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Month: July 2021

Leclerc loses lead in last two laps

by: Stephanie Horsman
19/07/2021

The British Grand Prix was filled with thrills and chills, despite the sweltering heat, as Lewis Hamilton ran Max Verstappen off the track in the opening lap, sending him to hospital, then charged past Charles Leclerc in the last two laps of the race to beat the Monegasque, despite his 10-second penalty for the crash.
It was a controversial British GP race at the Silverstone track on Sunday, where World Champion Lewis Hamilton was branded “disrespectful and unsportsmanlike” by Max Verstappen and “dangerous” by Red Bull Chief Christian Horner. There was enough electricity to power a small city.
The first lap saw an overeager Hamilton force Verstappen in to the tyre barriers, rendering his car undrivable for the rest of the race and sending him to hospital for precautionary checks, though no apparent injuries. The crash also put Charles Leclerc in the top spot, where he held onto the lead for most of the race.
This exciting turn of events kept fans of the Ferrari pilot on the edges of their seats, especially as the end neared and Hamilton clawed his way back up the ranks, finally surpassing Leclerc with only two laps to go.
Leclerc’s fantastic podium finish, his first this season, was overshadowed by losing the lead, though it did earn him Formula 1’s Driver of the Day moniker from race fans.
Leclerc said after the race he was battling engine mapping issues, which partly contributed to his inability to hold onto the lead, and despite being disappointed at coming in second, he still was proud of such a good performance at Silverstone.
“It is difficult to enjoy 100% but it has been an incredible race, I gave not 100% but I gave 200%, I gave all of me, but it was just not enough in the last two laps,” said Leclerc after the race.
“We definitely didn’t expect it. We expected after qualifying to be quite competitive but not as competitive as now. We have been fighting for the win, which was incredible, especially on the medium we were extremely quick and then on the hards we lacked a little bit of pace compared to the Mercedes – but overall it was much stronger than we are used to.”
Leclerc had the grace to give credit where due, adding, “Congratulations to Lewis he did an incredible job, and it is amazing to see so many fans in the grandstands. It was fun in the car but lacked just a little bit of pace towards the end.”
The Silverstone finish may be the jumpstart needed for Team Ferrari, who hasn’t seen a podium finish since Carlos Sainz’s in Monaco.
“This was a positive Grand Prix for us, not just because of the result, but mainly because of the progress the team has made,” said Mattia Binotto, Team Principal. “After the race in France the whole group reacted well. We know we are not yet at the point to be fighting for the top places on a regular basis, as there are two cars that are faster than ours. But it’s important that we are working in the right direction.”
 
Photo: Scuderia Ferrari Press Centre
 
 

MEB resumes economic missions in show of "recovery and optimism"

by: Cassandra Tanti
19/07/2021

After a quiet pandemic year, the Monaco Economic Board and its members have hit the road again, this time heading to Florence, Italy for an economic mission.
From 12th to 14th July, the Monaco Economic Board (MEB), with the help of the Embassy of Monaco in Italy, organised an economic mission in collaboration with the Consulate of Monaco in Florence, the Club of Ambassadors of Destination Monaco, the Florence Chamber of Commerce, Cofindustria Firenze and the Promotion Office of the Principality of Monaco in Italy. It is part of a particularly close economic relationship between the Principality and its “other” big neighbour.
“Italy is the leading customer and the leading supplier (excluding France) in terms of trade with Monaco. This economic dynamism can be explained by the close links between the two countries: geographical, historical and cultural proximity,” said the MEB in a statement.

