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Day: 9 February 2022

One Ocean Summit seeks firm commitments

by: Stephanie Horsman
09/02/2022

World leaders and marine specialists have come together in Brest, France, this week for the One Ocean Summit. Organised by French President Emmanuel Macron, the event is designed to rally definitive support for the oceans.

Oceans cover over 70% of the Earth. This alone should make their protection a major priority in the world, but too often, the problems of the seas are shunted aside by the world’s key players. 

As the regulator of the environment, and climate more specifically, a large source of resources and an important trade enabler, it is a link between countries and communities that is under great threat. Pressures such as climate change, overfishing and pollution are creating a situation that is about to reach critical mass in the coming years.

To combat further damage and potentially reverse current bad habits, French President Emmanuel Macron set up the One Ocean Summit. In conjunction with the United Nations, the three-day event being held 9th to 11th February will be a gathering point to discuss the issues affecting the seas.

On the first two days there will be over 30 roundtables, forums, workshops and initiatives with high-level people to engage the international marine community. Amongst the topics are sustainable tourism, ocean governance, the Med, polar oceans, investing in the seas, green maritime corridors, and education for youth.

The final day has been earmarked for a morning where heads of state and government, leaders of multilateral institutions, business leaders and civil society policymakers will join forces to make commitments to improve sea conditions. In this context, more than 500 representatives from 65 countries will be in attendance, with many more speakers taking part live via the internet.

“Several important initiatives will be launched on this occasion in favour of marine ecosystem protection and sustainable fisheries, intended to fight pollution, in particular from plastics, respond to the impacts of climate change, as well as advocate for improved governance of the oceans,” state the event organisers on their website.

The One Ocean Summit is being held in the context of the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union. 

 

 

 

Photo by Frank McKenna on Unsplash

 

 

 

Former F1 team boss off the hook for tax evasion

by: Stephanie Horsman
09/02/2022
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After 12 years and six trials, former Renault Formula One team boss and Monaco resident Flavio Briatore has been acquitted for tax evasion. Now he’s looking to recuperate losses incurred by the lengthy ordeal.

Flavio Briatore is a truly free man. The ex-Renault team boss has spent the past decade fighting off tax fraud charges and, as of 26th January, the Genovese Court of Appeals has cancelled the previous 2018 ruling, which would have subjected the Italian businessman to 18 months in prison.

“Today, after 12 years and six trials, my innocence has finally been recognised. A real ordeal is fortunately over,” he told the Italian press agency Adnkronos.

The odyssey began in 2010 when police seized his yacht, Force Blue, off the coast of Italy. Briatore, now 71, was accused of withholding more than €3.6 million in import VAT and over €800,000 in fuel taxes between 2006 and 2010.

Briatore claims he was the using the 63-metre yacht solely as a user, and the vessel, which was registered in the Cayman Islands and owned by a company in the British Virgin Islands (BVI), was leased to him.

Investigators, though, argued Briatore was the owner of the BVI company, and therefore the official owner of the boat. The yacht was duly confiscated and sat around waiting for a decision to be made on its fate, when in 2021, the Italian state put it up for auction. The estimated value of the boat is €20 million, but it went for a paltry €7 million to friend and former F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone.

Briatore’s lawyer Massimo Pelliccotta told Ansa news agency: “This outcome is unacceptable, because the yacht was sold before the completion of the proceedings.

“Now both the yacht’s new owner and Briatore have the right to demand adequate compensation.”

 

 

 

Monaco opens path for use of unmanned craft

by: Cassandra Tanti
09/02/2022
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The government has introduced new air mobility regulation designed to safeguard Monaco’s airspace and the population while boosting the use of unmanned craft like drones in the Principality.

In June 2019, Monaco’s Civil Aviation Department, supported by Air Space Drone, a company that provides the FlySafe digital platform, and MC-Clic, a Monegasque company specialising in the design of drones and aerial photography, inaugurated a new low altitude airspace management system. The Principality therefore became the first country in the world to deploy a specific program relating to drones and other unmanned aircraft.

In order for air mobility to progress, however, safety must be addressed, so Monaco has now introduced a new regulatory framework that aims to ensure better management of its airspace while adjusting national regulations to the technological developments observed in the aeronautics sector.

Professional drone companies will now be able to apply for an annual permit giving them access to Monaco airspace. They must still obtain prior authorisation for each flight though.

Meanwhile, technical and safety equipment are compulsory in an effort to improve the visibility of drones. The craft must, among other things, be equipped with a parachute to limit risks on the ground and better protect the population against an accidental fall.

Authorised drones must also be equipped with a signaling device compatible with the FlySafe platform, which allows for their identification as well as the monitoring of flights on Monegasque territory.

