After the torrential rains of the day before, the nearly 300 registered participants of this year’s Pink Ribbon Walk were greeted at the start line on Sunday by a smiling Prince Albert II under a glorious blue sky.
Held on 11th February, the five-kilometre circuit departed Port Hercule for the Palais Princier de Monaco and the Musée Océanographique on the Rock before heading east to the Terrasses du Casino de Monte-Carlo.
The 2024 Pink Ribbon Walk circuit took participants past some of Monaco’s most emblematic sites, including the Palais Princier. Photo credit: Arsi Sebastien Photographe
“We are extremely honoured to have the walk opened by HSH Prince Albert, who, yet again offered his support and well wishes to our association and the work we accomplish,” Natasha Frost-Savio, the founder of Pink Ribbon Monaco, told Monaco Life. “The organisation was absolutely impeccable as usual thanks to the teams at Monaco Run Gramaglia, who outdid themselves, especially with the appalling weather they suffered for their first trial event. We would also like to give a special nod to Paula Radcliffe’s first event in Monaco, Families on Track. It was a really wonderful moment that shone bright despite the (previous day’s) weather.”
Prince Albert II of Monaco and Natasha Frost-Savio, the founder of Pink Ribbon Monaco, are pictured at the start line in Port Hercule. Photo credit: Arsi Sebastien Photographe
The fun run, which also welcomes those who prefer a slower walking pace, is one of Pink Ribbon Monaco’s flagship events and has helped raise thousands of euros in donations over its 12-year history.
In 2024, all profits raised from the Pink Ribbon Walk and the charity’s other events will go towards a new scientific study on lobular breast cancer detection that is being spearheaded by Doctor Florent Hugonnet at the Centre Hospitalier Princesse Grace.
To find out more about the charity and how you can donate to this worthy cause, click here.
Click on the images below to see more from the Pink Ribbon Walk:
The Collège Charles III on Avenue de l’Annonciade has been given the green light to reopen after it was temporarily closed to all students and staff last week in the wake of an accidental leak of noxious gases that caused the hospitalisation of seven individuals.
Five pupils and two members of the maintenance team were briefly hospitalised following the incident, which occurred during routine works in the swimming pool area of the school on Wednesday 7th February. They have since been released in good health.
As reported by Monaco Life at the time, a chemical reaction is said to have generated toxic vapours that spread to the classrooms, with students in 6e and 5e classes particularly affected.
The school was immediately closed and, the following morning, the Monaco Government brought in two teams to perform NRBC-E (nuclear, radiological, bacteriological and chemical) tests in various parts of the establishment, including in the classrooms, corridors, cafeteria and nurse’s station, with a particular focus on the source site of the problem, the swimming pool maintenance room.
Over the weekend, the results of the tests carried out by the Marseille Fire Brigade’s Identification and Sampling Detection Vehicle team and SOCOTEC, an independent third-party company who perform on-site inspections globally, confirmed that the Collège Charles III would be safe to welcome students back for classes as of the morning of Monday 12th February.
“The air analysis and measurements looked for the possible presence of different pollutants such as: carbon monoxide (CO), hydrogen sulphide (H2S), chlorine (CL2), nitrogen trichloride, trihalomethanes, phosphorus, arsenic and sulphur,” announced the Monaco Government in an official statement. “The converging results obtained both by the Marseille Fire Brigade and by the SOCOTEC Control Office, confirm, unequivocally, with no doubt, the total absence of toxic substances in the air within the establishment.”
AS Monaco earned a crucial and sweet victory over bitter rivals OGC Nice (3-2), which not only lifts Les Monégasques back onto the podium but also relieves the pressure that had been building on manager Adi Hütter.
Two teams, two close rivals, but two vastly differing dynamics: Monaco and Nice went into Sunday evening’s Côte d’Azur derby in contrasting form. Whilst Nice were desperately trying to cling onto runaway leaders Paris Saint-Germain and are into the quarter-finals of the Coupe de France, Monaco were eliminated from the competition in surprising circumstances, losing against National 1 side Rouen in midweek, whilst a draw against Le Havre last weekend saw them drop out of the Champions League places for the first time all season.
