A massive power cut plunged large swathes of the French Riviera and the Var into darkness on Wednesday night, in a bizarre outage that affected some cities and not others.
Initial reports say more than 130,000 people were affected by the power cut that impacted some towns in the Alpes-Maritimes and the Var.
While Monaco was spared the surprise power cut, which occurred at around 7.55pm, homes and businesses in the cities of Nice, Cagnes-sur-Mer, Cannes, and Tourrette Levens were among those impacted in the Alpes-Maritimes, as well as Draguignan, Saint-Maxime and Fréjus in the Var.
The power cut left several tens of thousands of homes without electricity. Traffic lights were also affected, as well as electric bus services.
Authorities say an incident on a high voltage line which supplies both departments is believed to be the cause of the massive outage.
Power supplies were returned at around 9.40pm.
Why was Monaco not affected by the outage?
Monaco receives its power from France, however early reports say that that the high voltage lines involved in the outage do not supply power to Monaco.
Though power cuts were reported in surrounding areas, including Beausoleil.
The number of people in the world with investable assets of €100 million or more, known as centi-millionaires, has jumped by 12% in a year. Once again, Monaco is home to a large portion of them, but it’s nothing compared to how many there will be within a decade.
There are 28,420 centi-millionaires in the world today, according to the 2023 Centi-Millionaire Report released on 10th October by investment advisors Henley & Partners.
This number is up by more than 50% over two decades ago, and an increase of 12% on last year, highlighting how incredibly fast the number of individuals whose worth is at or over $100 million is growing.
USA TOPS THE LIST
At a national level, the US reigns supreme for centi-millionaires, or “centis” as they’re called. Around 38% are concentrated there, followed by China and India.
When broken down to a city level, one-third of the world’s centis live in 50 key municipalities, with New York City, perhaps unsurprisingly, at the top of the rankings with 775 of these uber-rich people living in the metropolis, followed by San Francisco Bay Area with 692, Los Angeles with 504, London with 388 and Beijing close behind with 365.
MONACO’S CENTI-MILLIONAIRES SET TO INCREASE SIGNIFICANTLY
Monaco came in at 21st place, with a community of 178 centis living within its borders. Moreso, the world’s most expensive city is projected to see its number of centi-millionaires grow by an astonishing 78% over the next decade.
Other cities anticipated to see their centimillionaire populations swell significantly in the next 10 years are the Asian hubs of Mumbai, Delhi, Dubai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Hangzhou in China, with the Hangzhou anticipating a 95% centi growth.
The numbers in Australia also look poised to increase sharply — by 67% in Melbourne, 60% in Sydney, and 57% in Perth. Austin in the US state of Texas and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia will also see a swell in their centimillionaire populations.
The cities with the lowest expected increase in the coming years will be Moscow, Chicago, and London, who lost ground even in the past year by 4.4%.
With more visitors than ever before attending its shows and events, the Grimaldi Forum has decided to increase surveillance in a bid to ensure public safety and its “protect priceless artworks” with a high-tech network of AI-driven multi-sensor cameras.
Some 120,000 visitors made the journey to Monaco and the Grimaldi Forum this summer to see the ‘Monet en Pleine Lumière’ exhibition on this Grand Master of Impressionism; a record-breaking figure by all standards. By the end of the year, upwards of 250,000 people will have walked through the doors of this celebrated events space, which is growing in popularity year-on-year as a top-notch place to hold conferences, trade shows and major exhibitions.
While the exposure is welcome, and the reputation of excellence of the centre is well-deserved, it has made those in charge think harder about public safety and internal security measures.
“When the Forum reopened its doors to the public after a shutdown period due to Covid, we were looking for a solution that would help us manage the number and flow of visitors while ensuring the security of the premises,” says Philippe Martin, Director of Safety, Fire and Risk Prevention at the Grimaldi Forum. “At the time, we were also planning for the much-anticipated Monet exhibition, so we wanted to find the best possible technology to protect these unique masterpieces without interfering with the visitor experience or compromising with the venue’s aesthetic values.”
