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Day: 11 October 2021

Monaco relaxes some Covid restrictions

by: Cassandra Tanti
11/10/2021

Masks are no longer mandatory outdoors in the Principality except in some highly populated areas. The government also announced on Monday that people over 65 are now eligible for a third dose of the Covid vaccine.
The National Council has been asking the government to adjust its mask rule for a number of weeks in light of the low circulation of Covid in the Principality.
On Monday, the government announced that, after consultation with the Joint Monitoring Committee, it will relax some restrictions, but not all of those that were requested by the National Council.
From Tuesday 12th October, masks will only be required at the Place du Palais between 11am and 12:30pm (changing of the guard), the Esplanade of the Fontvieille shopping centre, public transport areas including bus stops and near the train station, and the Condamine and Monte-Carlo markets between 7am and 2pm.
Masks must still be worn in all enclosed public spaces in the Principality.
Also at the request of the National Council, masks are no longer compulsory during physical education and sports classes for all students, both indoors and outdoors. However, masks are still required in primary classrooms. The National Council says it will continue to push to have this mask rule lifted.
Third dose of vaccine
Following a recent announcement by the European Medicines Agency endorsing a third dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, the Prince’s Government has now made the inoculation available for citizens and residents aged 65 and over, as well to healthcare professionals who were vaccinated more than six months ago.
The National Council is requesting that the third dose be made available to everyone in Monaco.
 
 
Photo by Monaco Life
 
 

Prince officially opens Monaco Pavilion

by: Stephanie Horsman
11/10/2021

Prince Albert II has inaugurated the Monaco Pavilion at the Dubai Expo in classic 2021 style – virtually from a mini Pavilion on Port Hercule.
Minister of State Pierre Dartout and Prince Albert, both situated in Monaco, were joined by Minister of State and Managing Director of the Expo Reem Al Hashimi, who was in Dubai, for the ceremony on Friday afternoon.
The real Pavillion, Monaco 360°, opened on 1st October.
Inside the 10sqm miniature pavilion is an interactive booth that allows people in Monaco to talk to visitors in the Dubai Pavilion, as well as a model of the real pavilion.
Via this platform, the Prince was able to praise the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for their success in the opening ceremony and their continued work during the first two weeks of activity, while Al Hashimi stressed that her country is moving toward a common goal of achieving prosperity for their people and those around the globe. She expressed gratitude to Monaco and all the countries who are participating for their commitment to the exposition.
Both agreed that international solidarity was needed to move forward productively to achieve global development goals and enhance sustainability, and that the Expo 2020 was an excellent opportunity to help realise this objective.

Prince Albert examines a model of the Monaco 360° pavilion, photo by Eric Mathon/Prince’s Palace

Inspired by a kaleidoscope, the Monaco Pavilion, under the theme Connecting Minds, Creating the Future, has incorporated The Rock and many other facets of the Principality to give visitors a taste of what Monaco has to offer.
It is spread over several levels and consists of an exposition area, a souvenir shop and a ‘Café de Paris’. The two main exhibition “worlds” are the Garden of Opportunities and a 360º immersion show.
The first is a fantasy garden highlighting Monaco’s special attributes. The scents of the region, such as pine and the sea, permeate the space whilst people walk through discovering the nation’s arts, scientific accomplishments, innovative technology, international reach and environmental protection measures.
The second reveals Monaco’s identity through history, culture and values that bind the country and its people together. Both are interactive experiences aimed at giving visitors a taste of the real Monaco.
Outside the Pavilion lies the Chemin de la Porte Nueve, full of typical trees and flowers designed by the urban development of Monaco.
The pavilion cost 52 million dirhams (€12.2 million) to construct and was built to convey an environmental message through the use of solar panels to generate its own electricity needs without harming the environment.
The Expo 2020 in Dubai will run from 1st October 2021 to 31 March 2022. The mini Monaco 360° Pavilion on Port Hercule will remain open to the public throughout this time.
On 13th November, the Principality of Monaco will celebrate its National Day at the Dubai Expo in the UAE.
 
