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Month: April 2022

Abercrombie & Kent celebrates 60 years of pioneering travel

by: Cassandra Tanti
30/04/2022

Multi-award-winning luxury travel company Abercrombie & Kent has been at the forefront of luxury adventure since it was founded by Geoffrey Kent and his parents 60 years ago. The company has since charted an innovative course, beginning in the wilds of Africa and growing to become the largest luxury travel company in the world.

Geoffrey Kent redefined luxury travel with the philosophy of “shoot with a camera, not with a gun”.  Other safari outfitters relied on hunters, but Abercrombie & Kent (A&K) was the first to introduce refrigeration, making it possible to have fresh meat, vegetables, and ice in the bush. “It all started quite modestly,” explains Kent. “We had no ambitions to take over the world, we just wanted to keep the refrigerated truck running so that the ice wouldn’t melt and the meat wouldn’t spoil.  I knew that the secret to making someone feel at home in the middle of nowhere was a hot dinner and a cold drink. Simple as that.”

To celebrate the company’s 60th anniversary, A&K experts have selected iconic experiences representing the past six decades for the Greatest of All Trips (GOAT), an around-the-world itinerary showcasing 13 countries on all seven continents, encompassing national parks, UNESCO World Heritage sites, endangered animals and much more.

Geoffrey Kent in Africa, Tanzania

East Africa

The adventure begins where A&K started in 1962 on a Ultimate East Africa Safari. One of the wonders of the natural world, more than 1.4 million wildebeest — along with gazelles and zebra — stampede Lion King-style, following the rains from the Serengeti to the Masai Mara, the largest migration on Earth.

A&K was founded on a belief in sustainable, nature-based tourism and was a pioneer in gorilla tracking in Uganda. “I worked with the president to set aside Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, now home to half of the world’s surviving mountain gorillas. Today the sale of gorilla tracking permits contributes more than $1 million to the local economy.  At the same time, we have not forgotten the human population. Through Abercrombie & Kent Philanthropy, we’ve built a hospital that has helped to reduce infant mortality by more than 50 percent,” explains Kent.

Egypt: A Journey Back in Time

Egypt was A&K’s first destination outside sub-Saharan Africa. “Egypt is a place everyone must experience at least once in their lives,” says Kent. “Sailing on the Nile is like a trip back in time.” To guarantee the quality of the experience, A&K built the first ‘Sun Boat’ and today its award-winning Sanctuary Nile River cruisers offer privileged access to the country’s most famous sites, accompanied by the region’s best Egyptologists in Egypt in Style.

India, Agra

The Treasures of India

Having played polo in India, Geoffrey Kent knew many of the royal families of Rajasthan who welcomed guests and converted their palaces into extraordinary hotels, so India became A&K’s next destination. Classic Northern India opens doors to these artistic traditions, with opportunities to see the Taj Mahal at sunrise and sunset. The national parks are a veritable Jungle Book of wildlife, including the elusive Bengal tiger.

Angkor Wat

A&K was one of the first tour operators in the region and today its local experts bring travellers on a personal journey to meet specialists in culture, food and history, discovering centuries of art and architecture, cycling through rice fields and trekking through valleys to truly understand the kingdom’s heritage and the historic links between Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos on Indochina Adventures, add Thailand with Classic Thailand.

Australia

Australia: Down Under

Cruise Sydney harbour with a glass of Australia’s finest wine. Dine in the desert under the stars, gazing up at Uluru (Ayers Rock), before rising early to watch the sunrise. Go walkabout in a UNESCO World Heritage rainforest with a local bushman. A&K has been revealing hidden corners of this remarkable landscape since 1986, travel on Classic Australia to experience the highlights.

Machu Picchu: Path of the Incas

Travel by train through a narrow gorge surrounded by the snow-capped Andes, or trek the last portion of the Inca Trail, to the “Lost City” of Machu Picchu on Classic Peru. Enjoy a private lecture with a renowned scholar in Incan history before discovering the magnificent ruins in the company of a local expert guide. A&K’s long-standing roots allow guests an exclusive visit to a remote village to meet local residents for an inside look at daily life.

Antarctica: The White Continent

For more than 30 years, A&K has delivered intrepid travellers to a world where pristine ice and snow contrast starkly with the ever-changing sea and sky on a Luxury Expedition Cruise of a lifetime to Antarctica. Learn about the effects of rising global temperatures firsthand on Antarctica: A Changing Landscape with enthralling lectures, daily Zodiac excursions to the White Continent and wildlife from lively penguin colonies to several species of whales.

Antarctica

North America

Just as travellers were emerging from the pandemic, A&K expanded operations in the U.S. The growing demand for private bubbles inspired Tailor Made National Parks by Private Air. Experience the full majesty of Yosemite, the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone with expert local guides, flying by privately chartered air from one awe-inspiring landscape to the next, enjoying five-star hospitality along the way. 

