IHO, founded by Prince Albert I, celebrates centenary

Prince Albert joined the International Hydrographic Organisation for its 100th anniversary celebrations on Monday, an entity that his great great grandfather founded. 
Founded on 21st June 1921 by Prince Albert I, the International Hydrographic Organisation (IHO) has grown to encompass 94 member states whose main goal is to ensure that the world’s seas, oceans and navigable waters are properly surveyed and charted, creating international standards followed by all sailors.
As part of the centennial celebrations, Prince Albert II was joined by Dr. Mathias Jonas, Secretary General of the IHO, Engineer General Laurent Kerléguer, Director General of the French Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service (SHOM) and Peter Thomson, UN Special Envoy for the Oceans where they broadcasted live on YouTube on the IHO channel.
Italy sent the flagship of the Italian navy, the Amerigo Vespucci, which is currently being used as a training vessel for cadets.
In addition to looking at their illustrious past, the celebrations looked to the future, demonstrating modern technologies being used to get hydro-oceanographic data, such as drones and autonomous vehicles which will deployed from the Principality.
iXblue demonstrated the Drix, a 7.7 metre autonomous surface vehicle capable of being run either by remote control or through completely autonomous operations in supervised mode.
The ECA group then presented the A18D autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) on the Port Hercule seawall in Quai Rainier III. The A18D is 5.5m long, has a range of 24 hours, can reach speeds of 6 knots and can operate at a depth of 3,000m.
ECA and iXblue had stands offering technical information with video support on the quay in front of the Amerigo Vespucci.
Access was free and open to the public, and staff were on hand to answer questions and exhibit new seabed mapping strategies, as well as show how the autonomous vehicles collect data.
Meanwhile, a webinar was held focusing on the future of hydrography with talks from representatives from IHO member states and industry partners including Dr. Geneviève Bechard, Director of the Canadian Hydrographic Service and President of the IHO Council, Bjorn Jalving, Senior Vice President for Technology at Kongsberg, Emma Wise, Sales Director at SevenCs / ChartWorld International and Dr. Peter Heffernan, Ambassador for the Ocean, former CEO of the Marine Institute Ireland.
The IHO enjoys observer status at the United Nations, where it is the recognised competent authority on hydrographic surveying and nautical charting. When referring to hydrography and nautical charting in Conventions and similar Instruments, it is the IHO standards and specifications that are normally used.
 
 
Photo by Stephane Danna, Government Communication Department
 
 
 

Study shows Pfizer vaccine reduces infection by 91%

The mRNA Pfizer vaccine, the only inoculation currently administered in Monaco, reduces the risk of Covid infection by 91% in fully vaccinated people, according to a new CDC study.
In a statement released by the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the results add “to the growing body of real-world evidence of the vaccines’ effectiveness.”
According to the study, only 5% of fully vaccinated participants tested positive for coronavirus.
Even partially vaccinated people are 81% less likely to become infected than people who haven’t been inoculated.
The ongoing study examines the effectiveness of the mRNA Covid-19 vaccines Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna.
“Covid-19 vaccines are a critical tool in overcoming this pandemic,” said CDC Director Rochelle P. Walensky, MD, MPH. “Findings from the extended timeframe of this study add to accumulating evidence that mRNA Covid-19 vaccines are effective and should prevent most infections — but that fully vaccinated people who still get Covid-19 are likely to have milder, shorter illness and appear to be less likely to spread the virus to others. These benefits are another important reason to get vaccinated.”
The data was collected from 3,900 health care workers, first responders, front line workers and other essential staff who are more likely to be exposed to the virus because of their occupations. They were tested weekly between December 2020 and April 2021.
Those who became infected after being fully or partially vaccinated were more likely to have milder and shorter illness compared to those who were unvaccinated. For example, fully or partially vaccinated people who developed Covid-19 spent on average six fewer total days sick and two fewer days sick in bed. They also had about a 60%  lower risk of developing symptoms, like fever or chills, compared to those who were unvaccinated. Some study participants infected with SARS-CoV-2 did not develop symptoms at all.
The study also found that fully or partially vaccinated people who got Covid might be less likely to spread the virus to others. There was, on average, 40% less detectable virus in a participants nose and they were 66% less likely to test positive for SARS-CoV-2 for more than one week compared to those who were unvaccinated.
“While these indicators are not a direct measure of a person’s ability to spread the virus, they have been correlated with reduced spread of other viruses, such as varicella and influenza,” said the CDC in a statement.
According to the Monaco government, the mRNA Pfizer-BioNTech is the only vaccination currently administered in Monaco. It has indicated that it would also use Moderna.
Everyone 12 years and older is now eligible to get a Covid-19 vaccination in Monaco and the government has renewed calls for as many people as possible to get the jab following a rise in circulation over the past weeks.
As of 17th June, 19,466 people in Monaco had received at least one Covid vaccine, equivalent to 56.53% of the eligible population. Of those, 81.3% had also received their second inoculation.
 