Monaco’s fans unfurled a banner pre-match, ineloquently calling for the players to click into gear in order to save a season that has gone off the rails, however, both sets of players were greeted with an impressive pyrotechnic display as they took to the field in front of almost 25,000 fans.
Monaco fans with a pyrotechnic display ahead of the Côte d’Azur derby. Photo credit: Luke Entwistle, Monaco Life.
Nice hadn’t lost at the Allianz Riviera all season and had conceded just twice at their home fortress. Francesco Farioli’s side dominate games and dominate possession and they looked like doing so again, with Monaco struggling to get a foothold.
That changed when Denis Zakaria launched a speculative long-range effort from around 30 metres, that rifled into the top corner, leaving Marcin Bulka helpless. However, Nice showed an immediate reaction, squandering a flurry of chances. However, Thilo Kehrer handed Les Aiglons a golden chance to equalise, catching Tom Louchet in the box. Gaëtan Laborde stepped up for the penalty, sending Philipp Köhn the wrong way and levelling the scores.
Dmitry Rybolovlev once again in attendance
Farioli’s side pushed for another before the break and would have got it if not for a sharp save from Köhn after Evann Guessand had worked a one-on-one situation. Laborde could have doubled his account on the night but couldn’t find the finish in a crowded box.
Monaco, who hardly existed in the match for periods, then once again took the lead and it was Zakaria once again. The Swiss midfielder, who was imperious in the midfield, latched onto Takumi Minamino’s cross to head past Bulka.
Things went from bad to worse for Nice, with Dante shown a straight red for a reckless tackle on Minamino just two minutes later. However, the game was not yet won, and there would be further twists.
10-men Nice netted an unlikely equaliser through Guessand as the Allianz Riviera erupted. Monaco were stunned; Dmitry Rybolovlev, who travelled to watch Les Monégasques lose in Rouen in midweek was once again in attendance at the Allianz Riviera, and he looked like witnessing another disappointment.
“One of the biggest victories of the season” – Hütter
However, Monaco showed character with Aleksandr Golovin netting what was ultimately the winner just moments later. Monaco withstood a late wave of pressure from Nice, who were pushed on by their home fans to secure a crucial win, which lifts them to third, and just one point behind second-placed Nice.
“It is one of the biggest victories, why? Because we were under pressure. If you lose it, you’re seven points behind. In this situation, under pressure, in a derby, it is one of the biggest victories of the season,” reacted Hütter post-match.
The Austrian manager, who celebrated his birthday on Sunday, thanked his team for the “gift” of a victory, which not only eases the pressure on him and his squad but also gets the Principality club moving back in the right direction. Should Nice fail to beat Lyon next weekend, Monaco could retake second place when they face Toulouse at home on Sunday.
At the end of February, representatives from Monaco Marina Management (M3) will be heading to the Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi Beach Resort & Marina for a GCC Smart Yachting Days event that will unite stakeholders from across the Gulf Cooperation Council’s maritime sector.
On the agenda will be a series of innovation-focused conferences and workshops that will put a spotlight on the latest trends in the yachting world, namely the embracing and adopting of various sustainable and environmentally aware practices. The programme will also present a number of SMART talks – ‘SMART’ meaning superyachts, marinas, assets, real estate and tourism – to offer a global view of how the yachting sector intersects with other industries.
Delegations from Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are expected to join the M3 team for the two-day event on 28th and 29th February.
Shaping the future of marinas and yachting
According to the Monaco-based organisers, the goal of the event is to “shape the future of marinas and yachting [and] create destinations of choice, living places, a whole ecosystem, while putting in place actions to lower the impact on the environment and support innovation”.
“This M3 event is an ambitious initiative aimed at bringing together key players in the yachting industry, from shipyards to designers, architects, innovative startups, and many other renowned professionals,” says M3 CEO José Marco Casellini . “This annual gathering will be a unique opportunity for the entire yachting community to exchange innovative ideas, participate in fruitful networking sessions, and discover the latest trends and emerging technologies in the field.”