Europe

Once in Italy, take in three of Italy’s most iconic cities. From Venice, with its romance-laden canals to Florence and its masterpieces and then Rome and its inescapable history. On Classic Italy expert A&K guides will unlock the secrets of this historic Italian trio, where A&K has been taking guests beyond the guidebooks since 1997.

 

 

Photos provided by Abercrombie & Kent

 

 

 

Prince to co-convene Blue Climate Summit

by: Stephanie Horsman
29/04/2022

Prince Albert II will play co-sponsor at the Blue Climate Summit in French Polynesia this month, an event aimed at accelerating ocean-related solutions to climate change.

When it comes to enacting positive change for the environment, Prince Albert II is second to none in commitment. His latest endeavour involves the first ever Blue Climate Summit, initiated by the Blue Climate Initiative, running from 14th to 20th May.

This global event aims to advance ocean-leveraging solutions to combat climate change. The summit will be structured around six missions that serve to channel actions, collaborations and commitments, and include climate change mitigation, ocean protection, CO2 removal, healthy blue communities, sustainable tourism, and improved ocean understanding.

Galvanizing task forces, launching major announcements, presenting impact investment opportunities, and providing Pacific Islanders an international forum to spearhead action on ocean and climate issues will be another focus of the event.

In addition to the Prince, more than 200 scientists, innovators, policymakers, business and financial experts, community leaders, and environmental and youth activists will come together to work on ocean and climate strategies during the week.

During the summit, French Polynesian President Edouard Fritch will present $1 million to BCI’s Ocean Innovation Prize winners.

The final day will see a public Ocean Aid Concert on the waterfront, bringing together international and local artists to raise public awareness and inspire action.

The event will be a “climate-positive, net-zero event” where all participants will do what they can to offset emissions, shooting for the least impact possible, with $200,000 being invested directly into projects that offset at least 1,800 tonnes of CO2, estimated to be more than twice the Summit’s total footprint for the week.

 

 

 

Next-gen Formula E car revealed in Monaco

by: Luke Entwistle
29/04/2022

The next generation of Formula E racer, the Gen3, was unveiled to the public at the Monaco Yacht Club on Thursday. Designed specifically for street racing, it will make its debut next year.

At the cutting edge of technological advancements, Formula E’s new model, which will be put into action from season nine onwards, once again pushes the boundaries of what is possible for electric race cars. High-performing, efficient and sustainable, the car is the embodiment of the idea that these aren’t mutually exclusive elements and can in fact co-exist.

The car was developed by experts within Formula E and the FIA, and boasts a whole host of impressive performance features including a top speed of over 200 mph, making it the fastest Formula E car yet. More than 40% energy is produced by regenerative braking, making it the most efficient Formula E car, while 95% efficiency is achieved from an electric motor delivering up to 350kW of power.

In addition, natural materials and recycled fibres have been incorporated into the tyres, batteries and bodywork construction with considerations about life cycles central to their thinking. The Gen3 batteries will also be the most sustainable and advanced batteries ever made, whilst the minerals for the batteries will be sustainably-sourced. It will also be possible to reuse and recycle them at the end of their life.

At the launch, Jamie Reigle, Chief Executive Officer of Formula E reflected on the importance of unveiling the new generation of racer in the Principality. “Monaco is the spiritual home of motorsport and there is nowhere more fitting to unveil our Gen3 car,” he began. “The Gen3 disrupts and challenges the conventions of motorsport, setting the benchmark for performance, efficiency and sustainability without compromise.”

Monaco-based ROKiT Venturi Racing’s Team Principal Jerome D’Ambrosio also referenced the beautiful aesthetics of the Gen3. “Visually, the car looks extremely futuristic, but the most exciting aspect is beneath the bodywork. This car is more powerful and lighter than anything we have raced in the past, but it’s also the most technologically advanced electric racing car in the world.”

“I’m very excited to see what this new generation of racing holds,” D’Ambrosio concluded. 2023 will herald a new era for electric motorsport racing, as Formula E once again positions itself at the forefront of technological advancement.

 

 

 

ASM match preview: “My players are ready for the final sprint”

by: Luke Entwistle
29/04/2022

Having fought back into a Champions League-contending position, Philippe Clement was insistent in Friday’s press conference that any pressure on his players isn’t manifesting itself in a negative way.

As the season ticks down to its eventual denouement in just three weeks time, AS Monaco in their recent streak, their best since January 2021, have won six “finals”, just four remain to earn that much-coveted podium position.

A final usually entails a level of emotional exhaustion from which it is so often difficult to recover. Yet that has not come to pass. Benoit Badiashile told reporters before Sunday’s game against Angers that the calm, collected Clement has a lot to do with that. “The coach is always calm, optimistic and positive, and that’s what we need because our group is quite young.”

It is a combination of man elements that have given rise to this certain run, but the role of Clement on a man-management level mustn’t be underestimated, and the Belgian told Monaco Life that he believes his side are ready for the last four finals, starting with Angers at the Stade Louis II on Sunday.

