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Day: 25 April 2022

Leclerc retains championship lead despite failure on Ferrari home soil

by: Luke Entwistle
25/04/2022

A late Charles Leclerc spin and an early Carlos Sainz retirement consigned Ferrari to a miserable afternoon at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix on Sunday, while Max Verstappen secured his second win of the season.

Verstappen’s victory is enough to cut the gap to the Monegasque driver, but Leclerc remains well and truly in the driving seat, with 27 points still separating the two rivals. The weekend belonged to Red Bull who, with a couple of small upgrades, closed a seemingly mammoth gap to the Ferrari.

Leclerc, however, isn’t worried, and still expects a tight race between the two teams. “Only time will tell how much of a step Red Bull made. Honestly, with Red Bull it is either one weekend they are stronger and another we are.”

The Championship leader continued, “I still think we are there more or less and it is track-dependent who is coming out on top. I don’t think there are any significant differences yet.”

Emilia Romagna F1 Grand Prix, credit: Scuderia Ferrari Press Office

Following Leclerc’s success down under, Red Bull came out charging on Saturday at Imola. In one of three sprint races on this year’s calendar, it was Verstappen who took the victory in dramatic circumstances. On a damp track, Leclerc got a better start off the line, to the delight of the thousands of tifosi in the stands.

With just two laps to go, Verstappen retook the lead, securing pole position and a solid eight-point haul to start to bridge the gap to his Ferrari rival.

Sunday’s race took place in similarly damp conditions, but the tifosi reaction to the race start was polar opposite to the day before. The cheers for a Leclerc overtake on Saturday were contrasted with groans and gasps as Sainz was forced to retire at the opening corner of the first lap. A clip from Daniel Ricciardo sent the Spaniard spinning into the gravel trap, out of which there was no escape.

Leclerc’s start, meanwhile, wasn’t much better. Poor traction allowed Sergio Perez and Lando Norris to pass, although the latter was easy pickings for Leclerc just a few laps later. The difficulty was in catching the Red Bulls, and it was this desperation to catch a quicker car that led Leclerc into making the late error.

Just a second behind Perez with 10 laps left, Leclerc pushed too hard and took too much curb on the chicane, sending him spinning into the barrier. The chase for second over, he had to limp back to the pit and salvage as many points as possible. Having pitted for another front wing, he came out in ninth. A valiant, charging effort saw him make his way back up to sixth, a successful salvage job from a difficult position.

Verstappen and Red Bull were comfortably the big winners of the day, Verstappen’s 34 points-haul closes the gap in the Drivers’ Championship, whilst Red Bull’s first one-two in six years closes the gap in the Constructors’ to just 11 points. Norris rounded off the top three for his first podium of the year.

Post-race, Verstappen offered his sympathies to Leclerc, although that won’t console the Monegasque who was dreaming of race victory in front of the adoring, passionate tifosi. “It’s easily done. He was pushing hard. It is painful, but he knows that himself, but it’s such a long championship.”

Despite a difficult weekend, Leclerc still holds the lead going into the maiden Miami Grand Prix in just two weeks time.

 

Photo source: Scuderia Ferrari Press Office

 

 

 

 

 

Larvotto Beach to get a pre-summer face lift

by: Stephanie Horsman
25/04/2022

Starting this week, Larvotto Beach will be intermittently closed and swimming prohibited whilst works are carried out to reprofile the beach ahead of the busy summer season.

Winter is hard on local beaches. Storms, winds and heavier surf change the topography making for changes that are not always entirely welcome.

Larvotto Beach is no exception. Now that spring is here, work is starting to make the beach bikini ready for all. During the past several months, the slope of the beach dramatically increased, so works are now underway to flatten the area and return it to its pre-winter appearance.

The work will be entirely land based, consisting mostly of levelling the dirt and sand. This, says the government, will “restore a suitable morphology to the beach to guarantee sufficient reception capacity and meet the needs of securing access to bathing areas”.

Meanwhile, stopgaps will be installed to protect marine life, including the installation of retention nets in the sea to the right of the coves to protect the adjoining reserve from any residual sediment being collected in those areas.

During this works period, which runs from 25th April to 13th May, beach usage and access will be limited.