INNOVATION PITCHING COMPETITION
In addition to the discussions and roundtable events, M3 will also be hosting an Innovation Pitching Competition where start-ups can present ideas on how to advance sustainability and the Blue Economy in shipbuilding and marina creation. An awards ceremony will be held on the final day of the event.
With less than six months before the opening ceremony of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris, a fresh set of tickets has been released for sale.
From 8th February, it will be possible to nab spots at popular events in iconic venues such as the equestrian category, which will be hosted at the Château de Versailles, the judo division in the Champs de Mars Arena, fencing at the Grand Palais and tennis at Roland Garros.
In addition to more spaces to events being available to the public, tickets for the ceremonies will also be up for grabs, notably the Paralympic Closing Ceremony, where prices start at just €45.
Organisers do warn that this crop of tickets will be quite limited, but asks those keen to attend the Games, which are taking place from 26th July to 11th August, not to be too disheartened if they miss out.
“There will be a series of ticket releases at regular intervals over the next few weeks and up to the Games, offering many opportunities to buy tickets for this exceptional event,” reads an announcement on the Paris 2024 official website. “These surprise releases by the ticket office, which will be announced only a few days in advance, will give you the chance to buy tickets for all the sports of the Games.”
Despite 57,000 vehicle stops and hundreds of apprehensions for public drunkenness, Monaco’s police force was unable to prevent the deaths of six people caused by drink driving in the Principality last year. Now, the force is seeking tougher powers and launching new strategies to tackle this endemic issue.
2023 may well go down in history as the worst year on record for drink driving related fatalities in the Principality.
On 7th January 2023, a husband and father of two was killed on his way home from work at the Monte-Carlo Bay Hotel and Resort when a drunk driver behind the wheel of a 4×4 strayed on to the wrong side of the road and collided head on with his scooter.
In the early hours of 1st April 2023, three men in their 30s died when the car they were travelling in smashed into the side of the Louis II tunnel at an estimated speed of 150km per hour before bursting into flames. The maximum limit anywhere in Monaco is 50km per hour. The men had been spotted enjoying the Larvotto nightlife scene before the tragic incident and traces of drugs and alcohol were later found in the post-mortem blood samples taken from the driver.
Then, just days before Christmas on 17th December 2023, five students from the International University of Monaco were involved in a harrowing speeding accident at the exit of the Tunnel du Millenium, close to the border with Cap d’Ail, after spending the night out partying. Two young women died from their injuries, either at the scene or in hospital, while the male driver, who was later found to have been driving under the influence of alcohol, is reportedly still receiving care at the Hôpital Pasteur in Nice.
Combined, these three car accidents led to the deaths of six individuals on Monaco soil. It is believed to be the worst year on record for drink driving related fatalities in the Principality.
At the annual Sûreté Publique presentation in January, Richard Marangoni, the head of the Monaco Police Department, confirmed that tackling the issue of drink driving would be a priority for his force in 2024.
According to Commander Fabien Vachetta, a bill, including a raft of related proposals drawn up at the request of the force, is in the process of being finalised.
On the table is a change to police powers to allow officers to breathalyse drivers before they get behind the wheel, which is currently forbidden under Monegasque law, as well as perform checks on drivers leaving the Principality’s many nightclubs, as is done frequently in France.
Increased sanctions
An increase to the sanctions placed on those found guilty of driving under the influence has also been touted as another preventative measure.
Currently, individuals stopped and fined under Monaco’s public drunkenness and disorder rules stand to receive a €37.50 penalty, which some critics say is simply not enough to deter offenders.
For drivers caught drink driving, the punishments range from a €300 fine if they are found to have between 0.25mg and 0.39mg of alcohol per litre of exhaled air or between 0.50g and 0.79g of alcohol per litre of blood. The fine is doubled if a drink driver is taken before the court.
Should the samples return measurements equal to or exceed 0.4mg or 0.8g, drink drivers can be sentenced to six months in prison and a €9,000 fine.
