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Month: August 2023

Basketball: Monaco’s Kemba Walker hoping to “increase the notoriety” of the Euroleague

by: Luke Entwistle
20/08/2023
Kemba Walker in training with AS Monaco Basket

Kemba Walker is a man on a mission. The American is the blockbuster signing of the summer for AS Monaco Basketball, with whom he is looking to “increase the notoriety” of the Euroleague. 

Walker, who has featured in the NBA All-Star game on four occasions, became arguably the biggest signing in the Roca Team’s history earlier this summer. His arrival at the Principality club will not only be of benefit to Monaco, who will have designs on winning the Euroleague this season but also to European basketball in its entirety.

That is at least the intention of Walker, who having arrived in Monaco, has stated a desire to grow the European game. “I hope I can increase the notoriety of the Euroleague, to increase the style of play and just build it up more,” Walker told AS Monaco Basektball’s social channels.

“What better place to be than Monaco.”

Walker’s arrival at Monaco is indicative of Monaco’s new prominence on the European scene. In just nine years, the Roca Team has gone from toiling in the third division of French basketball to reaching the Euroleague Final Four.

“It’s a big step. Something different. I’m just looking forward to the opportunity. I just want to play basketball and what better place to be than Monaco? It’s going to be fun times,” said the American.

Currently in Bormio, the Roca Team are preparing another run at the Euroleague title. Walker could be the final piece in an expensively assembled puzzle at Monaco.

 

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Photo source: AS Monaco Basket

Getting to know Monaco: La Rousse, where old and new collide

by: Stephanie Horsman
20/08/2023

Home to some of the Principality’s tallest high-rises as well as traditional buildings of yesteryear, the La Rousse neighbourhood in the east of Monaco is an interesting mix of the old and the new.

La Rousse-Saint Roman, as it used to be known, overlooks the Larvotto coastal district and is bordered by the Boulevard d’Italie, the Saint Roman interchange and the boundary shared with France.  

It is primarily a residential and office district with a population of 7,087 – the second highest density after Monte-Carlo – and is where you will find some of the most emblematic recent real estate developments in the Principality.   

MODERN ARCHITECTURAL MARVELS 

At 170 metres high, the Tour Odéon is the Principality’s tallest structure and the second tallest building on Europe’s Mediterranean coast, after the Gran Hotel Bali in Benidorm, Spain. 

Construction started on the building in 2009, under the watchful eye of Prince Albert II himself, and was completed in 2105. It has 259 flats, including a penthouse of over 3,500m2, restaurants, office spaces, a fitness centre, spa and swimming pool, and 10 floors of parking that can securely store almost 550 vehicles.  

At 170 metres high, the Tour Odéon is the tallest building in the Principality

Another amazing building in the quartier is the Testimonio II complex. The entire site is set to be completed by the end of 2024, though much is already finished and sold. It houses 378 state-owned apartments, a 50-space crèche, 56 private residences and five villas 

The building is also where the new International School of Monaco will be located, which will welcome and educate 700 students in a gorgeous, light and bright space replete with a state-of-the-art gym and auditorium. Some of the classrooms even have sea views! 

MONTE-CARLO COUNTRY CLUB 

Being right on the border with France and the commune of Roquebrune Cap Martin, La Rousse also has excellent proximity to the famous Monte-Carlo Country Club, which is where the annual Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters tennis tournament takes place. World-renowned players such as Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, who incidentally lives in Monaco, have graced this court in the past. 

tennis monaco
The iconic Monte-Carlo Country Club is just a stone’s – or a tennis ball’s – throw from La Rousse. Photo by Monaco Life

La Rousse is certainly a quieter part of town, but with its impressive seascape views and peaceful streets, it is a perennial favourite with residents looking to settle down. Great access to the beach thanks to the many lifts and escalators, restaurants such as MoNa and good transport networks complete its appeal.  

 

Check out all the other Monaco neighbourhoods covered so far in this series:

Getting to know Monaco: Le Rocher, The Rock of Monaco

Getting to know Monaco: Monte Carlo, the centre of glamour and opulence

Getting to know Monaco: The lively La Condamine, a favourite with locals

Getting to know Monaco: Fontvieille, a neighbourhood reclaimed from the sea

Getting to know Monaco: Exploring the Jardin Exotique neighbourhood

 

 

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All about the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism designed to stop cheats and leaks 

by: Stephanie Horsman
19/08/2023

The EU is clamping down on carbon emission cheats and leaks within the bloc with the recently adopted Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism.  

The European Union (EU) has some of the world’s most ambitious carbon reduction policies.  

Under the “Fit for 55” package, the EU aims to lessen its greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030 using 1990 levels as a benchmark. To get there, it will rely heavily on “cap and trade” in the form of a trading system. 

CAP AND TRADE 

“Cap and trade” is when a government sets an emissions cap and issues emission allowances in line with that cap. Emitters must hold allowances for every tonne of greenhouse gas they emit. Companies may buy and sell allowances, and this market establishes an emissions “price”. 

This is all fine and good, but in practice, this opens the door to what is known as “carbon leakage”, where EU based companies outsource production to nations with less strict rules or when high-carbon emitting products replace EU made products, thus defeating the good these regulations intend.  

LANDMARK TOOL 

To combat carbon leakage, the EU has implemented the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM).  

“The CBAM is our landmark tool to put a fair price on the carbon emitted during the production of carbon intensive goods that are entering the EU, and to encourage cleaner industrial production in non-EU countries,” explains the EU.  