From Monday to Friday, the beaches will be closed from 9am to 12pm, with beach accessibility restored from midday onwards. Shops and restaurants will still be open during this period without any restrictions, however public swimming is banned.

On Saturdays and Sundays, the beaches, shops and restaurants will be open all day, though swimming and sunbathing is still not be allowed.

Smaller maintenance projects will be carried out throughout the summer, though it is not anticipated that these future works will cause closures or impinge on bathers and beach-goers.

 

 

Photo buy Michael Alesi, Government Communication Department

 

 

 

The story and significance behind Italy’s Liberation Day

by: Stephanie Horsman
25/04/2022

Italians are today, 25th April, celebrating Liberation Day, or Il Giorno della Liberazione, an event of national pride and remembrance. But what exactly is the history behind this important day?

World War II was tricky for the Italians. Their leader, Benito Mussolini, backed Adolph Hitler and his nationalist agenda, putting them on the losing side of a horrific and bloody war that lasted from 1939 to 1945.

Many opposed Mussolini and the German occupation of their country, and a strong resistance movement came into being. As the war was winding down in 1945, a series of actions took place that gradually led to Italy being set free from oppressors inside and out of their nation.

The first was an uprising in Bologna, followed by one in Genoa, both taking place on 23rd April, effectively liberating these cities. Next up were Milan and Turin on the 25th. American forces landed in Italy on 1st May, and the rest of the German forces finally put up the white flag that day, ending the war in Italy.

The internal resistance forces in Italy had been working since the start of the war. The group was made up of a motley crew of unlikely allies including members of the Italian Communist Party, the Italian Socialist Party, the Christian Democrats, the Labour Democratic Party and the Italian Liberal Party, which together made up the National Liberation Committee of Upper Italy (CLNAI).

The current date was chosen in 1946, and in most Italian cities, marches and parades are organised to commemorate the event. On 22nd April 1946, the ‘Provisions on festive occasions’ decree created the national holiday. The bill states that “In celebration of the total liberation of the Italian territory, 25th April 1946 is declared a national holiday”.

On 27th May 1949, Law 260 made the anniversary a permanent, annual national holiday.

Today, it is marked by festivities and tributes, including parades, concerts, speeches and street parties. The song of the resistance movement, Bella Ciao, can be heard all over the country, on every street and home. Additionally, in a tradition the Italians do so well, a special meal is served at family gatherings and with friends to commemorate the day.

 

 

Photo by Mauricio Artieda on Unsplash

 

 

 

Rampant Monaco continue unrelenting advance

by: Luke Entwistle
25/04/2022

AS Monaco met little resistance against Saint-Etienne on Saturday, as Philippe Clement’s men earned their sixth consecutive victory (1-4) with just “four finals” left to decide their Champions League fate.

Thanks to Strasbourg’s loss to Lille, Monaco moved up to fourth, behind Rennes only on goal difference.

Since Clement’s declaration post-Braga defeat that there are “10 finals” left to go in the season, they have won every match. Nothing has yet been decided, however, as Aurélien Tchouameni reminded us post-match, “Before today’s game against Saint-Étienne there were five finals, and there are still four to go. I repeat, we still have to take the matches one after another.”

Following consecutive victories against rivals for the European spaces, a different kind of challenge awaited them in the Geoffroy Stadium. But amidst a hot atmosphere, which prompted two delays due to pyrotechnic displays, one of which lasted over 30 minutes, Clement’s men got the job done.

The Principality side started as they meant to go on. Kevin Volland tested the goalkeeper early, whilst Gelson Martins, in for Ruben Aguilar in what was the only change, had to score the rebound, but blazed over with the open goal gaping.

Monaco kept pushing and took the lead soon after. Caio Henrique’s grounded cross was met perfectly by Ben Yedder, who swept home to net his 20th in the league this season.

Only seconds later, the lead was doubled in a near mirror image of the opener. Gelson Martins this time with the cross, and although Volland’s finishing touch wasn’t as clean, it was nonetheless sufficient to give Monaco control of the match.

Wahbi Khazri’s converted penalty following a slightly rash Tchouameni challenge in the box gave Les Verts hope of a revival. That notion was put to pay early in the second half, Timothee Kolodziejczak’s spectacular own goal restored the two-goal cushion, before the lengthy delay.