The new regulations became effective on Sunday 6th February when Ministerial Order No. 2021-532 was published in the Journal de Monaco.

 

SEE ALSO: 

Monaco unveils new FlySafe programme

 

Photo by Jason Blackeye on Unsplash

 

 

Rainier III Academy gets stamp for centenary

by: Stephanie Horsman
09/02/2022
monaco-life-news-monte-carlo-100-years-academie-ranier

A commemorative stamp has been issued for the 100th anniversary of the Rainier III Academy, the Principality’s official music school, which was created in 1922 by Monegasque composer and musician Louis Abbiate.

This is a banner year for the Principality, celebrating several big events, not least the 100th anniversary of the death of Prince Albert I, but also the centenary of the Rainier III Academy, which has been observed with the creation of a new stamp.

In the beginning, the school was more about lessons than a unified establishment. Called the ‘Public and Free Course in Musical Theory and Ensemble Music’, founder Louis Abbiate never saw his school officially recognised. A year after his death, in 1934, the government took over and renamed it the Municipal School of Music by Sovereign Ordinance.

Since then, the school has been under municipal management and has come a long way from the early days when all that was on offer were two courses, one in music theory and the other in ensemble music.

Today’s selections are far vaster for the 800 students, and are divided into departments. There is the Music Section, which covers classical, early music, and jazz and current music. Then there is the Theatre Section, which has lessons in the dramatic arts.

The commemorative stamp was designed by Stefano Morri and embellished with hot foil stamping. There will be a limited run of 40,000 stamps, making it an edition that will no doubt be collectable in years to come.

The stamps will be on sale at the Stamp Office (Office des Timbres), the Museum of Stamps and Coins, at post offices and at stamps dealers in the Principality, as well as at the Carré d’Encre in Paris.

A press conference will be held in April by the Mairie, who will present all other related events of the 100thanniversary of the Academy.

 

 

 

Monaco progress to Coupe de France Semi-Final

by: Luke Entwistle
09/02/2022
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AS Monaco strode to a 2-0 victory in a “dangerous” tie against a battling Amiens side in their Coupe de France quarter-final on Tuesday night, keeping the club’s cup dreams alive.

Phillipe Clement told Monaco Life on Monday that he would ring the changes for the fixture, and he lived up to that promise. Only six that were in Saturday’s line-up in the victory against Lyon featured from the start here against Amiens.

Consistent with recent matches, Monaco once again started in blistering fashion. Aurelien Tchouameni found himself in the right place at the right time inside the box, reacting to a poor clearance from a corner, and lashing in a half-volley inside the opening five minutes.

Against inferior opposition, fans would have assumed that the early blow would have killed the match as a contest. Clearly, the players thought the same, and instead of hammering home their advantage, they sat off, allowing the Ligue 2 side to grow into the fixture.

Surprisingly, it was Amiens who fashioned the better chances before the break. Chadrac Akolo should have done better when he found himself one-on-one against Vito Mannone, but his first-time finish crept narrowly wide.

Having gained a foothold in the game, Amiens couldn’t convert their advantage. Abdoulkader Bamba’s shot just after the break stung the palms of Vito Mannone, who had to be at full stretch to maintain the home side’s lead. Half-time substitutes Guillermo Maripan and Vanderson brought some much needed energy to a lethargic performance, as Monaco began to reassert their control. The latter should have got on the scoresheet almost immediately, but he could only fire wide when one-on-one having been played in by Maghnes Akliouche.

The match would be wrapped up just minutes later. Akliouche, an academy graduate making his first start for the club, played a pivotal role. Latching onto a ball in behind, he turned one defender, brushed off another, before putting the ball on a plate for Kevin Volland, who easily converted.

From there, Monaco comfortably saw out the match, confining the away side’s possession to harmless areas of the pitch. An unspectacular victory, but an important one. Monaco are the first side to qualify for the semi-finals, and given the absence of PSG in the draw for the next round, the cup is there for the taking.

Post-match Clement was happy to have avoided a potential banana skin, telling the assembled media, “Naturally, the most important thing is qualification. You see in this quarter-final there are only four Ligue 1 teams, that means that 16 have already been eliminated. These are always dangerous matches to play, against teams who have nothing to lose.”

Pre-match, Clement also emphasised the importance of balancing the club’s objectives, and a positive result, whilst bedding in some of that youth is a bonus for the manager. “I was also happy to give minutes to young players like Maghnes (Akliouche). Starting him wasn’t a gift. It was for the qualities that he shows in each training session. That’s why it’s normal that he receives opportunities in the right circumstances.”

Sunday’s fixture against Lorient is the final part of a Stade Louis II triple-header, and a win is vital in order to concretise their European credentials.