A solution was found thanks to the Monaco-based systems integrator MES i2S Security, who suggested the installation of a network of i-PRO products.
Over 100 cameras, including multi-sensor and fisheye security cameras with advanced AI-based analytics, have now been installed with the aim of “improving visitor safety, protecting priceless artworks and ensuring a smooth and secure high-level event experience”.
NO BLIND SPOTS
The coverage is all-encompassing – there are reportedly “no blind spots” – and therefore the Forum’s security teams can monitor the entire landscape of the space in great detail.
“If it wasn’t for the wide range of coverage offered by i-PRO’s multi-sensor cameras, we would have had to add another 77 cameras,” says Martin. “Not only do they offer wider coverage capabilities with a larger tilt range than other multi-sensor cameras on the market, but they are small and discreet so they can blend into the design of our beautiful facility.”
“Using the i-PRO Active Guard plug-in, the Grimaldi Forum security team can quickly conduct real-time searches during an incident or deep forensic analysis post-event,” explains an i-PRO spokesperson. “They no longer have to spend time looking at multiple screens for persons of interest or watch hours of recorded video to search for important events. Operators can identify specific attributes in their watch lists, for instance, “male wearing a red shirt and blue pants”, and the plug-in will send them a real-time alarm whenever a match is identified, a feature that is unique to i-PRO. This enhances real-time situational awareness and enables proactive security.”
The collaboration is already proving effective and efficient.
“The technology we have implemented has precisely met the objectives we set at the beginning of this project,” says Martin. “But the human aspect cannot be understated; the teams at i-PRO, and MES i2S have been amazing to work with.”
Make sure you’re never left out of the conversation.
Piène-Haute and Olivetta San Michele, two villages astride the French-Italian border in the Roya Valley, have been welcomed into the Grimaldi Historic Sites network that traces the reach of Monaco’s dynastic family.
After a recent trip to Calabria, Monaco’s Sovereign has been on the road again on a mission to admit new municipalities into the Grimaldi Historic Sites community, a network of more than 125 places across France and Italy that have historic links to the Grimaldi family.
Piène-Haute
Prince Albert II of Monaco spent the morning of Monday 9th October in Piène-Haute, an Alpes-Maritimes village belonging to the commune of Breil-sur-Roya and found around an hour north of Monaco. There he unveiled a sign officially marking the commune as part of the network, before he set off to visit the Saint-Marc church. Prince Albert then took part in a ceremony in the town square, rubbing shoulders with locals, much to their delight.
Piène-Haute’s history is long and curious. In 1500, King of France Louis XII named Jean II Grimaldi, the then-Lord of Monaco, as the Governor of Penna and Ventimiglia. This lasted until 1523, when his brother Lucien Grimaldi, who had assumed the title of Lord of Monaco, was assassinated by his nephew Barthélemy Doria, the Lord of Dolceacqua.
In the years that followed, the third brother Augustin became Lord of Monaco and he seized, for a time, all of the Doria “fiefs”, including the previously lost Penna.
In 1862, Penna was changed to the more Italian Piena, then in 1947, due to changes in the French-Italian border, the hamlet of Piena became Piène, and became attached to the commune of Breil-sur-Roya.
Olivetta San Michele
Later in the day, Prince Albert hopped over the border into Italy and to the pretty village of Olivetta San Michele. A sign officially designating the commune a member of the Grimaldi Historic Sites group was unveiled, and Monaco’s Prince met with local dignitaries and members of the public during a special reception held in his honour.
Click on the images below to see more:
Make sure you’re never left out of the conversation.
She became the first astronaut from Monaco to travel into space last week aboard the Galactic 04. Now back on Earth, Namira Salim shares her story with Monaco Life.