Top photo by Eric Mathon/Prince’s Palace
 
 

Montecarlo Automobiles launches two new prototypes

by: Stephanie Horsman
11/10/2021

Two sleek prototypes by Montecarlo Automobiles made their world-premiere during the Monaco Yacht Show marking the rebirth of the brand, with a new president and CEO at the helm.
Founded in 1983 by Fulvio Maria Ballabio, Montecarlo Automobiles has a long history of building exceptional vehicles.
The brand has recently undergone a series of changes, not least of which has been the recruitment of a new president in the form of Bogdan Skutkiewicz, as well as Giorgio Stirano who has been brought in as CEO. The duo has been charged with keeping the values of the company put forth by Ballabio whilst maintaining excellence in design and innovation.
To that end, the company presented two new prototype cars at the Monaco Yacht Show on 23rd September. Called the Ètè and the MIG20, they were created specifically to be debuted at the yacht show alongside some of the company’s other models such as the Jetmig and the ALA50.

The ètè had its world-premier at the MYS 2021

The grand unveiling was an event in itself and attracted many personalities including world champion racer Stéphane Richelmi and Alex Caffi, former Formula 1 racing driver, as well as international ballet star, singer and actress Lorena Baricalla.
Also on hand were artist Marcos Marin and Christian Tornatore, Automobile Club de Monaco General Commissioner, and Jacques Pastor, deputy mayor and sport advisor of the City of Monaco.
Montecarlo Automobiles has made a reputation over the years as a company that makes “handmade” sports cars to an incredibly high standard in terms of performance and engineering, making them instant collector’s items by car enthusiasts.
 
Click on the images below to see more pictures of the prototypes and world premier… 

 
Photos provided by Montecarlo Automobiles
 
 

Monaco's Metropole voted among top 10 hotels

by: Stephanie Horsman
11/10/2021

The Metropole Hotel has been awarded a spot in the top 10 hotels in France and Monaco by Conde Nast Traveler’s Readers’ Choice Awards for the fifth year in a row. The hotel also has the distinction of being the sole hotel in the Principality to receive the honour. 

“We are very proud of the renewed recognition of the readers of Condé Nast Traveler,” said the Metropole’s Managing Director Serge Ethuin. “This prestigious award is the result of the daily dedication of our collaborators to offer the highest level of hospitality to our guests who are increasingly looking for a tailor-made experience. They want to find exceptional locations and a genuine customer experience based on real human relationships. At the Hotel Metropole Monte-Carlo, we are keen to offer this type of emotion, we know our guests personally and this explains why we have so many return guests.”

The hotel came in eighth place in the rankings earning an overall score of 98.31 out of 100 and received glowing accolades from the magazine, which declared that the Belle Epoque beauty has “a contemporary edge” with “excellent food” and a spa that is “top-notch”. The awards are the oldest and most prestigious acknowledgement of excellence in the travel industry.

Built in 1889 by Danish architect Hans-Georg Tersling on land that once belonged to Pope Leo XIII, the hotel boasts 125 guest rooms, 64 of them suites. It recently reopened in April 2021 after being closed for the first phase of renovations. 

Currently, there are three restaurants available – Yoshi, the only Japanese restaurant on the Côte d’Azur to be awarded a star since 2010, Odyssey – the charming Karl Lagerfeld designed poolside eatery, as well as the Lobby Bar, which serves delicious fare in a welcoming environment.  

Since its inception, Hotel Metropole Monte-Carlo has attracted an elite, international clientele of aristocrats, celebrities, and captains of industry. It is rumoured the hotel was the inspiration for novelist Edith Wharton’s 1905 tome The House of Mirth.

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The ‘blossoming’ Metropole Hotel

 
 
 

Leclerc secures "positive" result at sodden Turkish GP

by: Luke Entwistle
11/10/2021

Charles Leclerc secured a well-earned fourth place in difficult conditions at the Turkey Grand Prix on Sunday. Despite Leclerc leading the pack for a portion of the race, it was Bottas who secured the victory at a sodden Istanbul Park.
Qualifying in third place, Leclerc managed to keep his nose clean and maintain his position on the opening lap in greasy, slippery conditions. In contrast, Pierre Gasly received a penalty when he was adjudged to be culpable for Alonso’s first corner spin, which saw him relegated to the mid-field.
Throughout the field, there was very little overtaking, with drivers finding it difficult in the dirty air. Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton and Leclerc’s team-mate Carlos Sainz were the exceptions to the rule, both of them fighting through the field after grid penalties had seen them relegated to 11th and 20th place respectively.
Hamilton pulled off a series of impressive overtakes to reach fifth place, whilst Sainz miraculously worked his way into the points from the back of the grid.
Amongst quicker cars, Leclerc managed to hold his own, clinging onto the back of Verstappen’s Red Bull whilst simultaneously creating a comfortable gap to Perez behind.
Whereas many of his rivals changed for a fresh set of intermediate tyres, Leclerc opted to stay out in the hope that his worn tyres could last the race. The decision initially seemed an astute one; Leclerc opened up a healthy lead, and many of those that pitted were complaining of graining.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, source Scuderia Ferrari Press Office

