The first round of the 2022 French Presidential elections show a fragmented country with no clear front-runner, and a repeat performance of the top two contenders from 2017.
The rematch between current President Emmanuel Macron and far-right rival Marine Le Pen will play out for a second time after the results of Sunday’s Presidential election show a tight race and a fragmented society.
With 97% of the votes counted, President Marcon had 27.6% of the vote, followed closely by far-right Rassemblement National (RN) party candidate Marine Le Pen with 23.41% and leftist Jean-Luc Mélenchon, from La France Insoumise, who nabbed 21.95% of the vote.
With such big numbers, Mélenchon voters could be the deciders of the race when the second round of voting takes place on 24th April, though he has not thrown his support behind Macron despite warning his supporters to “not give a single vote to Marine Le Pen”.
What is interesting to note is that 2022 may go down in the history books as the year that France’s former big two parties, the Socialists and the Republicans, went down in not-so-glorious blazes. Social Party candidate Anne Hidalgo received a paltry 2% of the vote and Republican Valerie Pécresse manged to scrape together less than 5% of the vote.
Marcon is planning to inundate the public with a series of rallies and TV appearances over the next two weeks, but even with his incumbent status, opinion polls show that the race is going to be extremely tight.
A TFI poll shows a Macron win with 51% over 49% for Le Pen. A fifty-fifty split of the population is not exactly the way any elected official wants to start their term, but in France, like in the United States and the UK, divisions have polarised the country.
“When the extreme right in all its forms represents so much of our country,” Macron said, “we cannot feel that things are going well.”
He went on to speak to Le Pen voters in an effort to sway them, saying, “I want to convince them in the next few days that our project answers solidly to their fears and challenges of our time.”
The president threw barbs at Le Pen about her affiliations with Putin, whose party took out a Russian loan and whom she visited just prior to the 2017 election.
Le Pen has built a strong campaign around cost-of-living fears, with radical tax cut promises and income tax waivers for those under 30. She has been less nationalistic this time around but couldn’t resist throwing in her intention to restrict immigration and ban the hijab in public.
Interestingly, Le Pen performed best with 34–64-year-olds, whilst Macron did best with the over-65’s.
Early Sunday, the turnout was extremely low, but by the close of day, voters had come out in force, with nearly 75% having exercised their rights.
Saturday not only marked the start of the 125th edition of the Monte-Carlo Masters (MCM) at the Monte-Carlo Country club, but also heralded the return of fans to the famous clay courts.
The big names of tennis such as Novak Djokovic and last year’s winner Stefanos Tsitsipas are being held in reserve for now. Fans were nonetheless spoilt for choice, with an array of high-quality fixtures being played across all of the MCCC’s clay courts on the first two qualifying days.
Following the cancellation of the 2020 MCM, and the 2021 installment being held behind closed-doors, fans couldn’t have dreamed of better weather on their first outing to the MCCC in three years.
Locals struggle on home clay
Spectators filed through the gates throughout the morning to take up their seats in the sun-bathed stands. Any Monegasque tennis fans may, however, have been left disappointed by the on-court action on the opening day. Valentin Vacherot and Hugo Nys, both of whom competed in Monaco’s recent Davis Cup triumph over Morocco, lost in their qualifying matches.
Vacherot opened proceedings on the Court de Princes, losing to German Oscar Otte in straight sets (6-4, 7-6). Nys then came up against Jaume Munar on Court 2. The difference in level was evident from the outset. Munar, number 78 in the world, is placed 249 places above Nys, who struggled to hold serve during a straight sets loss (2-6, 2-6).
The support of his Davis Cup team, who attended and encouraged their compatriot, wasn’t enough to get Nys across the line as the Monegasque players exited the scene in the opening hours of the tournament. Nys will however be back in action alongside partner Romain Arneodo in the doubles on Tuesday.
The French also struggled on the opening weekend. Hugo Gaston came up against the Italian Flavio Cobolli in the first match on the Court Rainier III, but despite an inferior ranking of over 100 places, it was Cobolli who advanced (4-6, 2-6). Benjamin Bonzi came through his first qualifier on Saturday (6-3, 6-3), before losing out to Polish player Jiri Lehecka on Sunday (4-6, 3-6).
