Monte Carlo Beer adds new non-alcoholic brew and a tasty IPA to its cellars

20/10/2023

Monaco’s very own brewer, Monte Carlo Beer, is adding two new bottles to its stores this autumn: a 6% IPA and a refreshing non-alcoholic blonde. Both have been meticulously crafted over the past six months to entice the taste buds of beer enthusiasts all along the Riviera.

In just four years, Monte Carlo Beer (MCB), which was founded by childhood friends William Scheffer and Anthony Orengo, has gained a devoted following and grown to service 100 distribution points exclusively on the Côte d’Azur.

However, in the post-COVID era, both customers and brand enthusiasts’ expectations are evolving, and it was this realisation that prompted MCB to launch an Indian Pale Ale and a non-alcoholic option.

MCB IPA: a burst of bold flavours

The 6% IPA is a bold celebration of current brewing trends. It dazzles the palate with an intense hop richness that delicately balances the sweetness of malts with the bitterness of hops, all crowned by seductive notes of red fruits.

monte carlo beer — *Monte Carlo Beer’s new 6% Indian Pale Ale. Photo supplied*

Non-alcoholic Blonde: a breeze of freshness

MCB’s is committed to pleasing all its drinkers, and this non-alcoholic blonde beer stands as a testament to that dedication. The beer is light and refreshing, whilst making no compromises on taste. Each sip is a reminder of the unique signature of Monte Carlo Beer.

“These two new creations have been pre-approved by connoisseurs and friends during MCB’s recent Crew Love event, and we are excited to contribute to the heritage of Monaco’s brewing tradition,” shares Orengo.

Visionaries with global inspiration

For Scheffer and Orengo, these two brews represent a culmination of their vision. Their journeys and experiences around the world have provided them with ample inspiration to develop projects focused on community and collaboration.

Both exciting new beers are already available on the MCB website and will be hitting partner retailers on 23rd October.

Cheers to these new additions and the evolving tradition of fine brewing in the Principality!

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Photo source: Monte Carlo Beer / Facebook

Tempête Aline: Mountain villages bear the brunt of Friday’s storm

by: Elsa Carpenter

20/10/2023

With mass power outages, broken bridges and widespread road closures, the villages in the more rural parts of the Alpes-Maritimes suffered most at the force of Tempête Aline, but the coastline of the Riviera wasn’t spared either.

The entirety of the Alpes-Maritimes was put on red alert between 4am and 10am on the morning of Friday 20th October as Tempête Aline bore down on the southeast of France.

Preparations ahead of the storm

A crisis centre was set up at the Prefecture in Nice and a Cellule d’Information du Public telephone advice service was established for the public on the evening of Thursday 19th October.

Schools, crèches and universities were the first to be forced to close on Friday, following an announcement made by the Prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes shortly after 4.30pm on Thursday. The rules were later expanded to include large shopping centres, which were ordered to shut until 10am on Friday.

Campsites near rivers were evacuated and residents in homes deemed at risk of rising waters were encouraged to find a place of safety amid warnings of extreme localised rainfall of up to 300mm and high gusts of wind reaching 140kmph. This latter figure was reportedly recorded in Levens, while Caussols clocked winds of almost 125kmph.

Numerous roads, from Saint-Paul-de-Vence and Tourrettes-sur-Loup to Menton and Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, were closed for reasons ranging from rock falsl and mudslides to trees downed and flooding. Some issues were quickly dealt with, however others have caused considerable damage and there are several roads that will remain “closed for an indeterminate time”. Updates can be found at Inforoutes06.

In Nice, the Promenade des Anglais and the Quai des Etats-Unis were temporarily closed to all traffic on Friday due to warnings of high waves.

Meanwhile in the Var, the neighbouring department, reports have surfaced over the weekend of light pleasure vessels and small sailing boats being washed ashore by the waves – some in a salvageable condition, others broken to pieces.