History was made on Friday 6th October, when Monaco resident and Pakistan native Namira Salim became the first person to represent either nation on a journey into space. Indeed, Salim carried the flag of Monaco with her during the spaceflight.
She took off from Spaceport America just before 4.30pm local Monaco time and travelled 87.3km above the Earth, reaching a top speed of Mach 2.95 before spending several minutes experiencing zero gravity conditions.
“The beauty of the view exceeded my expectations”
“It went very well, it was very quick,” Salim tells Monaco Life. “In zero gravity, I had a very good view… Besides seeing the black sky and the beautiful Earth, which doesn’t show any borders or boundaries, we also saw the Half Moon, which is incredible. It couldn’t have been better.”
Namira Salim ahead of her Virgin Galactic Spaceflight, photo supplied
It was brief, this apex moment of the spaceflight, lasting all of three minutes, but it has clearly made an impact on Salim.
“I was able to look down on Earth from the top window because the spaceship was upside down in apogee,” she says. “The beauty of the view exceeded my expectations.”
Within an hour of their initial departure, Salim and the team onboard the Galactic 04 were back on solid ground. It included British advertising executive Trevor Beattie, American astronomy educator Ron Rosano and Chief Astronaut Instructor Beth Moses as well as Commander Kelly Latimer and Pilot CJ Sturckow on VSS Unity, and Commander Nicola Pecile and Pilot Jameel Janjua at the controls of VMS Eve.
The team of eight took off from Spaceport America on Friday 6th October. Photo source: Virgin Galactic
For many, this would be the ultimate adventure, but for Salim, a serial “Collector of Firsts”, this historic spaceflight has done nothing more than speed her on to dreams of other great challenges.
“It was 18 years ago that I started my journey with Virgin Galactic,” she says. “I was born dreaming of going to space and reaching for the stars. I always believed [in this dream] as a child. I had no idea how I would do it, but I was sure that I would [achieve] it one day. I think that we are just lucky to be born in a new space age where space has become commercial, and it has become accessible to not only all sectors, but to all countries that don’t have a full spaceflight programme. I was lucky to be in the right place at the right time when Virgin Galactic happened.”
So, what can possibly follow up a voyage to the edge of space? “The next list of adventures?” she responds, “I want to reach for the stars even higher and I’m looking forward to my next spaceflight… And I will continue to promote space as the new frontier for peace on Earth through my non-profit space trust.”
For the time being, however, Salim is making her way back to Monaco, just in time for cosmic highlight in the Principality’s events calendar: the 2023 edition of Elevate Monte-Carlo, the space and sustainability conference set to take place from 17th to 19th October at the Grimaldi Forum.
Watch Namira Salim’s spaceflight on Monaco Life’s YouTube video below…
Make sure you’re never left out of the conversation.
The Skating Club of Monaco is considering its future after revealing that the ice-rink on Port Hercule will not be reinstalled for a second year running.
A staple of the winter holiday season, the ice-skating rink at the Stade Nautique Rainier III has been a draw to thousands of skaters of all levels over the years, but for the second year running, the rink will not be reopened for 2023-24.
The Skating Club of Monaco (SCOM) revealed in a social media post on 9th October, “It is with great sadness that we must inform you that the decision has been made to no longer install an ice rink at the Stade Nautique Rainier III during the winter season, and as a result, our skating, hockey or curling teaching activities can no longer be organised by the Club.
“Despite all the efforts undertaken by our President, and we thank him for them, the observation is there and the decision seems final.”
Rising energy prices to blame
The ice rink on Port Hercule was not open last season due to spiralling energy costs, with Minister of State Pierre Dartout explaining at the time that “the ice rink consumes all the more energy as it is installed outside”, making it exceptionally expensive to run in a climate as mild as Monaco’s.
For close to a decade, the Skating Club of Monaco has offered members skating lessons, ice hockey and curling events. The club told members that a “General Assembly will soon be organised to decide on the future of the Club”.
