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Month: February 2023

Turkey-Syria earthquake: Monaco Government responds to call for aid

by: Cassandra Tanti
15/02/2023

The Prince’s Government announced on Wednesday that it is sending emergency funds to support the victims of the quake-stricken regions of Turkey and Syria.

In a statement, the government said that it is responding to the emergency appeals from both the International Federation of Red Cross and the Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) following the disaster of 6th February, adding, “The Prince’s Government has decided to support the Turkish and Syrian Red Crescent teams.”

According to the IFRC, between 15 and 20 million people are affected by the disaster in the two countries. The death toll so far stands at more than 41,000, but the United Nations says this figure could still double.

The 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck in the middle of a very harsh winter, with temperatures dropping to below zero in some regions, further weakening an already very vulnerable populations.

“The funds allocated by the Prince’s Government are intended to provide emergency aid to the victims cared for by the Turkish and Syrian Red Crescent Societies, in the form of the provision of shelter, supplemented by food aid and access to basic health services,” said the Monaco Government in its statement.

Turkey has said a total of 50,576 buildings have either collapsed or are heavily damaged following the earthquakes that first struck last week.

In a report, the country’s Ministry of Environment said all at-risk buildings need to be demolished urgently. Authorities have so far inspected more than 387,000 buildings across the 10 quake-hit southeastern provinces.

Meanwhile, there is growing anger and desperation in rebel-held areas of Syria as aid has been slow to arrive.

 

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Photo source: IFRC

Pension reform strikes: Schools close and transport in total disarray

by: Stephanie Horsman
15/02/2023
pension reform strikes

The pension reform strikes rage on with more protests set to take place over the coming days and weeks. School and transport unions are leading the charge. Here’s what to expect locally.  

“Put France at a standstill” is the latest call to action by the seven main teaching unions in France, who are organising a strike intended to see a total closure of schools on 7th March unless parliament ceases to “remain deaf” to their demands on the proposed pension reforms.  

SUD Education took to social media on Tuesday with a proper battle cry, saying, “The inter-union is ready to harden the movement in education: on 7th March, put schools, establishments and services at a standstill! From 7th March, let’s completely close schools, colleges, high schools and services.”  

More immediate measures are being undertaken on 16th February,with FSU, UNSA Education, FNEC-FP-FO, Sgen-CFDT, CGT Educ’action, SNALC and SUD Education calling for “a day of interprofessional actions throughout the territory”.  

They will be joined by the eight major French unions, who are also asking workers to protest on 16th February, as well as “put a stop [to work] in all sectors” on 7th March.  

The sectors impacted on 16th February are as follows:  

TRAINS 

SNCF trains in the south of France and across the country will be affected from 7pm on 15th. This will spill over into the next days, with an end scheduled at 8am on 17th. The company is recommending people postpone or cancel trips to avoid inconvenience, and to check ahead if travel plans cannot be altered. 

URBAN LINES 

At Lignes d’Azur, trams on lines L1, L2, and L3 will run. On the bus networks, no service is provided except on lines 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 20, 21, 30, 32, 33, 35, 36, 37, 38, 57, 64, 70, 81, 99 and Cadam East. The public transport service for people with reduced mobility, Mobil’Azur, will not run at all. The city of Nice is offering free parking on 16th to try and help ease the burden.  

AIR 

No strikes have been mentioned thus far, but the possibility of last-minute surprises is not out of the question.  

SCHOOLS 

Due to the ongoing school holidays, there are likely to be less protestors from Zones A and B, so closures will mostly affect Paris alone.  

OTHER SECTORS 

Five trade unions – the National Federation of Ports and Docks, the FNIC-CGT-FSM Chemical Industries, the CGT Railway, the CGT Glass-Ceramics Federation and the CGT Mines-Energies – are calling for demonstrations, seeing electricians, gas, chemical and glass workers taking to the streets.  

With both sides digging their heels in, it appears no reconciliation in the near future is in sight, so the public will simply have to persevere and adjust to the disruptions for now.  

 

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Photo by Monaco Life

Monaco Economic Board and CEMA strengthen ties with Djibouti

by: Stephanie Horsman
15/02/2023
monaco economic board

The Monaco Economic Board recently visited the East African nation of Djibouti, gateway to the second busiest maritime route in the world, where a delegation sought out new business opportunities and built on cross-nation ties.

The Monaco Economic Board was on the road from 7th to 9th February, when a delegation travelled to Djibouti, located on the Horn of Africa and at the crossroads of the continent, the Arabian Peninsula and Europe via the Suez Canal. 

The trip was co-organised with the Monegasque Entrepreneurs Club in Africa (CEMA) and supported by the Embassy of Djibouti in Monaco. In all, a dozen representatives from the Principality visited this small coastal country with an eye to building on the relationships hatched last May when a delegation of Djiboutians was received in Monaco. 

The visit confirmed the potential for future opportunities, with both countries sharing many attributes, not least of which are political stability, diversity, openness to the world and modest land masses. Djibouti’s appeal is enhanced by its modern deep-water port complex, a dry port and free zones as well as a monetary system backed by the US dollar, making it attractive for financial sector development deals.  

The organisers on the ground were Youssouf Moussa Dawaleh, the president of the Djibouti Chamber of Commerce, along with his team, and the event took place with the blessing of the president of the republic, Ismaïl Omar Guelleh.

