The Monte-Carlo eRally, a race exclusively for zero-emission vehicles, has begun with a bit of a soggy start, but that hasn’t dampened the spirits of an event that is only growing in popularity.
The seventh edition of the Monte-Carlo eRally, which runs until 22nd October, started from the Place du Casino at 2pm on 18th October, and serves as the eighth round of the 2023 Bridgestone FIA ecoRally Cup.
SIGN OF THE TIMES
Even before the event had begun, its prestige and surging popularity had been proven by the fact that the organisers, the Automobile Club of Monaco, had to turn away entries this year. In the end, the rally has welcomed 60 teams from 15 countries, and 36 car models from 19 manufacturers.
The competition will be stiff, with almost all former eRally winners participating, as well as the 2022 FIA ecoRally Cup winners, Spanish duo Eneko Conde and Lukas Sergnese in their Kia e-Niro. Additionally, the leaders of the 2023 championship, Michal Zdarsky and Jakub Nabelek of Czechia and racing for Hyundai Kona, will also be in the mix. Belgian Bruno Thiry, the European rally champion, and Italian Stefano Modena, a former F1 driver who placed third in the Monaco Grand Prix in 1989, will also take part.
Photo by Monaco Life
FIVE DAYS OF ACTION
The five-day race features 15 stages covering 1,000 kilometres, but this year, there is a twist. The route has been kept under wraps from the racers for the first time ever, adding a bit of zing to the event, and the special night stages will keep everyone on their toes.
Energy management will be key to ensuring the cars have enough juice to complete stages. The rally features the usual overnight charging stations, but has added “roaming” terminals that can be used during the day as well to complement the fixed stations along the route.
The prize giving ceremony is set to take place just after lunchtime on Sunday 22nd October at the Yacht Club de Monaco.
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Tickets for next year’s Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters tennis tournament have gone on sale. Read on to find out how to reserve your seat.
After the ‘Priority’ sales for fans who booked tickets to the hugely successful 2023 edition of the event began at the start of the month, everyone and anyone can now reserve their seat for the 2024 tournament.
There are some fantastic bargains to be had compared to on-the-day purchases, particularly for clubs and tennis schools with groups of 10 or more who want to make the journey down to the Monte-Carlo Country Club for one of the most watched tennis events in the ATP Masters 1000 calendar.
For example, Club and School booking rates range from between €29 and €71 per spectator for the first five days of matches on the Court Rainier III, and that’s in the Club Prestige class! Even in the third category of seating for this court, prices are as low as €58 per person on the day of the Single and Double Finals.
It’s a similar story for standard tickets, with preferential rates for those who reserve before 31st January 2024. The best rates to be had are for the two and three day passes, starting at €160 and €235 respectively for core matches, as well as a special Qualifying pass.
Bigtime fans can also reserve tickets for the Grande Nuit du Tennis event on Saturday 13th April, which includes a gala dinner and show. Members of the Princely family of Monaco often attend as do top draw players.
The 2024 Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters begins on Saturday 6th and ends Sunday 14th April. For a ‘Buyer’s Guide’ on purchasing tickets, click here.
For more information about the schedule, click here.
During an intense workout, when you’re pushing your limits and feeling the burn, the last thing you want is an unexpected visitor: gastrointestinal discomfort.
Or maybe it’s after a hearty meal, and suddenly, your stomach seems to be staging a revolt. Dealing with gastrointestinal distress during exercise or in your daily life can be both puzzling and uncomfortable, but fear not – there are ways to prevent it.
DECODING SYMPTOMS OF DIGESTIVE DISCOMFORT
Gastrointestinal distress is a sneaky troublemaker, capable of manifesting in various ways. Imagine savouring a delicious meal, only to be met with bloating, gas, or that unwelcome sensation of heaviness in your abdomen shortly afterward. Or perhaps, during an otherwise ordinary day, it strikes unexpectedly – maybe in the middle of a meeting or while you’re out handling your daily tasks. Abdominal cramps, flatulence, or an urgent need for a restroom break can leave you feeling flustered.
