The Grimaldi Family has a new addition, a baby girl, born to Louis Ducruet, Princess Stephanie’s oldest son, and his wife Marie. Prince Albert II shared the happy news on Tuesday night.
Prince Albert II made the happy announcement at the Rainier III Auditorium on Tuesday 4th April, where he was handing out diplomas to Monaco Red Cross rescue workers.
“My nephew Louis Ducruet and his wife Marie have the joy of being parents of a little girl,” said a delighted Prince Albert II.
Camille Gottlieb, Louis’ younger sister who was on stage with the Prince as he shared the news with the crowd, reportedly smiled from ear-to-ear at becoming an aunt.
The name of the baby, who was expected in mid-April and made her appearance a bit early, is yet to be revealed.
It is the first child for the couple, who have been married since July 2019, and the first grandchild for Princess Stephanie.
Fatherhood is something Louis Ducruet has long hoped for. The 30-year-old told Gala magazine in December 2022, “I’ve been waiting for it for a very, very long time, it’s true. In fact, I’ve wanted to be a dad since I was 26.”
He even speculated that the baby would be born in the same room that he himself was, saying, “A room is reserved for the Princely family when there is a birth. Normally, it should be the same.”
The fight against single-use plastic in Monaco continues, with two new ‘MaConsigne’ terminals available for the reusable fast food container service.
Since 2019, ‘Ma Consigne’ has given consumers in Monaco the opportunity to reduce the amount of disposable packaging accompanying their food purchases.
By downloading an app, they can can select the option of having their food packaged in reusable glass containers when placing a food order. They then have 14 days to return the container to one of the terminals dotted throughout the Principality.
In an effort boost their support of this government-led initiative, the City of Monaco is hosting the installation of further ‘MaConsigne’ fast food recycling drops offs on its sites.
A new terminal has been installed at Espace Saint-Charles, and another at the Condamine Market.
To mark the occassion, Mayor Georges Marsan and Marjorie Crovetto, in charge of the Environment and Sustainable Development department of the Mairie, joined representatives of the Mission for Energy Transition (MTE) and Lemniscate, creator of the terminal, as well as three restaurant owners from the Halle du Marché de la Condamine who are offering the service: MC by Kodera, la Maison des Pâtes and Maison Mer.
“The Town Hall confirms its ‘green’ commitment alongside the Prince’s Government by also encouraging the population to act,” said the Mairie in a press statement. “By making these two new MaConsigne terminals available to regulars at the Principality’s markets, the Municipal Institution hopes to participate in the collective effort to reduce plastic waste.”
To sign up for the service, simply download the MaConsigne app on iPhone and Android.
The Monte-Carlo Masters’ “Ode to the Riviera” is beginning to take form with just days to go before the start of the tournament at the Monte-Carlo Country Club (MCCC), as the stars of tennis descend on the Principality.
The stands have been erected at the MCCC, and whilst empty for now, by Saturday, they will be filled with thousands of fans from across the world, as the Monte-Carlo Masters heralds the start of the clay season.
“A new visual identity, inspired by the Riviera”
Speaking at the presentation of the 116th edition of the prestigious clay-court tournament back in February, David Massey said this year’s competition would be an “ode to the Riviera”. The Brit, directing his first tournament, added that the tournament would have “a new visual identity, inspired by the French Riviera and the colours of the Mediterranean”.
Monaco Life visited the MCCC on Monday to witness the preparations, and discovered that the stands, adorned in Mediterranean blue, are already in place. The VIP village boxes, which have been extended, will all face the sea.
Novak Djokovic training at the MCCC
Whilst the finishing touches are being added to this year’s tournament, the players have already begun to arrive. Notably, Novak Djokovic, a Monaco resident, has been training at the MCCC this week in preparation for the event.
Alexander Zverev, another resident of the Principality, has also been spotted around Monaco and was present on the Roca Team’s media channel on Sunday as AS Monaco Basketball took on Boulogne-Levallois in the Betclic Elite.
The eerily empty stands of the MCCC will soon be filled when tennis returns to the Principality on Saturday.
Watch Novak Djokovic training at the MCCC in our Instagram video below…
Greenhouse gas emissions fell by around 10 million tonnes in France last year thanks to a mild winter and rising energy costs. Now experts hope the country can keep up the trend.
Provisional figures released on 3rd April by the French Interprofessional Technical Centre for the Study of Air Pollution (CITEPA), the organisation tasked with tracking French emissions inventories, reveal that the country saw an overall 2.5 % drop in emissions in 2022 over the previous year.
This equates to roughly 408 million tons of CO2, 10 million less than in 2021.
“We are seeing a return to the decline […] in emissions with the end of the post-Covid-19 rebound effect,” said CITEPA, who noted a sharp increase of 6.4% in 2021 credited to the post-pandemic recovery.
CO2 emissions stagnated in the first nine months of 2022, but from October to December 2022, monthly emissions are down sharply compared to those of 2021 (-9% in October, -11% in November, -5% in December), according to the CITEPA publication.
Broken down by sectors, the picture is varied. Energy and transport emissions rose by 8% and 2% respectively, whilst manufacturing fell by 8% and construction in the residential sector dropped by a healthy 15%.