Considerable damage in Saint-Martin-Vésubie

Saint-Martin-Vésubie appears to have been the commune most heavily affected in the department. Some 15 residents were evacuated and 1,000 homes in the area were without power for several hours. Most, along with the 4,500 other addresses that were without electricity due to falling trees and landslides, had been reconnected by lunchtime on Friday.

Videos have circulated online of the Pont de Maïssa to the north of the town giving way under the pressure of huge volumes of water, while another depicted two buses deployed to evacuate residents being washed away as a nearby tributary burst its banks. Another bridge in the area was also destroyed by the water flow.

Shortly after lunchtime on Friday, the Prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes announced that, “The situation [in Saint-Martin-Vésubie] is stable with almost complete restoration of electrical power, no one is reported to have been injured, no homes have been ‘overwhelmed’ by water, and access to the village is possible.”

Natural disaster zone

Nice Mayor Christian Estrosi, who was filmed close to the swollen and gushing Vésubie River on the morning of the Friday, has since called on French President Emmanuel Macron to class the event as a “natural catastrophe”.

He also called on Macron and Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin to provide urgent aid to help rebuild the damaged areas.

Was Monaco affected?

In Monaco, the government enacted a vigilance rouge warning the evening before the storm arrived, and promptly closed all schools and openair venues, such as parks and markets, as a precaution. The much-awaited opening of the Foire Attractions funfair in Port Hercule was also postponed as officials tried to limit damage and danger to life.

No serious damage has been reported in Monaco.

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Photo credit: Timothée Benadon, provided to Monaco Life

Prince Albert II reminds National Council who is responsible for running the Principality

by: Cassandra Tanti

20/10/2023

After the National Council sent a “strong signal” to the Prince’s government in budget debates, Prince Albert has reminded elected officials that it is his responsibility to ensure the budgets are “in line with the realities of the world around us”.

On Wednesday 18th October, the National Council passed the 2023 amended budget with one symbollic vote only, cast by President Brigitte Boccone-Pagès. It was designed to send a “strong signal” to the government that it would not accept budget cuts to future policies and major building projects. In turn, the National Council refused to even consider the 2024 primary budget.

On Friday morning, Monaco’s Head of State, Prince Albert II, responded in no uncertain terms.

“Following the debates held during the examination of the 2023 Amending Budget, I would like to solemnly recall that the Government, under my authority, and on the basis of the guidelines that I define, is solely responsible for the administration of our Country.

“Although the economic situation of the Principality remains solid, it is nevertheless confronted, like other countries, with the consequences of multiple crises and geopolitical events which impact our economies, our societies and our ambitions.

“In this new environment, it is my responsibility to ensure that the management of our budgets is in line with the realities of the world around us.”

Among the demands by the National Council to pass the 2024 budget was an assurance that the 100 new apartments for the national housing plan will be delivered, and a “realistic timeline” be given for the Fontvielle shopping centre overhaul.

“My desire is to guarantee future generations the same opportunities as those we have enjoyed until now,” continued the Prince in his statement. “This is why it is up to me, following numerous consultations with the Government and in my capacity as Sovereign Prince, to make decisions that meet both the needs of the present and the requirements of the future.”

The National Council said that if the government accepts its requests, a favourable vote on the 2024 budget will be achieved in the upcoming December debates.

“I invite the National Advisors to be responsible and realistic, to collaborate harmoniously with my government, being aware of the challenges ahead in a world that has become uncertain,” concluded the Prince. “The sustainability and development of the Principality reside in the ‘long history’ guaranteed by the Constitutional Monarchy.”

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Main photo credit: Photo credit: Gaetan Luci, Palais Princier

National Council rejects 2024 budget, sends “strong signal” to the Prince’s Government

by: Cassandra Tanti

20/10/2023

The National Council has narrowly passed the 2023 amended budget and sent the 2024 draft budget back to the government with a request to propose a new bill “that meets the real needs of the Principality”.

In its budgetary debates on the updated budget for the current year earlier this week, Monaco’s elected officials “learned to their great surprise” that public policies and large-scale future building projects would be subject to budget cuts, with a view to next year’s Primary Budget.

