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Day: 26 April 2023

Eileen Gray’s E-1027 villa the backdrop of new Louis Vuitton campaign

by: Stephanie Horsman
26/04/2023

American actress and singer Zendaya has become the new face of Louis Vuitton, with her first shoot held at Eileen Gray’s famous architectural gem, E-1027, in Roquebrune Cap Martin.  

Rumours that Zendaya was about to become Louis Vuitton’s newest brand ambassador had been swirling since a show held in Paris in March, but now it’s official.

The actress was confirmed to be the latest in a roster of stars to represent the high-end fashion house after a campaign shot at E-1027 in Roquebrune Cap Martin, which was designed by trailblazing Irish architect Eileen Gray between 1926 and 1929, was released on 21st April.  

SUPERSTAR BEHIND THE SCENES 

The campaign features Zendaya with the brand’s bestselling Capucines handbag that launched in 2013. According to the company, “Personifying the dreamy energy of the Côte d’Azur, the new House Ambassador brings a playful vibrancy to the Capucines campaign, exuding a bold, feminine allure emblematic of the Maison’s signature collection.”

The photographs were the taken by Mert Alas and Marcus Pigott, and feature Zendaya in monochromatic black and white outfits posing with the handbags in a variety of glorious colours. The styling was done by fashion icon Law Roach, who just last month announced his retirement from the business. 

“It’s a dream”

In a Behind the Scenes video published by Louis Vuitton, the actress describes how she felt about the iconic villa, that has recently undergone a complete renovation.

“The Cap Moderne is just stunning and absolutely beautiful to look at. When you shoot in places that are cinematic and beautiful and have their own character and interest and history, it’s really special,” says the 26-year-old. “I think every time you look at it, you find something new. And then when the light is coming in, it creates all these beautiful shadows and shapes on the wall. It’s a dream, because it makes the picture that much more interesting.”

Zendaya has been in the spotlight for a vast portion of her life. She started her career as a child model, went onto Disney and then made the leap to films, where she debuted in The Greatest Showman. Additionally, she became the youngest ever recipient of a Primetime Emmy Award for Best Actress for her role as a drug-addicted teen in the HBO series Euphoria.   

 

SEE ALSO: 

Eileen Gray villa restoration earns EU Heritage Prize

 

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Photo: screenshot taken from Louis Vuitton video

 

 

Captain’Game: the orienteering course around the Fontvieille port

by: Elsa Carpenter
26/04/2023
fontvieille game

Did you know that only 50 years ago, Fontvieille was a narrow strip of land where the cliffs of the Rocher met the sea? Discover the biodiversity and history of the area with this fun family activity: Captain’Game. 

Fontvieille is an interesting part of the Monaco landscape. It’s tied to the economic development of the Principality, but is also a fascinating geological site will lots of secrets to share.  

Captain’Game leads participants on a 2.5 kilometre route around the port, ticking off 10 important milestones made of recycled plastic as you pass. Each has a fact to share: simply read the question and punch in your guess to discover the answer.  

The trail will teach you everything from the function of Monaco’s many biohuts to information about protected marine reserves, its history of land reclamation, the coralligenous rocks of the famous Rocher and the fish that live in the area.  

The Captain’Game is a joint project between the Maritime Affairs Department, the Environmental Department, the Société d’Exploitation des Ports de Monaco and Ecocéan. It will run until 2027, giving you plenty to time to try it out and better your score each time.  

For more information on how to play, please click here. 

 

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Photo source: Anthony Delanoix for Unsplash

Football: Sell-out crowd at open day gives Monaco players much-needed boost

by: Luke Entwistle
26/04/2023
AS Monaco captain Wissam Ben Yedder

A sell-out crowd, packed with inspired youngsters, attended an open training event at AS Monaco’s Performance Centre in La Turbie on Wednesday in an exchange of positive energy. 

“We need our supporters during the good times, but certainly also in difficult periods,” said manager Philippe Clement at the end of the event. After a consequential 3-0 defeat against RC Lens on Saturday, Les Monégasques were in need of a boost, and they got one.

A sell-out crowd of 400 Monaco fans packed the stands on a sun-drenched Spring morning. The event began on a jovial note as Ruben Aguilar, celebrating his 30th birthday, was serenaded with a rendition of “Happy Birthday” from the youthful crowd.

Whilst the festivities continued in the stands, with fans interacting with the club’s mascot Bouba, the players were put through their paces in preparation for Sunday’s match at the Stade Louis II against Montpellier.

“It brings your smile back”

Breel Embolo wasn’t involved in the main session, as he recovers from an injury, but he still felt the “positivity” exuded by the youthful crowd. “It is what we needed. It’s never easy after a defeat,” added the Swiss international.

He and the rest of the squad, as well as Clement, then interacted with those that had travelled to watch their football idols’ version of a day at the office. “It is important to have a good connection with the supporters. There were lots of young supporters here today. They’re fans of today, but also of tomorrow,” said Clement.

“It boosts you a bit. When you’re in a difficult period, it brings your smile back,” Monaco captain Wissam Ben Yedder told Monaco Life.

“I heard a lot of enthusiasm, and I told them to come to the stadium every time,” concluded Clement. Leaving the field, the Monaco players certainly gave the impression of having received a mental boost from the event, and they’ll hope to receive the same fervent support against Montpellier – a crucial fixture in the Principality club’s “final sprint” to reach the podium.

 

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All photos by Luke Entwistle, Monaco Life

 

Emmanuel Macron promises government action plan in next 100 days

by: Stephanie Horsman
26/04/2023

French President Emmanuel Macron has given himself 100 days to heal the country after weeks of protests and anger at his unpopular plans to raise the retirement age, asking his government to open talks with unions on a wide range of issues.