And then there’s the familiar scenario of exercise-induced turbulence, where you might experience nausea, diarrhoea, or that fluttery “butterflies in your stomach” sensation. These diverse symptoms can be puzzling, but understanding their causes and solutions can make all the difference in your quest for digestive comfort.
CRACKING THE CASE LIKE A DETECTIVE
To get to the bottom of gastrointestinal discomfort, it’s essential to become a sharp detective. Start by investigating what you consumed before the discomfort hit. Is it high-fibre foods? Spicy dishes? High-fat foods? Dairy products? All of them could be potential culprits. Portion control is also crucial! Overindulgence, even in healthy foods, can lead to trouble. And when it comes to exercise-induced discomfort, analyse your workout routine. Intense, high-impact exercises or sudden changes in intensity might be triggering those gastrointestinal symptoms.
Photo source: Wayhomestudio for Freepik
COMMON MISCONSEPTIONS
In the realm of gastrointestinal discomfort, missteps can be as notorious as they are varied. We’ve all been there – whether it’s the urge to chug large amounts of water during exercise, unwittingly inviting stomach sloshing and discomfort, or the misconception that more fibre in our diet is always better, leading to unexpected bloating and gas.
But perhaps the most perilous pitfall of all is the tendency to brush aside persistent discomfort as a mere inconvenience. Ignoring the persistent signs and symptoms is like leaving a riddle unsolved. If you constantly battle with gastrointestinal issues, the best course of action is to reach out to a professional. Their expertise can be the compass guiding you through the maze of digestive concerns, helping you restore comfort, balance and performance.
GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR DIGESTIVE WELL-BEING
As we conclude our exploration, here are three fundamental recommendations to keep in mind. First, avoid high-fibre foods before exercise. Second, when it comes to hydration, sip water regularly during exercise, avoiding large amounts to be drank in a short time. Also avoid fizzy drinks close to exercise. And finally, never dismiss persistent symptoms. Instead, pay close attention your body’s signals, and if discomfort persists, seek guidance from a professional. These three simple principles can be your compass on the path to digestive well-being.
Tristan Boetti is a sports nutritionist. Through his company Performance & Bien-Être Monaco, he works with professional athletes as well as recreationally active individuals to help them achieve their goals through customised nutrition plans and expert advice.
The story is the same in many of the world’s most traditionally strong housing markets. In Europe, in North America, and in Australia and New Zealand, house prices and sales are falling. But why?
Analysts are in agreement that the international housing market is “losing steam”, and the latest Global Property Guide (GPG) places the blame on “falling purchasing power caused by soaring inflation, tighter lending conditions and record-high borrowing costs due to interest rate hikes, as well as heightened global economic uncertainty”.
“Historically high inflation”
But it is this first factor, historically high inflation, that has been given the most airtime in the GPG’s Global Residential Real Estate Market Report for Q2 2023.
According to the International Monetary Fund, global headline inflation is expected to fall from 8.7% in 2022 to 6.8% in 2023 and further still in 2024, with a more gradual decline predicted for underlying or “core” inflation.
For the time being, however, the current elevated inflation rates in countries across the globe are contributing to a phenomenon, an illusion, that house prices are rising strongly in some cases and suffering only “modest” decline in other, when in fact the contraction is really quite severe.
In the US, to take one example from the GPG report, “the FHFA index increased modestly while the Case-Shiller index fell slightly”. In Egypt, “nominal house prices rose by a whopping 33.9% year-on-year in Q2 2023 but in real terms, prices have actually dropped 1.33%”, while Karachi in Pakistan has reported prices soaring by 21.19% that, when adjusted for inflation, have actually decreased by 6.35%.
Dubai’s house prices have risen strongly, bucking an otherwise near-worldwide trend, with an inflation-adjusted growth of +14.56% in Q2 2023. Photo source: David Rodrigo, Unsplash
The European outlook
More locally in Europe, the “housing market correction continues”, according to the report.