The government was pleased by the news but tempered it with caution. The Minister for Energy Transition Agnes Pannier-Runacher said, “In the coming months, I will carry out an upcoming energy-climate program, which will set even more ambitious objectives as there is still a long way to go.”
The good news is tempered, however, as the majority of last year’s changes, as in other years, were due to very specific sets of circumstances. “It remains to be seen whether we will soon be able to observe a permanent drop in emissions linked to structural factors,” said Colas Robert, an engineer at CITEPA.
This leaves France in a tricky position, as these gains will not only need to be maintained, but stepped up, so that the nation’s carbon neutrality goals are met by 2050. Even the 2030 goal of a 40% decrease, which factors in new EU objectives of a 55% reduction compared to 1990 levels, will not be possible unless emission cuts are almost double that of 2022.
Prince Albert has been awarded an environmental prize in Cyprus by President Nikos Christodoulides. The trip, organised by Cypriot businessman and Monaco resident John Christodoulou, also attracted members of the Monaco Ambassadors Club to the small island republic.
The visit was organised for the weekend of 1st April and included a cultural tour of the island.
John Christodoulou led the Prince around the famous village of Lefkara, where it is said that Leonardo da Vinci visited as a guest of Catherine Cornaro – Queen of Cyprus.
The Prince and members of the Monaco Ambassadors Club (MAC) were welcomed for a dinner at the Amara Hotel in Limassol with the newly elected President of the Republic of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides. As the former Minister for Foreign affairs, the 49-year-old is well known for his strong commitment to strengthening the European bonds of Cyprus, and returning negotiating parties back to the table over the ‘Cyprus problem’.
During the evening, Prince Albert II was awarded a prize for his overall contribution to the protection of the environment. Guests celebrated the moment with a glass of traditional 50-year-old Coumandaria wine, of which the Prince was gifted with a bottle.
Prince Albert, honorary president of the MAC, receiving an environmental award from President Nikos Christodoulides, alongside John Christodoulou. Photo source: Yianis Christodoulou Foundation
Promotion of Cypriot tradition and art
MAC guests also attended an award ceremony on Monday 3rd April at Monte Caputo in Limassol for the ‘Love Cyprus’ school competition organised by the Yianis Christodoulou Foundation.
The new initiative provided an opportunity to promote creativity among the student population with the aim of upgrading their schools, a purpose which attracted the attention of young creators.
During the ceremony, eight schools were awarded for their masterpieces with cash prizes totalling €180,000.
Under the motto ‘Love Cyprus’, all creations, including photos and videos, promote Cyprus, not only as a summer tourist destination, but also as a country characterised by great tradition and culture, hospitality, arts, customs and natural beauties.
MAC president Christian Moore, Cypriot singer-songwriter Anna Vissi and Greek philanthropist Marianna Latsi were among the guests and judges of the competition.
During their short trip to Cyprus, guests were also guided to Lefkara, Omodos, Kourio, and the old town of Limassol. They enjoyed Cypriot cuisine in traditional taverns, and were greeted by a shot of zivania at every occasion!
Click on the gallery below to see more pictures from Prince Albert and Monaco Ambassadors Club trip to Cyprus…
The first UN Water Conference held in a generation concluded with the adoption of the Water Action Agenda, a 700-strong commitment plan aimed at protecting this essential resource. But those gathered stopped short of establishing a formal agreement along the lines of the 2015 Paris Accord and the 2022 Montréal Deal.
The UN Water Conference, held between 22nd and 24th March at the UN Headquarters in New York, was special in several ways, not least of which was because it was the first such meeting dedicated to water security to be hosted in over 40 years.
The importance of water in the grand scheme was apparent in the massive turnout. Upwards of 2,000 participants, from politicians and government representatives to industry leaders and experts from the scientific community, gathered for the rounds of conferences and events.
WATER ACTION AGENDA
Perhaps the biggest news to come out of the event was the adoption of the Water Action Agenda plan: a document filled with 700 action-oriented voluntary commitments to water-related projects.
Scientists have said that severe water shortages will affect the whole of Earth by 2040 unless drastic measures are taken, so the $300 billion in pledges made to support the Water Action Agenda must be used wisely. If they are, they have the potential, said General Assembly President Csaba Kőrösi, to unlock more than $1 trillion in socio-economic and environmental gains.
“Your dedication to action and transformation is propelling us towards a sustainable, equitable and inclusive water-secure future for people and planet alike,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres told those present. “This conference demonstrated a central truth: as humanity’s most precious global common good, water unites us all, and it flows across a number of global challenges.”
MONACO’S PARTICPATION
Monaco’s Permanent Representative to the UN Isabelle Picco, pictured above at the event, spoke of the Principality’s ongoing work in the management of water, citing a 26% decrease in consumption and the importance of the government’s investments in infrastructure, such as the recently upgraded Waste Water Treatment Plant (UTER) in Fontvieille.
Monaco also co-organised three events outside of the conference, which provided a way to promote field solutions. These events included a networking session with the Coalition for the UN We Need, chaired by the former president of the UN General Assembly, Maria Fernanda Espinosa, where 60 young representatives of civil society met to discuss the issues of the conference.