Photo provided by the MEB

For many years, the Monaco Economic Board has been organising operations in Italy in order to intensify these exchanges. For this, it naturally relies on the Embassy of Monaco in Italy and the local Chambers of Commerce. But it also has a valuable network: the Club of Monaco Destination Ambassadors, a club of first-rate Italian economic decision-makers with a strong link to the Principality, supported by the Prince’s Government and the MEB. This network, with more than 400 members and present in 13 cities, allows Monaco to shine at the highest level and aims to offer new business opportunities between the two nations.
In this context, the MEB has organised promotional operations or economic missions to Turin, Milan, Naples, Rome and Venice.
July’s delegation, led by Executive Director General of the MEB Guillaume Rose, was made up of around 10 Monegasque leaders operating in the sectors of banking and finance, ICT, e-commerce, business services, energy and insurance.
On Wednesday 13th, two memoranda of understanding were signed by the MEB and its counterparts from the Florence Chamber of Commerce and Cofindustria Firenze at the Florence Stock Exchange.
Other highlights included visits to Villa Bardini which overlooks Florence, the Nana Bianca incubator and the Gucci museum.
“This economic mission was a real breath of fresh air for our members who, like us, have been stranded by the pandemic,” said Guillaume Rose. “It sends a strong signal of recovery and optimism for companies in the Principality who are thirsty to find new development possibilities.”
The MEB has a series of economic missions planned for the second half of the year to destinations including Antwerp, Saint Petersburg, Amsterdam and the Monaco Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai.
 
 
Top photo provided by the MEB
 
 

All the highlights from the Red Cross Summer Concert

by: Cassandra Tanti
17/07/2021

It was an historic moment as Jamie Cullum took to the stage in the Place du Casino for the Red Cross Summer Concert on Friday night, watched on by the Princely family. 
After many years at the Sporting Monte-Carlo, the event this year took on a new name and a new location. Under the starry summer sky in the Place du Casino, guests gathered for what was the first major concert in Monaco since the pandemic began. It was also the first time the redesigned Casino Square has been transformed into an open-air entertainment venue since it was unveiled in 2020.
Prince Albert II of Monaco was joined for the occasion by his sister Caroline, Princess of Hanover, Pierre Casiraghi, Andrea Casiraghi, Charlotte Casiraghi-Rassam and Gareth Wittstock.
Among the guests was legendary singer Dame Shirley Bassey, the 84-year-old looking effortlessly chic in a black trouser suit.
Art works by acclaimed artists Laurence Jenkell and Nick Danzinger were offered in support of the charity.

Red Cross Summer Concert featuring Jamie Callum by Palais Princier/Monte Carlo Société des Bains de Mer

The Red Cross was established in 1948 by Prince Louis II, and the gala has been an opportunity to showcase its ongoing daily action among the most vulnerable over the past 73 years.
The missions of the Monaco Red Cross are to save lives and prepare the general population for disasters, to support all people in need without discrimination and to lead awareness-raising and preventive actions in the humanitarian sector. It acts both nationally and internationally.
It is supported and guided by HSH Prince Albert II.

Video by Palais Princier/Monte Carlo Société des Bains de Mer
Shirley Bassey at the Red Cross Summer Concert by Palais Princier/Monte Carlo Société des Bains de Mer

HSH Prince Albert II and Caroline Princess of Hanover with Mr and Mrs Gareth Wittstock, Charlotte Casiraghi-Rassam, Andrea and Tatiana Casiraghi, Beatrice and Pierre Casiraghi by Palais Princier

HSH Prince Albert II and Caroline Princess of Hanover with Frederic Platini, Pierre Dartout, Jean-Luc Biamonti and Bettina Ragazzoni-Janin by Palais Princier

HSH Prince Albert II and artist Laurence Jenk by Palais Princier

Café de Paris all dressed up for the Red Cross Summer Concert, by Monte Carlo Société des Bains de Mer

Photo by Monte Carlo Société des Bains de Mer

Photo of Jamie Cullum in concert by Monte Carlo Société des Bains de Mer

Photo of Jamie Cullum by Monte Carlo Société des Bains de Mer

 
 
 
 

