Monaco’s first closed-loop car wash has been inaugurated at the Parking de l’Héliport in Fontvieille. The new system, which is set to be rolled out across the Principality, uses recycled water to cut down on wastage.
With hundreds of litres of clean water being, quite literally, washed down the drain after every car wash, the Principality of Monaco has been looking for ways to reduce this unnecessary waste of resources.
One promising method is the rollout of a closed-loop car wash system that uses recycled water to clean cars and other vehicles. The first example of this type of car wash was recently opened at the Parking de l’Héliport in the east of the Principality.
The system will save up to 95% of the water needed for a car wash thanks to an innovative “fine filtration and disinfection” process, says a spokesperson for the government. This will allow the car wash to remain open year-round, including during periods of prolonged drought when water resources are particularly precious.
The Parking de l’Héliport car wash will not remain a novelty for long, as it will soon be joined by similar car washing stations in Parking Wurtemberg, Parking de La Colle and Parking des Salines.
Monaco’s Lisa Pou faced gruelling conditions as she competed in the Olympics’ 10km marathon swim in the Seine. Though disappointed with her 18th-place finish, the Monegasque swimmer says she is determined and motivated for the future.
The women’s 10km swim event was held in Paris on 8th August. It was a particularly challenging race for the athletes in the water of the Seine, who had to battle unusually strong currents estimated to be three times the average for the stretch of river between the Alexandre III and Alma bridges.
Monaco’s Lisa Pou, who was one of two athletes selected to act as flagbearers for the Principality at the Opening Ceremony in July, persisted, despite being forced to spend a significant portion of the race swimming against the current.
She ultimately finished in 18th with a time of 2:07:05. The race was won by Dutch swimmer Sharon van Rouwendaal, who recorded a time of 2:03:34. In second was Australian Moesha Johnson, followed by Italy’s Ginevra Taddeucci.
After the race, Pou admitted that she was unhappy with her result, saying, “I wasn’t 100% physically, that’s true. The race didn’t go well and was about survival from start to finish. I’m very disappointed with my result.”
Her coach and father, Michel Pou, added, “The race was complicated as one had to avoid fighting the current and deal with the challenges during the upstream segments.”
Despite the frustration and disappointment, Pou made it clear that she is already looking ahead and is motivated for the future.
“I hope to return even stronger next year,” she shared.
Prince Albert II and Princess Alexandra of Hanover were in the capital for the event and watched on from the stands as the swimmers completed the marathon course.
The AS Monaco football team has announced a new partnership with French carmaker Renault. As part of the agreement, the team’s players will sport the logo for the brand’s 5 E-tech front and centre on their jerseys.
Renault’s recently launched 5 E-Tech aligns well with AS Monaco’s own commitments to sustainability and environmental awareness.
The vehicle is 100% electric and made of 23% recycled materials. Its design is inspired by the original Renault 5 that was initially marketed between 1972 and 1998, but it has since been reinvented with an advanced electric powertrain and retro-futuristic look.
During UEFA Champions League matches, the kit worn by AS Monaco’s players will feature the 5 E-Tech logo prominently on the front, while a smaller pocket logo will be displayed at Ligue 1 games.
Additionally, some 20 Renault 5 E-Tech cars will be sent to the team. They will feature at various promotional events throughout the season.
“We share strong ties based on our history and values,” says Laurent Aliphat, VP of Renault Marketing Brand Content, of the partnership. “Founded over 100 years ago, we are both entities with national and international reach, and we are both seeking to implement strategies focusing on clean mobility.”
Meanwhile, Thibaut Chatelard, Marketing and Revenue Director at AS Monaco, adds, “As the club returns to the Champions League next season, marked by the centenary of our institution, we are delighted to be able to count on Renault’s support for our European campaign and throughout the exciting Ligue 1 season.”
Following the introduction of the risk-focused Artificial Intelligence Act, which came into effect on 1st August, EU-based or connected businesses that use AI features and programming now face a range of new regulations. Here are the details.
The European Union’s new cross-sector regulations concerning the use of artificial intelligence were voted in on 21st May 21st and have since been approved by the European Council. Now recognised as the Artificial Intelligence Act, the new rules and regulations formally came into effect on 1st August.
The act is the first of its kind globally, and incorporates a definition of AI based on the “product safety and risk-based approach” championed by the EU. It categorises AI-related risk into four levels – minimal, specific transparency, high, and unacceptable – that designate the type of rules businesses must now adhere to.
Minimal risk to unacceptable influence
Many companies fall into the minimal risk category and are not required to take any action at all, though they may choose to comply with additional rules voluntarily.
For AI systems classified under specific transparency risk, such as chatbots, there is a requirement to clearly disclose to users that they are interacting with a machine. Certain AI-generated content, including deepfakes, must be clearly identified, and users must be notified when biometric categorisation or emotion recognition systems are in use.
High-risk systems, including those used for recruitment or determining eligibility for bank loans, must adhere to stringent regulations. These include implementing risk-mitigation systems, ensuring high-quality data sets, maintaining activity logs, providing detailed documentation, offering clear user information, enabling human oversight and upholding a high level of cybersecurity.
AI systems with unacceptable risk are banned outright due to their potential threats to fundamental human rights or user safety. Examples include AI that manipulates behaviour to circumvent users’ free will, such as toys using voice assistance to encourage dangerous or poor behaviour in minors, systems enabling ‘social scoring’ by governments or companies, predictive police profiling networks and real-time remote facial recognition systems used in public spaces for law enforcement.