As a result, the National Council voted unanimously on Wednesday 18th October to narrowly pass the 2023 Amending Budget. National Council President Brigitte Boccone-Pagès was the only elected official to vote, while the 23 other councillors abstained. The aim was to send “a strong signal” of their discontent to the government.

The 2024 Draft Budget was not even considered by the councillors.

“In this context, elected officials informed the Government that the 2024 Draft Budget, previously submitted, would not be studied and asked it to propose a new bill that meets the real needs of the Principality,” said the National Council in a public statement late on Thursday 19th October.

budget monaco — *National Council on Wednesday voted unanimously to put forward only one symbolic vote for the 2023 Amending Budget. Photo source: National Council of Monaco*

KICKING BACK THE 2024 BUDGET

For next year’s budget to be passed, the National Council wants a guarantee that the pace of deliveries of the National Housing Plan, as announced in 2019, will be respected, with the commitment that 100 new housing units will be built to avoid the “air pocket” in 2026/2027.

They’re asking for a “realistic timetable” on the redevelopment of the Fontvieille Shopping Centre, as well as commitments to start tackling the traffic problems plaguing the Principality as well as the implementation of emergency solutions.

The National Council also wants a government commitment to monitor the effects of, and guarantee better management of, major construction projects including the new Princess Grace Hospital Centre, Îlot Pasteur and the Waste Treatment and Recovery Centre, arguing that, “currently uncontrolled, [these projects] are the cause of delays and out-of-control credit overruns”.

The National Council reiterated these measures are necessary to control spending and schedules within Monaco.

“Only the tabling of a new initial budget bill for 2024 meeting the expectations and legitimate needs of Monegasques, residents and economic actors of the Principality will allow a favourable vote to be considered during the debates, which will be held next December,” concluded the National Council.

RELATED ARTICLE:

Prince Albert II reminds National Council who is responsible for running the Principality

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Main photo: National Council President Brigitte Boccone-Pagès was the only councillor to give her symbolic vote to pass the 2023 Amending Budget

Photos: Prince Albert II receives the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I at the Palace

by: Stephanie Horsman

20/10/2023

Bartholomew I of Constantinople, the Ecumenical Patriarch, has paid a visit to Monaco and its Prince Albert II, who welcomed the religious leader known for his concern for the environment at the Palais Princier.

His All Holiness, the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, who is the primus inter pares or ‘first among equals’ and the nominal head of the Eastern Orthodox Churches, travelled to the Principality on Thursday 19th October to meet and visit with Monaco’s Prince Albert II.

STAUNCH ENVIRONMENTALISTS

The two men have common ground; a strong mutual interest in the environment and protection and conservation issues.

The Ecumenical Patriarch has been particularly outspoken on the subject, which has gained him recognition as something of a pioneer amongst the world’s religious leaders.

Earlier this year, in his annual Message for the Day of Prayer for the Protection of the Natural Environment, Bartholomew I of Constantinople said, “The struggle for human rights cannot ignore the fact that these rights are threatened by climate change, by the shortage of potable water, fertile soil and clean air, but also by ‘environmental degradation’ in general. The consequences of the ecological crisis must be confronted above all on the level of human rights. It is self-evident that these rights, in all their aspects and dimensions, comprise an undivided unity and that their protection is inseparable.”

Prince Albert’s own actions in favour of environmental causes are well-documented, from the missions and projects led by his Fondation Prince Albert II to the speeches the sovereign has made at high-profiles events, like the recent Climate Week hosted within the context of the 78th Session of the UN General Assembly, and international conferences, such as COP27.

A FITTING WELCOME

On his arrival at the Palace, the Carabiniers du Prince paid tribute to Bartholomew I, before an official welcome by Prince in the Cour d’Honneur.

The two men then had a tête-à-tête before inviting the other guests, including Archbishop of Monaco Dominique-Marie David, to join. The Patriarch ended the trip by signing the Palace’s register in the Mirror Gallery.

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