In a televised speech two days after signing into law plans to increase the retirement age by two years to 64, Macron said he wanted his prime minister to propose measures on working conditions, law and order, education and health issues.

“On 14th July, we must be able to take stock,” Macron said, referring to Bastille Day, France’s national day, often a milestone in French politics.

“We have ahead of us 100 days of appeasement, unity, ambition and action for France,” he said.

Macron has staked his reputation as a reformer on the pension changes, which he said were needed to avoid billions of euros of deficit each year by the end of the decade.

But his failure to build a parliamentary majority to back the reform, which forced him to ram it through without a vote using special constitutional powers, cost him much political capital.

On Monday, he said he regretted the fact the changes were not supported by the broader public.

“Is this reform accepted? Obviously not. Despite months of talks, a consensus wasn’t found, and I regret that. We must draw all the lessons from that,” he said.

As Macron started his speech, demonstrators banged pots and pans in front of town halls across the country and small groups of protesters set garbage bins on fire in Paris.

Macron gave few details about the roadmap he wanted the government to work on but said it should improve working conditions and also tighten immigration laws.

Speaking immediately after Macron’s speech, the head of France’s largest union, the CFDT’s Laurent Berger, said Macron’s speech had been totally empty and failed to address the anger in the country.

“There’s just a sort of emptiness, there is nothing in there, we expected something else,” he said.

He said unions would be ready to talk with the government only after Labour Day on 1st May, following what he called a period of “decency” to let workers’ anger calm.

Far-right leader Marine Le Pen said Macron was “stuck in a parallel world”.

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Monaco Life with Reuters. Photo credit: Anthony Choren on Unsplash

 

 

Les Casinos de Monaco backs Oceanographic Institute in new partnership

by: Cassandra Tanti
26/04/2023

SBM’s The Sea is Green initiative is paying off dividends, with €41,000 raised at its casinos going towards Monaco’s Oceanographic Institute.

On Tuesday 25th April, the CEO of Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer (SBM), Stéphane Valeri, presented Robert Calcagno, Managing Director of the Oceanographic Institute of Monaco, with a cheque for €41,000, on behalf of Les Casinos de Monaco, in the presence of Massimo Michelis, Deputy Director of Monaco Casinos, and professional free diver Pierre Frolla.

The donation was made as part of The Sea is Green program, developed and orchestrated by SBM and sponsored by world record holder Frolla.

“The preservation of the environment is at the heart of our corporate policy, with a new impetus that I hope will be decisive for Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer, in terms of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), a theme which I I entrusted the task to our Secretary General, Virginie Cotta,” said Stéphane Valeri.

The €41,000 donation is the first outcome of a two-month The Sea is Green entertainment program, being held from 10th March to 10th May at various SBM venues, to raise customer awareness around the issues concerning the oceans.

Part of this unprecedented initiative encouraged ‘My Monte-Carlo’ loyalty customers of Les Casinos de Monaco – the Casino de Monte-Carlo and the Casino Café de Paris – to donate to the Oceanographic Institute.

“The establishments of Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer are the scene of many moments of life and encapsulate memories and emotions. Mobilising this energy for the protection of the Ocean is the ambition of the association of our two entities,” said Robert Calcagno, Director General of the Oceanographic Institute. “I sincerely welcome this donation, which will support the missions of the Oceanographic Institute in its mediation actions to ‘make the ocean known, loved and protected’. This first step seals the promise of a long collaboration alongside Stéphane Valeri and his teams.”

Casinos de Monaco have been certified since 2019 by the European Casino Association as ‘Responsible Gaming’ operators.

 

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SEE ALSO:

Save the Date: Full listing of SBM’s The Sea is Green programme

 

Photo: Managing Director of the Oceanographic Institute of Monaco Robert Calcagno, professional free diver Pierre Frolla, SBM CEO Stéphane Valeri, and Massimo Michelis, Deputy Director of Monaco Casinos. Credit: Frederic Pacorel

 

 

World’s most powerful online platforms to comply with new EU Digital Services Act

by: Stephanie Horsman
26/04/2023
digital services act

Major search engines like Google and Amazon now have four months to get in line with the EU’s new consumer-protecting Digital Services Act. 

Back in 2020, the European Union (EU) proposed an idea to make the internet a “safer, more fair digital space for all”. This became the Digital Services Act (DSA), passed in November 2022, which obliges online platforms to be more transparent, easier for consumers to use, and more accountable in terms of user rights.  

Now, five months on, the first list of “Very Large Online Platforms” and “Very Large Search Engines” to be impacted has been released. These include household names such as Instagram, Facebook, Amazon, YouTube, Google and Snapchat, and were chosen based on user data published in February 2023.  

WHAT’S NEXT 

The next step for the companies will be compliance in the form of policy changes set forth by the DSA. They have only four months to implement the changes, meaning these behemoths will need to move fast, not something many large entities are good at.  

The new rules are aimed at empowering and protecting end users, including minors, by requiring the targeted companies to look at their systemic risks and providing strong moderation tools. These include such things as simpler opt-out tools, better ways to report illegal content, clearer terms and conditions written in understandable language free from legalese, prohibition of advertising targeting children, added privacy and security measures (particularly for minors), and ways to address and stop the spread of misinformation and inauthentic use of their services.  

Gender-based violence and advertising aimed at an individual based on data collected about sensitive topics, like their political opinions, ethnic origin or sexual orientation, will also no longer be allowed.  

At the end of the four-month conformity period, the companies must show they have adapted their systems as well as to report to the European Commission (EC) with their first risk assessment study.  

In addition, the EC is looking at ways to ensure service providers are effectively handling cases of hate speech and other devices that may affect users’ mental health.  

For more information and a full list of the companies involved, click here.

 

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Photo source: Rupixen for Unsplash