustainable finance, and to stress the need for an eco-friendly post-Covid recovery.
Monaco’s Finance Minister Jean Castellini gave a video speech on the importance of promoting strong economic recovery and growth, while accelerating the transition to a low carbon economy.
“For decades Monaco has thrived to maintain its public finances in order and to invest its budget surpluses in a reserve fund whose creation was enacted in our 1962 constitution,” he said in his address. “For over 20 years, our fund has invested part of its assets in sustainable investment funds.
“Today, in a way consistent with our Sovereign, Prince Albert II and his foundation for the fight against climate change around the world, the Principality intends to broaden the scope of its sustainable investments in all asset classes to foster sustainable innovation and technologies and to mobilise the resources of its banking and asset management industry in the same direction.”
In March, the government announced the creation of a new working group comprising members of the government and the Monaco Association for Financial Activities (AMAF), for a new initiative called ‘Monaco Sustainable Finance’.

READ ALSO: After digital, Monaco is “banking” on sustainable finance

The minister also highlighted the “green recovery” measure put in place by the Principality, in particular the Green Fund, as part of the national recovery plan, a fund that works “by encouraging sustainable innovation in building and construction, by favouring alternative means of transportation in our territory and by promoting sustainable and virtuous tourism in all possible ways.”
 
 

EMA officially confirms AstraZeneca blood clot link

by: Stephanie Horsman
08/04/2021

The European Medicines Agency has officially confirmed a link between the AstraZeneca shot and a rare type of blood clotting, saying that it will be listed as a rare side effect. However, Europe’s drug regulator did not go so far as to recommend limiting its use in the fight against Covid-19.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) announced on Wednesday a link between the AstraZeneca vaccine and unusual blood clots in the sinuses that drain blood from the brain and in the abdomen, along with low platelet counts. Its conclusion came after examining 86 cases in the continent, 18 of whom died as a result.
Meanwhile, 25 million Europeans have been given this vaccine.
The health agency has recommended that clotting be added to the list of very rare side effects but stopped far short of recommending its discontinuation.
“First of all, I want to start by stating that our safety committee (the Pharmacovigilance and Risk Assessment Committee or PRAC) … has confirmed that the benefits of the AstraZeneca vaccine in preventing Covid-19 overall outweigh the risks of side effects,” EMA Executive Director Emer Cooke said at a press conference, adding, “This vaccine has proven to be highly effective. It prevents severe disease and hospitalisation, and it is saving lives.”
Ms Cooke said that one “plausible explanation” for these rare side effects is an immune response to the vaccine. The condition is similar to one seen in people who are taking heparin, a blood thinning drug used to prevent the formation of clots.
The EMA has advised people to be on the lookout for several telltale signs that could be related to blood clotting including shortness of breath, chest pain, leg swelling, persistent abdominal pain, neurological symptoms such as severe and persistent headaches or blurred vision, or tiny blood spots under the skin beyond the site of the injection.
Meanwhile, the EMA says the risk profile is unclear, however when looking at the age and gender of those affected, most of the cases occurred in women under the age of 60 within two weeks of being inoculated.
The World Health Organisation’s advisory vaccine safety panel said on Wednesday that although a link to blood clots was “plausible” it was “not confirmed” and the cases were extremely rare among the 200 million people already vaccinated with the jab around the world.
The AstraZeneca vaccine has been restricted to those aged over 55 in France, while the UK is offering an alternative shot to those aged 30 and under. Some countries, such as Denmark, have suspended use of the vaccine altogether.
 
Photo by Ina Fassbender / AFP
 
 

Monaco receives three new ambassadors

by: Stephanie Horsman
08/04/2021

The Principality has welcomed three new ambassadors from Iran, Latvia and Honduras.
Laurent Anselmi, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, joined Ambassador for Iran Bahram Ghasemi, Ambassador of Latvia Eduards Stiprais, and Ambassador for Honduras Ivonne Bonilla Medina on Tuesday at a luncheon at the Hermitage Hotel. Prior to the lunch, they offered their credentials to Prince Albert II as is custom.
Following a career in journalism, Bahram Ghasemi joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1981 as Deputy Director of the Energy Department. He was appointed as Iran’s Ambassador to Ireland in 1987, and subsequently served in the same role in Spain, Italy and Malta. During his career, he has been the Director-General for Western Europe, Vice-President for International Research at the Centre for Strategic Studies, Spokesperson and, finally, Head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Public Diplomacy and Media Centre.
Having joined Latvia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1993, Eduards Stiprais was appointed Ambassador to the European Union in 2004. He has also served as his country’s ambassador to Great Britain, to Northern Ireland and to Uzbekistan. He headed the Chancery of the President of the Republic and the Bilateral Relations Directorate before being promoted to Under-Secretary of State and Political Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Ivonne Bonilla Medina has served in various roles within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Honduras, including Director-General of International Treaties, Minister and Head of Consular Affairs at the Embassy of Honduras in Canada, Director-General of Consular Affairs and Migration Policy, and Honduras’ Ambassador to Argentina, the Oriental Republic of Uruguay and the Republic of Paraguay.
 
Photo from left to right: Eduards Stiprais, Ambassador of the Republic of Latvia; Bahram Ghasemi, Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran; Laurent Anselmi, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, and Ivonne Bonilla Medina, Ambassador of the Republic of Honduras. By Government Communication Department/Michael Alesi
 
 

Gérald Mathieu named CEO Barclays Monaco

by: Stephanie Horsman
08/04/2021

Barclays Monaco has announced that Gérald Mathieu will relocate to the Principality to take on the role of CEO while continuing to lead Barclays Private Bank, Europe and Middle East.
As CEO, Gérald Mathieu will work closely with Olivier Franceschelli, Head of Private Banking Monaco, in positioning the business for growth in the Principality. Barclays Private Bank, which has been present in Monaco for nearly a century, is the longest-serving foreign bank in the Principality.
Mr Mathieu has spent the past three years based in Geneva as CEO of Barclays Bank Suisse, having previously led the Barclays Private Bank team in Monaco. He became Head of Barclays Private Bank Europe, Monaco and Switzerland in August 2020 and in March 2021, also took up leadership of Barclays Private Bank in the Middle East. Before joining Barclays in 2010, he was Head of Private Banking at UBS for the Paris region. He has also held senior roles as Head of Sales at Merrill Lynch and as Private/Corporate Clients Director at BNP Paribas.
“Monaco is a special place to me and I am delighted to be returning to the Principality at such an exciting point for Barclays”, said Gérald Mathieu. “During my first week back in Monaco I had the privilege of taking part in the events surrounding the fourth Monaco Ocean Week, which we are supporting through our partnership with the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation to safeguard ocean bio-diversity and maintain a stable climate. This is another example of how we’re honouring Barclays’ longstanding commitment to the Principality, especially in the run up to Barclays Monaco centenary year celebrations.”