Frenchman Adrian Mannarino was also knocked out in his first qualifying tie (1-6, 6-4, 5-7), as was Luca Van Assche (6-3, 6-4). Just to add insult to injury for French tennis fans in attendance, Gael Monfils withdrew from the tournament on Sunday with a heel injury.
Big stars waiting in the wings
Nonetheless, there will be no shortage of big names on display over the course of the next week. Before their match-ups, they spoke to the press on Sunday. One of the first to take to the court will be Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who last week shocked tennis fans globally when he announced that he would be retiring after this year’s Roland Garros. In a video, the Frenchman said, “My body is telling me ‘you can’t go any further than what I give you’.”
He hasn’t lost his competitiveness, however, and stated in no uncertain terms that he was at the MCM to compete. “I’m not just here to be just an amateur. I will enjoy it only if I do what I have enjoyed doing my whole career, which is fighting and trying to win.”
Going into the tournament, it was expected that Djokivc’s presence would be the largest talking point. Following his deportation from Australia, where he was set to take part in the Australian Open, his vaccination status has meant that elite-level tennis has been hard to come by. During the press conference, which introduced the event back in February, his participation at the MCM was questionable, and dependent upon a change either from the player himself regarding taking the vaccine, or a change in French government policy. It was a change in the latter that allowed him to compete this week.
On Sunday, the Serbian opened up about the difficulties of the months since that deportation. “It has been a very challenging few months and something I’ve never experienced before. I will try and use that for fuel for what’s coming up.” Clearly fired up, he couldn’t be making his return in more familiar surroundings. “I’m very pleased to be here and Monaco has been home really for over 10 years. I have trained at this club on both hard and clay courts, so I know people at this club very well,” said Djokovic.
He will likely face stiff competition from Tsitsipas for this year’s title, last year’s winner is happy to be back on a court on which he has created some great memories. “I’m feeling great. Starting with the tournament here in Monte-Carlo, I feel like I’m at home playing on this court.”
Both Djokovic and Tsitsipas get their tournaments underway on Tuesday as the stars of world tennis descend upon the MCCC to kick-off the clay-court season.
Climate change is happening at a frightful pace, driving ecosystems well beyond their limits and our collective failure to act is having disastrous consequences. Our ever-changing climate is lessening nature’s ability to survive, let alone thrive, increasing the risk of extinction of habitats and wildlife across the world. But there is hope. We know that when given the chance, nature and habitats can recover and even flourish.
A recent ZSL-led study shows how our latest knowledge of climate change threats must be better connected with conservation action if we are to successfully protect at-risk species – in this instance, seabirds.
Seabirds such as kittiwakes and puffins are being put at higher risk from a disconnection between conservation efforts on the ground, and research on climate change threats. However, ZSL’s new study shows that better integration of the two is possible to safeguard biodiversity.
Seabirds represent one of the most threatened groups of birds in the world with almost half of all species in decline. They are threatened by climate change, with extreme weather events such as heatwaves and powerful storms, and changes in food availability in response to changing climatic conditions, putting increasing pressure on the birds.
Climate change threats, highlighted by European seabird conservation groups, are often poorly understood, and there are several threats highlighted by researchers and conservation groups without clear conservation actions in response. In fact, this study showed that almost a third (29%) of possible conservation interventions aimed at reducing the impacts of climate change, are linked to conflicting evidence or a lack of information to make solid conclusions about how effective they are.
Leading conservation experts working on the study, including ZSL, Cambridge University, BirdLife International, RSPB and the IUCN Climate Change Specialist Group, say that stronger integration is possible and propose a framework to link research and management that could also be applied to other species too.
Lead author and ZSL post-doctoral fellow, Henry Hakkinen said: “There is a real opportunity here to identify missing information and marry existing research on the risks of climate change with effective conservation and wildlife management.”
“Through our work we have identified several climate change threats and conservation actions which are well understood. Seabirds in Europe are heavily researched and receive quite a lot of conservation attention. They are also heavily impacted by climate change, so are a good species group to start with. These gaps urgently need addressing if we want to work out how we can best help seabirds adapt to climate change and survive.”
Sea birds, source ZSL
A series of surveys were sent to more than 180 seabird conservation practitioners across Western Europe. The team identified major knowledge gaps and began tallying up some of the ways in which conservation action could address some of the major threats posed to the species by climate change.