 
Photo source: Pixabay
 
 

Artmonte-carlo 2021

Artmonte-carlo is set to return this July as a leading platform for contemporary art, modern art, design and, new this year, high-end jewellery. 
Following the success of artgenéve, artmonte-carlo was established in 2016 by Thomas Hug under the high Patronage of HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco and has since established itself as one of the Principality’s leading international art market events.
Each year, artmonte-carlo presents around 50 carefully selected international galleries. This year they include Hauser & Wirth – who has just established a gallery in Monaco, PACE, White Cube, kamel mennour, Perrotin, Air de Paris, Almine Rech, Esther Schipper and Carpenters Workshop, as well as modern and antique art dealers such as Dickinson, Waddington Custot, Mazzoleni, Thomas Gibson Fine Art, Robilant + Voena and Moretti Fine Art.
Alongside the gallery programme is the artmonte-carlo forum, an international platform dedicated to thought production, collaborations and exchanges. It brings together art professionals and thinkers to discuss and imagine common projects.
Private collections and the region’s heritage are also highlighted within the exhibition.
A monumental installation by artist Otto Piene will be presented on the Esplanade of the Grimaldi Forum, in collaboration with Berlin gallery Sprüth Magers.
Meanwhile, the fair will feature a new section this year – high-end jewelry brands.
The 5th anniversary edition of artmonte-carlo will take place from the 15th to 17th July at the Grimaldi Forum Monaco.
 
Photo by Annik Wetter
 
 

Ireland, France, Russia win spots at Tokyo Olympics

The Irish men’s rugby team will go to the Olympic Games in Tokyo for the first time ever after defeating France 28-19 in the Rugby 7s qualifiers over the weekend in Monaco, while the French women’s team trounced Hong Kong 51 to nil earning them their ticket as well.
It was an exciting weekend at the Stade Louis II as the Rugby 7s played out, giving hopefuls their last chance to earn a spot for the upcoming Olympic Games in Tokyo this summer.
On the men’s side, it was Ireland who prevailed against the French, sending them to the Games for the first time in their history. The final four of the repechage were Ireland, France, Samoa and Hong Kong, with Ireland being the underdog, and the surprise win was a bit of a shock to even to them.
“It’s just bizarre,” Ireland captain Billy Dardis said. “You dream of doing something really special, and that’s playing rugby. It’s incredible what we’ve done just over a number of years. It’s absolutely incredible.”
Meanwhile, two women’s teams also punched their tickets for Tokyo as France crushed Hong Kong and Russia handily beat Kazakhstan 38 to nil.
France’s coach David Courteix proudly remarked on the team and their victory, saying, “Frankly, there is not much to say about the performance. They amaze us even more each time!”
The French women remarkably didn’t concede a single point the entire weekend, something they didn’t expect.
“We had to realise that we had made a lot of progress,” said Team Captain Fanny Horta, “that we were a great nation that was going to fall in the face of motivated teams but that we had had time to work together and that was going to pay off.”
The Russian women’s team will be heading to their first Olympics as a result of their win, alongside Les Bleus.
 
Photo by Stephane Danna, Government Communication Department 
 
 
 

Roca team still in quarter finals despite loss

AS Monaco Basketball took a fall to Asvel Strasbourg on Friday night, putting them in fourth place overall for the Jeep Elite regular season, but still giving them the golden ticket to move ahead to the quarterfinals.

The Roca team has had an absolutely punishing schedule this past month and a half. The team played an exhausting 16 games in 40 days, with the final one of the regular season taking place at home in Salle Gaston Médecin on Friday night against Strasbourg. They jump straight into quarterfinal play on Monday when they face off against Bourg-en-Bresse in Monaco.

Coach Zvezdan Mitrovic, knowing the quarterfinals were in the bag, used this chance to pull some of his younger players off the bench to participate, and they played valiantly against a super strong Asvel team.

“These are matches without adrenaline, that’s how we experienced the end of the regular season, knowing since this month of June that it was enough to finish in the Top 4 for play in the quarter-final at home,” said Coach Z after the match. “Bourg is a very good team, it will be a good quarter-final. If we qualify, then we will play without the internationals. It’s hard to talk about the game right now. Regardless, we will always try to win.”

Clearly the coach was already focusing on the quarters, so his decision to give his stars a rest was wise indeed considering the gruelling schedule the team are coming off of. That’s not to say some familiar faces weren’t present, but many new names were on hand, giving fans a chance to see what the stars of tomorrow will look like.

In the end, the score was 73 to 98, a good effort all around. Now they can put energy toward the final matches.

“We will be very motivated for this quarter-final, and I especially, because I was unable to compete in the EuroCup,” said point guard Brenden Frazier. “We will prepare with all the necessary concentration and a new workforce. My goal is to win the championship with Monaco. The absences of Mathias and Ibou in the event of Final Four? Of course, it’s very special, I had never seen that in my career, but we can’t do anything about it, we will have to give our all.”

Monaco made 24 shots out of 64 attempts, going six for 22 in three-point range. They had 36 rebounds, with Rasid Mahalbasić taking eight on his own. The team recovered ten stray balls, had eight assists and stole the ball five times.

Rob Gray was high scorer with 20 points. Yohan Choupas came in with a strong 13 points followed by Ibrahima Fall Faye and Mahalbasić with 10 each.

Fans can join Monaco on Monday night at 7pm, when they take on Bourg-en-Bresse for the first game of the Jeep elite quarterfinals.

Photo by Eric Mathon / Palais princier

Meanwhile, Prince Albert thanked the entire team of AS Monaco Basketball for their first victory in the Eurocup during a reception organised on Thursday 17th June at the Prince’s Palace. After warmly congratulating the team, the Prince presented each member with the medal for Physical Education and Sports.
AS Monaco went up against the Unics Kazan on 30th April, winning 86-83. It marked the first European title for a Monegasque team.
 
Monaco Life with AS Monaco Basketball press release, photo by AS Monaco Basketball