During one stage of the visit, Prime Minister Abdoulkader Kamil Mohamed spoke to the assembled group, explaining the virtues of doing business in his country, as did Minister of Trade and Tourism Mohamed Warsama Dirieh and Governor of the Central Bank Ahmed Osman. 

The Monegasque delegation was made up of entrepreneurs from the legal, security, ICT, import and export, transport, space, and financial service sectors. All were invited to visit the major port facilities and free zones, the Climate Observatory and Djibouti’s telecommunication infrastructure sites.  

Another highlight of this trip was, for Executive Director General of the Monaco Economic Board Guillaume Rose and President of CEMA Frédéric Geerts, a special reception with Djibouti’s president, where the three men discussed the possibilities of developing economic exchanges and strategic cooperation in scientific research, notably relating to climate change and the environment. 

 

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Photo source: Monaco Economic Board

Five Padel Cup tournament to feature Monaco’s Barbagiuans

by: Stephanie Horsman
15/02/2023
five padel cup

The Five Padel Cup is coming to Eze in April with a host of special guests from the sport and business worlds as well as Monaco’s very own star-packed Barbagiuan team. 

In the wake of the ‘padelmania’ phenomenon, a new padel tournament, the Five Padel Cup, will be coming to Eze from 17th to 19th April.  

Bringing together sport, social and charitable aspects, the competition is made for anyone interested in seeing first-hand the rising stars in this exciting, fast-paced sport. With events being planned by the Eze Tennis-Padel Club and the Principality, the three-day tournament will “offer a memorable experience” to participants and spectators alike.  

As per the format, there will be five simultaneous competitions occurring at the same time. In addition to the women’s and men’s tournaments, there will also be a contest for those with physical disabilities, one for VIPs from the business world, and one dedicated to sports personalities from different disciplines, such as football and racing.  

Amongst those will be the Barbagiuans of Monaco, a group created by Prince Albert and now run by Louis Ducruet, who will have put together one or more teams. Though the teams are yet to be announced, they are usually comprised of local and international footballers, giving fans a chance to watch some of their favourite sports figures in action in a totally different medium.  

The event also will have a strong charity aspect, with a local association benefitting from some of the proceeds.  

To add an element of glamour, there will also be two gala evenings – one at Crazy Pizza, the other at Twiga – so players and spectators can mix and mingle in a casual way.  

 

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Photo by Oliver Sjöström on Unspalsh

The age of digital parenting: France launches platform to help families manage screen time

by: Elsa Carpenter
15/02/2023
digital parenting

How much is OK? When does it become too much? How can I protect my children online? The prevalence of the screen use among children is a complicated topic, leading France to launch a digital parenting campaign to help parents. 

The campaign has come about “in response to the massive increase in the use of screens by young children” says the French government.  

The campaign hopes to bring the recommendations on digital parenting set out by France’s High Council on Public Health to a wider audience by broadcasting its various short films, quizzes and resources online over the next month.  

Recommendations include: 

  • Avoiding screen use before the age of three (and 3D screens before the age of five); 
  • Avoiding screens while eating, in a child’s room and for at least one hour before bed; 
  • Respecting the guide ages for films and video games; and 
  • Organising moments of shared screen use to encourage social interaction.

Guiding the campaign’s focus is a recent study commissioned by the Ipsos Institute on the difficulties encountered by parents when setting boundaries and managing screen time. In the study, 42% of parents said they were concerned about exposure to potentially offensive content, and as such, the campaign also encourages parents to familiarise themselves with the parental controls available online so as to better manage the content viewed by children.  

Of the pool of 1,000 parents of children aged three to 15 interviewed, more than six in 10 said they already take measures to ban or limit screen use.  

Check the campaign out for yourself and test out the quiz function to help you decide the best direction to take for your family.  

 

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Photo source: Robo Wunderkind for Unsplash

Monaco’s next Davis Cup opponent revealed

by: Luke Entwistle
15/02/2023

Speaking at the presentation of the Monte-Carlo Masters last Friday, the director of the event, David Massey, revealed that Monaco’s Davis Cup team will face Ecuador in the Davis Cup later this year. 

The tie will take place in September, it has been announced, although no exact date has been given for the encounter, which will take place at the Monte-Carlo Country Club in Roquebrune Cap-Martin. Monaco secured their place in Davis Cup Group 2 with a serene 4-0 victory over the Dominican Republic earlier in February. 

The current generation of Monaco players are arguably the finest that the Principality have seen. Hugo Nys recently reached the Australian Open final in doubles, whilst Lucas Caterina has won six singles titles on the ITF pro circuit tour. There is also great hope for 14-year-old Lenny Petit, who last year competed in the Monte-Carlo Junior Masters. 

Ecuador will be a tough opponent and can count on 102-ranked Emilio Gomez to cause Monaco plenty of problems. However, the Principality side’s home-court advantage is significant, as was demonstrated less than a fortnight ago.

Before the Davis Cup tie, the Principality’s players have a packed schedule, with Nys in particular set to compete in all of the Grand Slams this season. There is also the not-so-small matter of the Monte-Carlo Masters in April, and in light of Monaco’s recent performances, the competition’s director Massey said that he expects players representing the Principality to go deep into the tournament.

READ MORE:

Australian Open finalist Hugo Nys: “It was one of the most beautiful sporting performances in Monaco’s history”

 

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Photo of Monaco’s Davis Cup team by Monaco Life