CBAM will be gradually phased in, starting 1st October and will run until the end of 2025, when companies will be expected to have fully stopped the practice of using free allowances under the Emissions Trading System (ETS) currently in place.  

According to officials, “By confirming that a price has been paid for the embedded carbon emissions generated in the production of certain goods imported into the EU, the CBAM will ensure the carbon price of imports is equivalent to the carbon price of domestic production, and that the EU’s climate objectives are not undermined. The CBAM is designed to be compatible with World Trade Organization-rules.” 

HOW IT WILL WORK 

EU importers will register with national authorities. They will be able to purchase CBAM certificates based on weekly ETS allowances. They then declare embedded emissions from imports and must give back the corresponding number of certificates for what they use every year. If the importer can show proof that a carbon fee has already been paid during the production of a good, those amounts can be deducted, thus keeping them in line with overall emissions goals. 

Sectors covered in the first phase include iron, steel, electricity, cement, aluminium, hydrogen and fertiliser.  

To help businesses prepare, the EU has written up guidelines as well as online training tools. Click here for more information.  

 

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Photo source: Unsplash

Carrefour recalling own-brand mozzarella due to listeria fears

by: Stephanie Horsman
18/08/2023
carrefour mozzarella

French supermarket giant Carrefour is recalling an own-brand mozzarella cheese product following fears that some items may be infected with the Listeria monocytogenes bacteria. 

Carrefour is asking its customers to check their fridge for pots of its own-brand mozzarella after a health alert was issued on 17th August. The concern is the potential presence of Listeria monocytogenes, the bacterium responsible for listeriosis, in one lot of products sold across stores in France. 

The product in question is the Carrefour Extra brand 120g Mozzarella Di Bufala Campana PDO Mini pot. The specific lot is number L199. It has an expiry date of 17th August. The supermarket has said people who have purchased this product should not consume it and should return it to a Carrefour near them as soon as possible for a refund.  

If it has already been eaten, health monitoring is in order. Symptoms of listeriosis can include fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions. See a doctor if these indicators arise.  

WHAT IS IT? 

Listeriosis is a serious infection caused by ingesting food contaminated with the bacteria, and affects about 1,600 people each year, of which some 260 die. It is most likely to impact people over 65, those with weakened immunity, newborns and pregnant women.  

“Severe forms, with neurological complications and maternal or foetal damage in pregnant women, can also sometimes occur,” say health authorities. “Pregnant women, as well as immunocompromised people and the elderly, should be particularly attentive to these symptoms. Listeriosis is a disease which can be serious and whose incubation period can be up to eight weeks.”  

 

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Photo source: Benjamin Brunner, Unsplash

New direct flights from North America landing soon at Nice Airport

by: Stephanie Horsman
18/08/2023
philadelphia nice

American Airlines has announced a new Philadelphia to Nice flight from May 2024, making it easier than ever for North Americans to visit the Côte d’Azur. 

Days after Monaco Life reported an uptick in the number of American tourists visiting – and splashing the cash in – the French Riviera, an exciting new transatlantic service has been announced for next year. 

From May 2024, American Airlines will be operating a daily connection between Nice and the east coast US city of Philadelphia.  

“After United and Delta, this new destination via the Aeroport de Nice rewards our efforts to make [Nice] ever more attractive,” said Nice’s mayor, Christian Estrosi, on social media.  

The airline has also revealed that it will be expanding direct access to two other European cities next summer, Naples and Copenhagen, from Philadelphia. This is American Airline’s biggest expansion in four years, and tickets will go on sale for the new routes on 20th August.  

JOINING OTHERS 

This destination joins a number of other North American direct routings from Nice: New York City, Atlanta and Montreal.  

A plan is reportedly in the works for a Nice-Miami flight too, which would make access to the Caribbean and Central and South America much more convenient, as well as give visitors a chance to easily get to one of America’s most vibrant cities, which boasts a strong French community of around 40,000 people.  

 

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Photo source: Chris Murray, Unsplash

Elite police sent to Marseille amid deadly gang war that’s being played out on social media

by: Cassandra Tanti
18/08/2023

The French government is deploying an elite police unit to Marseille to tackle a deadly drugs-related crimewave that has already seen a dozen people killed since mid-July. 

The CRS 8 police unit, which specialises in combating urban violence, will be deployed for over a week to carry out targeted operations against drug crime syndicates.

The elite police had already been sent to the southern city in February to combat drug trafficking.

A dozen killed in a bloody gang war

Since mid-July, 12 people have died as part of an ongoing war between two powerful networks known as ‘DZ Mafia’ and ‘Yoda’. Since the beginning of the year, their fight has been responsible for 80% of homicides or attempted homicides by organised gangs in Marseille, according to Frédérique Camilleri, the Prefect of Police of Marseille.

But it is the new way this vicious gang war is being played out that has Camilleri particularly concerned. “We are entering a new world of drug-related violence, with murders being staged on social networks,” she explained.

In February, a 17-year-old teenager died after being lynched by around 30 people in the Paternelle housing estate. The attack was filmed and broadcast live on Snapchat.

Teenage recruits

Authorities say that gang members and victims are getting younger. In early April, an 18-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of shooting dead two teenagers aged 15 and 16.

Meanwhile, the proportion of victims aged between 14 and 21 is increasing, with 14% aged between 14 and 17, and 27% between 18- and 21-years-old.

Since the start of the year, 36 people have died in Marseille as a result of drug trafficking.

The Marseille public prosecutor’s office says that each day in the city, a minor is brought before a juvenile judge or the juvenile court for drug-related offences.

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Photo credit: Olivia Chaber, Unsplash