“I think my players are ready for the final sprint. Before, we looked too much at the table, but now we only concentrate on ourselves, on what we can control, match after match.”

Coming from Belgium, whose domestic division entails an annual play-off, Clement’s managerial experience with Club Brugge is also complementary to a team that has had to treat every game with an added importance since mid-march.

Sunday will be no different, and Angers come in with a solid recent away record, having drawn their last two and only narrowly losing out against Marseille. But they arrive into a Stade Louis II fortress, where Monaco have only lost one of their last 19 games in all competitions.

To keep that streak going, Clement can count on an almost fully fit squad. Monaco Life attended group training at La Turbie on Friday and can confirm that, following illness, Ruben Aguilar is back training with the group and fit to face Angers. The same cannot be said for Gelson Martins nor Cesc Fabregas. The former may not play again for Monaco this season having sustained what Clement described as a “blow” during last Saturday’s N2 fixture against Aubagne FC.

Meanwhile, Aurelien Tchouameni, Axel Disasi and Vanderson are suspended, meaning that there will be an element of rotation in the squad, but as Clement has said previously, everyone is “involved” in preparation for moments like these. Everyone will have to play their part in the chase to reach that podium; only goal difference and four “finals” stand in their way.

 

Photo by Luke Entwistle, Monaco Life

 

 

 

Four new Ambassadors welcomed to Monaco

by: Stephanie Horsman
29/04/2022

Monaco has welcomed four new Ambassadors, hailing from Timor-Leste, the Philippines, Norway and Bulgaria.  

A lunch reception was held on 26th April to receive the four newest diplomats to arrive in the Principality. Isabelle Berro-Amadeï, Minister for External Relations and Cooperation, greeted them at the Hermitage Hotel, where they met after presenting their letters of credence to Prince Albert II that morning.

The Ambassadors come from Timor-Leste, the Philippines, Norway and Bulgaria and are all well-qualified for their postings.

Maria de Lurdes Bessa began her career in diplomacy in 2001 at the Embassy of Timor-Leste in Portugal and then in the United States where she was until 2012. She is currently Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Timor-Leste in Switzerland as well as Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva.

Junever M. Mahilum-West joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by serving as Deputy Secretary of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Affairs Office. She was then appointed Director General of the ASEAN-Philippines Secretariat. She is currently Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Philippines to France, Jordan and Palestine.

In 2002, Niels Engelschion joined the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to become, in 2015, Deputy Director-General then Director General of the Department of European Affairs and Commence International. He then served as Norwegian Ambassador to Belgium from 2011 to 2015, and he has been Norwegian Ambassador to France since 2021.

Graduating with a Doctorate in International Relations, Nikolay Milkov held various positions within the Bulgarian Ministry of Defence starting in 1992. In 2001, he entered the world of diplomacy and became Ambassador of Bulgaria to Romania, then to Canada, in 2013. Since 2021, he has been Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to France, Permanent Representative to UNESCO and Personal Representative of the Head of State to the OIF.

 

 

Photo by Manuel Vitale, Government Communication Department

 

 

 

Measles cases are on the rise

by: Stephanie Horsman
28/04/2022

As part of European Immunisation Week, the Monaco government is reminding parents to get their children vaccinated against measles, a painful and sometimes life-threatening childhood disease that can be managed with a simple vaccine.

Measles cases have surged by 80% worldwide, the United Nations announced this week. The cause is likely the interruption of regular vaccination programmes caused by the coronavirus pandemic, and they warn that this revival of measles may only be the start of a bigger outbreak of several other preventable diseases.

“Almost 17,338 measles cases were reported worldwide in January and February 2022, compared to 9,665 during the first two months of 2021,” the UN said, adding that increased cases of the infectious measles virus tend to show up quickly when vaccination levels fall.

In response to this, Monaco’s Department of Social Affairs and Health is taking the opportunity during European Immunisation Week to remind parents of the importance of getting their children vaccinated against this highly-transmissible disease.

Measles symptoms start with a high fever, cough, runny nose and red, watery eyes, before tiny white spots appear inside the mouth. After a few more days, a red rash breaks out on the body, including the face, and fever generally spikes, reaching dangerously high temperatures.

One in six people experience complications, with the most serious being pneumonia and an inflammation of the brain called encephalitis, which can lead to neurological damage or even death.

Unvaccinated young children are most at risk of measles and potentially fatal complications. Pregnant women who are not vaccinated are also at risk. All people who are not immune, meaning those who have never been vaccinated or who have never contracted the disease, are susceptible to infection.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) aims to eliminate measles in Europe. To eradicate this disease, at least 95% of the population, aged two years and over, would need to be vaccinated with two doses of the vaccine. 

The jab is 97% effective and is usually given as a cocktail with serums against rubella and mumps. It is recommended children get their first dose at 12 months with a booster between 16 to 18 months.

This vaccine is covered 100% by insurance if prescribed by a doctor to any child under 17-years-old, and can be dispensed by the child’s physician.

 

 

Photo by Dave Haygarth on Flickr