Monaco establishes its first e-Embassy in Luxembourg

by: Cassandra Tanti
16/07/2021

The Principality now has an e-Embassy in Luxembourg, a digital innovation that is designed to protect Monaco’s sensitive data in the event of a cyberattack or natural disaster.
The Principality’s e-Embassy on Luxembourg soil was officially born on 15th July when Monaco’s Minister of State Pierre Dartout and Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel signed a bilateral agreement.
It is the first of its kind for Monaco and offers the same guarantees of inviolability and immunity as those granted to a physical embassy.
The deal safeguards sensitive computer data in the case of a natural disaster or cyberattack in the Principality. It means that Luxembourg will host the digital twin version of Monaco’s sovereign cloud.
“This e-Embassy was designed and built in Luxembourg, but with our security standards to ensure the sovereignty of our national digital data,” said Monaco’s Interministerial Delegate in charge of the Digital Transition Frédéric Genta, the main architect of the agreement.
Estonia was the first country to establish an e-Embassy in Luxembourg in 2015, and Monaco is the second. The concept of e-Embassies is an innovation in diplomatic relations that ensures the hosting of sensitive data in a friendly country combined with guarantees of immunity.
While it is a totally new concept in international law, the same rules apply as they do for actual embassies – the data centres constitute sovereign territory of the country that owns the data.
The data saved in these virtual embassies are copies of a country’s most sensitive and confidential data, or even digital twins of a country’s ‘cloud’. Thus in a world in which cyberattacks are on the increase, e-embassies are designed to help protect vital data and services that are essential to the smooth running of a country, thereby reducing the potential impact of a cyberattack.
 
 
Photo of Pierre Dartout and Xavier Bettel by SIP – JC Verhaegen
 
 
 
 

What should I do after a holiday abroad?

by: Stephanie Horsman
16/07/2021

It is vacation season, and while travel to high-risk zones is still discouraged, many international borders are open throughout the world. So, what are residents expected to do when re-entering the Principality after a holiday abroad?
The government of Monaco has not, as yet, implemented strict rules for returning citizens and residents, including the need to present a negative PCR test. However, with the fast-spreading Delta variant on the loose, they are strongly encouraging it for the safety of all.
The government recently updated the travel information on its Covid information page Covid-19.mc to suggest that all returning residents get a PCR test to help curb the spread of the Delta variant, including those who have been fully vaccinated.
“Following the rapid spread of the Delta variant in several regions of Europe, the Prince’s Government invites all residents returning from a stay abroad to be tested. Today, many contaminations are brought in by people returning from a stay who can in turn contaminate those in their own homes. Preventive screening when returning from vacation can quickly break a chain of contamination,” the government states on its website.
The circulation of the virus has increased over recent weeks in Monaco, with the incidence rate doubling to 91, according to the latest figures. Though the number of hospitalisations remains fairly stable, the fear is that this new variant may put pressure on the Princess Grace Hospital once again.
The fast-moving Delta variant is the predominant strain of the Covid virus in the Principality’s neighbouring region, the Alpes-Maritimes. On 11th July, the variant was detected in 80.9% of tests taken in the area and was found mostly in the 20 to 29-year-old age range, showing this version of the virus is attacking younger people more than previous ones.
 
 
 
Photo by Lukas Souza on Unsplash
 
 
 
 

Monaco donating thousands of vaccines to WHO initiative

by: Stephanie Horsman
16/07/2021

Prince Albert II has announced that Monaco will be giving away 15,600 doses of Covid vaccine to countries that are having difficulty obtaining the life-saving drug.

In the Principality, receiving a Covid jab is as simple as making an appointment and turning up on time, but this isn’t the case in many places around the world. Several countries are struggling to find enough vaccines for their populations, leaving even the most vulnerable at high risk.

The Principality is working to help rectify this situation by donating 15,600 doses of the Covid vaccine to the Covax programme, an initiative launched by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to ensure more jabs are available to those countries struggling to get them.

A press release from the Palace states that “the Princely government has shown, from the launch of the Covax Facility, its intention to participate in this initiative with the signing, on October 9, 2020, of an agreement to purchase vaccine doses.” 

The doses will be given directly to the WHO which will distribute them “in an equitable manner according to the needs that will have been identified by it,” said the Palace.

The goal of Covax is to dispense two billion doses by the end of this year to any needy country despite their ability to pay.

 
 
Photo by Adrià Crehuet Cano on Unsplash