However, as the condition of Leclerc’s tyres deteriorated, he struggled to keep the car on track, and two lock-ups at turn 12 saw his lead slashed. Bottas passed Leclerc to retake the lead, and with other rivals rapidly closing in, Leclerc was forced to pit.
The Monegasque driver rejoined in fourth position, narrowly ahead of Sergio Perez. However, with Leclerc complaining of a lack of rear grip, he was a sitting duck for the superior Red Bull car, who made a simple pass.
Leclerc was then under pressure from championship leader Hamilton, who was flying on a fresh set of intermediate tyres after a late pitstop. However, with an overtake seemingly inevitable, Hamilton’s new tyres began to grain and the drop-off in performance meant he had to settle for fifth.
Leclerc therefore maintained his fourth place, and Bottas, the outgoing Mercedes driver, took the chequered flag in emphatic style to secure his first victory of the season.
Verstappen’s second place was enough for him to retake the championship lead from Hamilton and take a six-point lead with only six races remaining.
An upbeat Leclerc found the positives in his fourth place result, despite his disappointment at narrowly missing out on a podium. “We were very competitive, especially in the first stint and the car felt good… it’s a shame that we lost out on a podium finish, but the performance was there which was a positive.”
Leclerc will go into the American GP in two weeks time in seventh place in the championship, half a point behind his team-mate Sainz.
 
 
Photos source: Scuderia Ferrari Press Office
 
 

Victorious homecoming for Roca team

by: Stephanie Horsman
11/10/2021

After a long road trip that saw two wins and a loss, including a EuroLeague victory over the Kazan Unics, AS Monaco Basketball was back at home on Sunday and took serious control over Le Mans, beating them 81 to 70 in Betclic Elite action.

In this third Betclic Elite game of the season, Coach Zvezdan Mitrovic chose a strong starting line-up of Paris Lee, Alpha Diallo, Rob Gray, Will Thomas and Jerry Boutsiele.

Le Mans opened scoring but were quickly overtaken with two three-pointers by Lee, and the quarter proceeded much in this way with the opposition never taking the lead. The quarter ended with the Roca team in the lead 23 to 18.

The second quarter saw a reenergised Le Mans and they come out swinging, but not hard enough. Ibrahima Fall Faye made two amazing free throws followed by a monster of a slam dunk by Donta Hall. The crowds at Gaston Médecin were going wild, but things slowed a bit as Fall Faye was called out on a penalty. This turned out to be less-than-dramatic though as Le Mans was also racking up the fouls.

The aggressive play proved to be entertaining and as the second period came to a close, the two teams were neck and neck with 41 points each.

Upon the return from the locker room, Monaco found themselves in the bizarre position of falling behind. Things were not looking great for the Roca team as they simply weren’t able to stop Le Mans’s offense. Finally, it was Donta Hall who broke the spell and put his team back in the lead.

This had an effect on the rest of the team and from this point on, they soared. By the last two minutes, the win was sewn up. As the buzzer sounded, Monaco fans cheered their 81 to 70 victory.

“In this match there were ups and downs, that we managed to turn in our favour,” said Coach Mitrovic. “Against Roanne, there hadn’t been a lot of ups, and against Levallois it was just downs. It wasn’t all perfect, but I repeat, I’m happy with how we played. It must be remembered that this is a new team, still learning.”

Danilo Andjusic was high scorer on the night with an incredible 20 points under his belt. He was followed by Paris Lee who had an equally impressive 17 points.

The tam made 24 shots out of 55, with seven for 17 in the three point range. They collected 17 stray balls, had 39 rebounds, 10 assists and made 10 steals.  

The Roca boys are back on the road again to go up against Real Madrid in EuroLeague play on Wednesday.

 
 
Monaco Life with press release, photo by Michael Alessi, Government Communication Department