For example, 45% of those surveyed said that disease risk from climate change was a serious threat to seabird populations, but the study unveiled that more needed to be done to monitor the effectiveness of conservation tools available to practitioners to address this. Hand rearing and vaccinations are suggested tools that could help with the issue.
Threats from temperature extremes, storms and habitat alteration due to climate change can have a detrimental effect on seabirds, leading, for example, to reduced food availability and fewer nesting sites. Artificial nests, translocations and protective barriers for nests were proposed as possible solutions. However, while some of these interventions are known to be effective, important knowledge gaps remain.
Our understanding of and the testing of practical responses for protecting biodiversity are lagging behind the rate of climate change. This must change if we are to make substantive improvements and seabirds are an urgent example.
We need action evidence-based approaches and to make decisions based on the best available evidence to safeguard biodiversity. Bridging climate change research and conservation action has never been more important.
Frameworks which link pressures on the environment, their effect on biodiversity and ways society can respond, are often used in global policy making to translate research to action. This paper suggests that the ‘pressure-state-response framework’ could be applied to specific groups of species or ecosystems to identify existing gaps between research and conservation solutions for wildlife most at risk.
Sea birds
ZSL Senior Research Fellow and senior author, Dr Nathalie Pettorelli said: “We need to get better at connecting climate change research and evidence of intervention effectiveness if we are to optimise opportunities to safeguard a future for the species most at risk. Our study provides an easily transferable approach for identifying missing information and areas where connections between research and management need to be tightened to improve conservation outcomes.”
As we prepare for the long-awaited COP15 conference this year, joined up thinking is more important than ever.
ZSL is working to put nature at the heart of decision making, prioritise biodiversity loss and recognise its interconnections with other environmental issues such as climate change.
You can support ZSL global science and conservation work by donating at zsl.org.
James Wren is the ZSL Executive Director of Fundraising and Engagement.
Monaco-based Formula E team ROKiT Venturi Racing endured a difficult race-weekend in Rome, letting slip their championship lead, whilst Edoardo Mortara also lost his lead in the Drivers’ standings.
The weekend belonged to Jaguar TCS Racing’s New Zealand driver Mitch Evans, who came to Rome having picked up a solitary point, but left having recorded two race victories. Wins on consecutive days on Saturday and Sunday lift him into fourth position, a place ahead of Mortara, who endured a difficult couple of days in the Eternal City.
Evans’ performance on Saturday was emphatic. A charge through the field in the second-half of the race afforded him a comfortable gap with the clock and the laps ticking down. By the chequered flag, he had cultivated a gap of over five seconds to the second placed Robin Frijns in the Envision Racing car, whilst former F1 driver Stoffel Vandoorne rounded off the podium in his Mercedes-EQ.
From a difficult race, Mortara salvaged P7, earning him six points, which were enough to limit the damage and, as Venturi fell to P2 in the Teams’ Standings, whilst also ensuring his position atop the Drivers’ Standings. Lucas Di Grassi finished just outside the points in P11.
Saturday’s result would likely have been perceived as damage limitation, as Venturi didn’t hit the lofty heights that they have often reached throughout the season. They would have been hoping for a better showing on Sunday, but individually, and collectively, Venturi once again struggled.
Championship leader Mortara’s weekend went from bad to worse as contact with Antonio Felix da Costa brought a premature end to the Swiss-Italian’s race, the subsequent front-wing and suspension damage prompting an early retirement.
That left Di Grassi as the only Venturi left in the race, and a valiant drive through the field would yet reap tangible rewards. Clawing his way up to sixth position, a five-second grid penalty demoted the Brazilian driver back down to 8th position, as Venturi added another four points to their tally.
It was once again Evans who stole the show, his late power-boost allowed him to battle from P4 late on to take the victory by the slimmest of margins. DS Techeetah’s Jean-Eric Vergne took second place ahead of Frijns in third.
Post-race, Team Principal, Jerome D’ambrosio reflected on a difficult weekend. “It was a very difficult race for us today and overall, this wasn’t the weekend we had hoped for.” He continued, “From here, we need to regroup, try to learn as much as we can from this weekend and place all of our focus on Monaco.”