The much-prolonged game was then wrapped up as a contest by Myron Boadu, who couldn’t miss his open goal attempt from six yards.

Another three points firmly asserts Monaco as the form side in the division, as they chase after an ever-more realistic podium spot. Post-match, Clement reflected on an important victory in a hostile atmosphere.

“I am very happy with my players because they managed the interruption well, and I’m very happy to have scored four goals, even if we could have scored even more.”

Monaco are a free-flowing, free-scoring attacking outfit once more, and should Ben Yedder, Volland and Boaud’s form continue through until the end of the season, that may just be the difference between meeting their objectives or falling agonisingly short.

Photo source: AS Monaco

 

 

 

 

Macron’s been re-elected: Now what?

by: Stephanie Horsman
25/04/2022

Emmanuel Macron has succeeded in securing a re-election victory, making him the first governing president of the Fifth Republic ever to do so. Now that he’s officially won though he faces a steep path ahead with a nation at odds, an economy in flux, and an upcoming parliamentary election that could still potentially render him impotent.

Emmanuel Macron, 44, secured a second term in office on Sunday, beating out rival Marine Le Pen with a solid 58.8% of the vote.  

The election was notable in that it had a turnout of just 72%, the highest rate of abstention for any second-round vote in France since 1969. Meanwhile, the far-right Le Pen had a more-than-decent showing with over 13 million voters going for her brand of politics, showing just how divided France currently is.

It was a close call in the Alpes-Maritimes department, where Macron narrowly secured a majority of 50.1%. Le Pen, however, took the majority in the neighbouring Var department with 55.1% of the vote. Macron’s strongest support came from the northern department of Yvelines, where 71% of voters backed the incumbent.

Macron’s win is, thus, imperfect at best. Voters showed displeasure for both candidates by either abstaining at a massive rate or by casting a blank ballot, which accounted for around 12%. 

But now that he has secured five more years, the president has some serious challenges and priorities to address.

The first hurdle concerns the parliamentary elections being held on 12th and 19th June. His La République en Marche (LaREM) party and their political allies will need to secure a majority of 289 in the 577-seat lower house.

The first round of the elections showed French voters are aligned across not two, but three axes – the radical left, the centrists and the far-right, making this upcoming election far from a sure thing for Macron and his coalition. Without obtaining a majority in parliament, Macron’s wiggle room is significantly curtailed, and his government will not be able to push through legislation promised during the campaigns.

Macron has said his government will be open to “anyone who supports his project” but coalescing these disparate factions may not be easy. His ace in the hole will be the environment, making this hot-button issue one to lure in those from the far-left to solidify his government.  

Macron faces a populace who is unhappy about current economic conditions, with cost-of-living issues being of great concern. To ease the burden on those feeling the squeeze, he has said he will maintain caps on gas and electricity as well as offering a government rebate at the pumps if petrol prices continue soaring. He also has a loose framework to give more support to low-income and self-employed workers.

The incumbent is still pushing ahead with the unpopular reform to the pension scheme, raising retirement age to 65 by 2031, except for those whose occupations involve hard physical labour. While the French electorate on the surface balk at this change, there are many who understand that this is needed. It is thought these measures will be in place by autumn.

To soften the blow, he has vowed to meet with union leaders and employers in summer but has said determinedly that he will not back down on this point, declaring it a necessity to keep the economy ticking along. Protests are expected.

The president is also planning to open discussions on education reforms, including more school autonomy and better provisioning for rural establishments. He also wants to see more police on the streets and an uptick in the number of magistrates and judicial support workers.

On the international scene, it is thought there will be a continuation of his current policies, which focus on defending western values and being at the forefront of international relations as a notable world leader.

Despite the pre-election barbs and anger, it should be considered that his re-election was not entirely unwelcome by millions of average French citizens. By and large, many in the population don’t find him all that bad, having kept unemployment down, managing the pandemic fairly well and vocally standing up for Ukraine in the war.

Now to see if the campaign rhetoric holds and the if public get a different kind of Macron this time around, one who is a better listener, less of a know-it-all, and more of a healer.

 

 

Photo taken from President Emmanuel Macron’s reelection speech on Sunday night