“Real house prices in key European markets such as Germany, UK, France and Italy are now falling,” says the GPG. “House prices have risen in only nine of the 28 European housing markets for which figures were available in Q2 2023. Also, only nine countries had stronger momentum in Q2 2023 compared to a year earlier. Most European housing markets are now slowing rapidly, amidst falling global demand, the ongoing Ukraine crisis and supply chain disruptions.”
Turkey, North Macedonia, Greece and Portugal are where the biggest price increases were noted, while Spain, Malta, Switzerland, Montenegro and Lithuania reported more modest rises.
At the opposite end of the scale, Sweden’s house prices are described as being in “freefall”.
Sweden’s housing market has been described as being in “freefall” by the Global Property Guide’s Global Residential Real Estate Market Report for Q2 2023. Photo source: Adam Gavlak, Unsplash
“The nationwide residential property price index [in Sweden] fell sharply by 20.17% in Q2 2023 from a year ago. It was the fourth consecutive quarter of year-on-year fall and the biggest decline in recent history,” explains the GPG, noting that the volume of sales also fell by more than 21%.
Germany and the UK also reported “worsening” housing market conditions.
In Germany, “the average price of apartments fell by a huge 14.48% (inflation-adjusted) during the year to Q2 2023, in stark contrast to the previous year’s 3.06% growth… as higher mortgage interest rates and rising inflationary pressures have compounded affordability constraints”.
Meanwhile, in the UK, “real house prices fell by a huge 10.04% in Q2 2023 from a year earlier” as demand reduces.
Monaco’s neighbours of France and Italy recorded modest or “minimal” price contractions of –4.42% and –4.37% respectively.
The overall picture
Of all the markets covered in the GPG – North and South America, the Pacific, the Middle East, South Africa, Europe and Asia – only the latter was given a somewhat “healthy” review.
It should be noted, however, that some of its strongest markets reflect the global narrative. Hong Kong’s housing market conditions have “deteriorated amidst a struggling economy” and South Korea is said to be struggling “after a surge in house prices in recent years”.
“Pacific housing markets, which were previously booming, are now depressed,” explains the GPG. “Australia and New Zealand are now experiencing sharp house price falls, amidst falling property demand.”
The Middle East is described as “frail”, although Dubai continues to buck all trends with an inflation-adjusted price rise of +14.56% in Q2 2023.
Latin America is similarly defined as “weak”, while South Africa’s housing market outlook is “still gloomy”.
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Venturing beyond the boundaries of our planet, the Elevate space conference is taking place at the Grimaldi Forum from Tuesday 17th October to Thursday 19th October. The conference features a lineup of prominent speakers, each offering unique insights into the topics of space technologies and sustainability.
Focusing on the afternoon sessions that took place Tuesday 17th October, Monaco Life witnessed exhilarating speeches, ranging from the personal journey of an astronaut to innovative space tourism ventures and space logistics. These talks painted a captivating picture of what lies beyond Earth’s atmosphere and the shared destiny of space and humanity.
The cosmic chronicles
Michel Tognini, CNES and ESA astronaut and head of the European Astronaut Centre of the European Space Agency, took the audience on an unforgettable journey through his space travels. He shared captivating photos from his time in space and described the incredible experience of launching into the unknown at a staggering 28,000 km/h.
Tognini emphasised the unity that exists in space travel, recounting missions that brought together astronauts from Russia and the United States. He provided historical context and discussed the complexity of preparing for a mission to Mars, a task more intricate than reaching the moon, saying, “space has only 60 years of invention, meaning there is a lot of opportunity for space innovation”.
Space tourism for everyone
Participants learned about Zero 2 Infinity, which aims to democratise space travel, making it an accessible, eco-friendly experience. Jose Mariano Lopez Uridales, CEO of Zero 2 Infinity, described their innovative approach, which offers luxury space travel, lasting two hours, comparing it to “like watching a movie”.
The company’s vision extends beyond tourism, with custom and research missions on the horizon. Jose Mariano highlighted the ongoing “private race to space”, saying “the space sector was incubated by governments and it’s now going through a billionaire phase, and eventually it will become like any other sector, like the internet for example”.