Coming into their home race, Venturi will be hoping to bounce back in style in Monaco on 30th April.
Artistic Director Jean-Christophe Maillot is taking his dancers to a dark place in his creation Oeil pour Oeil, a detective novella set in the gritty back streets and hidden depths of society.
The Ballets de Monte-Carlo’s Artistic Director and Choreographer Jean-Christophe Maillot doesn’t shy away from the dark side. Known for his works based on fairy tales, which he often restores to their pre-Disney darkness, he goes one step further with Oeil pour Oeil (Eye for Eye).
Created in 2001 and based on a novella by Jean-Marie Laclavetine, who wrote it especially for the Ballets de Monte-Carlo, Oeil pour Oeil is the story of three inseparable friends – Iris, Adam and Loup.
Saved from a life in city slums by Iris, both boys fall in love with her. But when she chooses Adam, the trio falls apart with Loup withdrawing and falling into the clutches of a dangerous gangster nicknamed “The Octopus”. The Octopus reigns over the city’s monsters and holds sway over the police dogs, making her grip powerful and deadly.
Despite time going by, Loup cannot forget Iris and the memory of spying on she and Adam making love from behind a screen. Sick of being denied happiness, Loup decides to get rid of his old friend turned rival by setting a trap. As The Octopus hunts down Adam and Iris, the tale turns dark, leading to a tragic finale.
Using projected video images, the ballet “anchors itself in our society”, one marked by sex and violence.
Proceeds from the premiere of Oeil pour Oeil will go to the Monaco Red Cross to be used for the benefit of the people of Ukraine. The ballet will run from 28th April to 1st May in the Salle des Princes at the Grimaldi Forum.
AS Monaco had to dig deep to ensure the three points against a stubborn Troyes side on Sunday. Kevin Volland’s goal, converted seconds after coming off the bench, was the difference (2-1).
The win is Monaco’s third on-the-bounce in Ligue 1, the first time they have managed to put together such a run in the league since late September/ early October. The Principality side are hitting their stride at just the right time, the result solidifying their sixth place in the league, with games against fellow European chasers Rennes and Nice up next.
Just like last week in a very similar 2-1 victory against Metz, Philippe Clement’s substitutes made the difference. The Belgian manager praised the side’s strength in depth. “I’m happy as well that in the last two weeks, the substitutes are giving something extra to the team. You see that the group/ selection is bigger and bigger compared to the last months.”
Last week it was Myron Boadu, who started this Sunday against Troyes, but failed to impress. This week, it was Boadu’s substitute Volland who was Monaco’s saviour, scoring under a minute after coming on, and with his first touch of the ball.
Prior to the match winning moment, Troyes had successfully frustrated Monaco, limiting their chances, although conceding the lion’s share of possession and territory. Clement’s side took the lead mid-way through the first-half. A curling Caio Henrique free-kick deceived the Troyes goalkeeper, and couldn’t scramble back across his goal in time to prevent the opening goal of the match.
Troyes, however, are on a five-game unbeaten run, and with confidence running high, they dragged themselves back into the match, although the equaliser came completely out of the blue. Former Chelsea youth player, Ike Ugbo, with few options took on an optimistic effort from outside the box, on the turn. Alexander Nubel was left helpless in the Monaco goal, as the ball clipped the inside of the post on the way in.
In a game of few chances, efficiency in-front of goal would be critical, and Volland’s sharpness off the bench would decide it. Aleksandr Golovin, who is continuously improving following his return from injury, floated the cross into the German striker, who controlled before rifling in a half-volley off the underside of the crossbar.
Wissam Ben Yedder could have doubled the lead, but lost control of the ball in his attempt to round the keeper. That miss was ultimately inconsequential as Monaco registered another important win.
Post-match, Clement praised match-winner Volland. Asked by Monaco Life if his contribution could be key in the run-in until the end of the season, he responded, “Certainly! He has already proven his qualities over a number of years. For me, he is also as lively as I have seen him since our time together. As I said last week, he has had that issue with his ankle, but that is better now and I hope it remains that way.”
With a confident, in-form and ever-enlarging squad, Monaco are in good shape as they come into the crunch fixtures against Rennes and Nice, upon which the destiny of their season rests.
Photo by Luke Entwistle, Monaco Life
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