Jose Mariano finished his speech by saying: “We must make the earth as good as possible for all of us. To do this, we must make space travel mainstream and relevant to everybody”.
Revolutionising space logistics
D-Orbit represents a new wave of companies entering the space sector. Luca Rossettini, CEO of D-Orbit, addressed the growing challenge of managing the multitude of satellites orbiting Earth. In this context, D-Orbit presents an innovative solution, “think of us as a DHL track”, said Rossettini.
D-Orbit transforms the space sector through space logistics, cloud computing, and cybersecurity. The company also focuses on validating in-orbit technologies and has plans of enabling in-orbit servicing to reduce space debris, with “the first paid mission going to happen in 2026”, said Rossettini.
Pioneering satellite launches
Skyrora, a British rocket company, specialises in launching small satellites into space. Anfisa Anikushina, the investment director at Skyrora, highlighted the company’s pivotal role in filling a critical void in the European market for satellite launchers, with a primary focus on providing in-orbit services, as there is currently “no operational small satellite launchers in Europe”, according to Anikushina.
Bringing space closer to home, Anikushina shared an inspiring narrative about a former International School of Monaco (ISM) student who is actively contributing to the company while successfully managing their university studies.
Keynote panel: charting a sustainable space future
As the afternoon talks drew to a close, all the speakers came together for an enthralling panel discussion that delved into crucial topics. They highlighted the significance of the circular economy, the emergence of benefit corporations, and the critical need for environmental protection. Notably, among the attendees, there was a Monaco resident with plans for his own space voyage who sought valuable advice from Michel Togini regarding his upcoming cosmic journey.
The speakers shared their vision of creating a sustainable future and the importance of international cooperation, a sentiment inspired by the collaborative spirit found in space.
The proposed demolition and reconstruction of the Fontvieille shopping centre appears to have hit a snag, with reports that the government is going to reassess the €300 million project and put forward some alternative plans.
The Fontvieille shopping centre, built in 1992, is undeniably due for a refresh, but the project may have hit a speedbump as the government reveals that it will examine the project again before entirely committing, specifically aiming to revise the budget.
The cost of the project was initially set at €300 million and would see the old structure torn down and replaced with a two hectare park, a four-screen multiplex cinema, 40 new state housing units, 30,000m² of commercial space and vastly improved parking.
NATIONAL COUNCIL REACTION
The National Council, Monaco’s elected body, received the news during Assembly on Monday night with a variety of emotions. According to Monaco Matin, councillors said they were “perplexed”, “shocked” and “stunned” at the news, which stemmed from questions posed to the new Minister of Finance and the Economy Marco Piccinini.
Piccinini’s reply was a curve ball to those who believed the project was a done deal.
“Reflection is underway at the highest level on bringing the project into line with the State’s possibilities, which are not infinite,” he reportedly said. “There will certainly be a [remodeling] of this project, not necessarily for the worse but for a formula more suited to the times. The commercial world has changed, it seems to me responsible to draw some conclusions from this.”
The approved plan had included multiple levels winding around a large garden overlooking the port. Image: Studio Fuksas
Members of the National Council apparently fear that a scaled-down version would put the Principality at a disadvantage against other top-shelf shopping centres in the region, such as Cap 3000, Polygone and Nice Lingostière.
“This shopping centre is lagging behind the evolution of society and commerce. It is no longer worthy of the image of Monaco,” said Councillor Nicolas Croesi.
GOVERNMENT OPTION
The minister made it clear the project was far from being dropped, but was being re-evaluated because of financial concerns.
“There is no question of abandoning the project, nor of no longer being ambitious, because it must undoubtedly contribute to the attractiveness of the Principality and already meets the needs of the Monegasque population,” he said, whilst adding, “This project experienced a budgetary evaluation different from what was planned. It fell behind schedule and, in view of studies provided by the company responsible for its implementation, we are obliged to evaluate a certain number of proposals. This is why we are going to revise the project.”
He went on to add that the government, who is looking at creating a new plan with “optimisation, efficiency and budgetary prudence”, will present several options for the Council to review.