“The Act is designed to ensure that AI developed and used in the EU is trustworthy, with safeguards to protect people’s fundamental rights,” reads an EU press release. “The regulation aims to establish a harmonised internal market for AI in the EU, encouraging the uptake of this technology and creating a supportive environment for innovation and investment.”
The new law applies to all 27 Member States, as well as non-EU businesses and companies with a customer base in the bloc. Additionally, EEA countries like Liechtenstein, Norway and Iceland will also need to comply.
Non-compliance with the guidelines will result in fines of up to 7% of global annual turnover for violations involving banned AI applications, up to 3% for other violations, and up to 1.5% for providing incorrect information.
Companies will have a year to adjust to the new regulations.
To read more about the Artificial Intelligence Act, click here.
The Principality of Monaco is home to seven incredible Michelin-starred restaurants, including the famous Le Louis XV at the Hôtel de Paris and the acclaimed Les Ambassadeurs de Christophe Cussac at the Hôtel Métropole, but there are many other stellar addresses that should be on your list to sample, even if they don’t yet have a star to their name.
Monaco’s Michelin-starred restaurants are, in some cases, just as famous as the Principality’s most iconic buildings and monuments. They carry titanic names of the culinary world, from Alain Ducasse’s three-starred Le Louis XV to Yannick Alléno’s Pavyllon Monte-Carlo at the Hôtel Hermitage, Marcel Ravin at Blue Bay and La Table d’Antonio Salvatore au Rampoldi.
While they should all be on your gastronomic bucket list, there are many other top-quality eateries here in the Principality that deserve to feature too, regardless of their Michelin-starred – or star-less – status.
Here, Monaco Life presents the six restaurants recommended by the legendary Michelin Guide for their cooking prowess and creativity.
Six top restaurants to try
First up are two Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer-backed restaurants: Elsa, the organic eatery at Monte-Carlo Beach, and Em Sherif, the Hôtel de Paris’ Lebanese affair.
Elsa reopened this spring under the watchful eye of two Michelin-starred Chef Marcel Ravin, who also heads up his eponymous Blue Bay restaurant at Monte-Carlo Bay Hotel & Resort.
The menu here is deep-rooted in the region, with many of the fresh ingredients coming from the nearby Domaine d’Agerbol in Roquebrune Cap Martin. Seafood is particularly important to Caribbean native Ravin, who describes the range of dishes on offer at Elsa as akin to a “marine garden”.
Chef Marcel Ravin describes Elsa’ offerings as a “marine garden”. Photo credit: Monte-Carlo SBM
Em Sherif in the Place du Casino is a celebration of Lebanese cuisine in its finest form.
Chef Yasmina Hayek blends typical and traditional dishes from her native Lebanon with a finesse and aesthetic guided by her experiences in some of Europe’s most creative kitchens. Guests can expect all the colours and flavours of this quintessentially Middle Eastern cuisine, but with an added touch of glamour thanks to the restaurant’s stunning setting in the five-star Hôtel de Paris.
Refined Lebanese cuisine at Em Sherif. Photo credit: Monte-Carlo SBM
Next are two distinct restaurants that belong to the Giraudi Group: the Chinese Song Qi on Avenue Princesse Grace and Beefbar, the meat-lover’s paradise that has gone truly global.
Song Qi is a place to try for lunch and for dinner. Located just over the road from the Grimaldi Forum conference centre, the menu features classic Chinese dishes with an elegant twist, from lobster and Chilean seabass dim sum to elaborate woks and aromatic Peking duck pancakes. There are also plenty of vegan and vegetarian plates, making this a great place for groups with all dietary demands and appetites!
Beefbar Monaco on the Quai Jean-Charles Rey in Fontvieille is the brand’s original location, but it has spread all over the world and can now be found in far-flung destinations including New York City, the UAE, Hong Kong and throughout the Caribbean.
Though beef is clearly the star of the menu, which features the likes of genuine Japanese Kobe to Australian Wagyu and USDA Black Angus, Beefbar also celebrates other fine meats, including Iberian hams and milk-fed veal.
The restaurant offers a stylish yet sumptuous dining experience; it’s not hard to see why the Beefbar brand has been taken up by cities all over the world.
The Maya Collection’s MayaBay is the fifth restaurant without a Michelin star to try. Another Avenue Princesse Grace address, this Japanese-Thai fusion uniquely brings together the colour and flavour of the latter with the grace and minimalism of the former.
It is visually decadent, but far from over-induglent, and Chef Christophe Dupuy is well-known for his ethos of “only working with beautiful produce and beautiful things”.
MayaBay blends Japanese cuisine with Thai flair and flavour. Photo via Facebook
The final restaurant to feature on our list is perhaps the most understated, but don’t let that put you off from visiting.
La Table d’Elise is an ode to Provence, with the Michelin Guide’s inspectors describing its cuisine as “spot on, unfussy, generous and tasty”.
Found on the Rue du Portier, the menu spotlights classically Mediterranean dishes such as soupe de poisson de roche, herb-crusted fish, langoustines and octopus, and grilled meats.
The restaurant runs a very affordable lunch menu for €29, while the dinner service offers guests a full choice of la carte.
Monegasque Formula 1 driver Charles Leclerc has opened up about his thoughts on Ferrari’s 2024 season so far, with the bottom line being that he believes upgrades are urgently needed if the team is to gain a competitive edge on rivals Mercedes, Red Bull and McLaren.
Just over midway through the 2024 Formula 1 season, Scuderia Ferrari pilot Charles Leclerc has given his honest assessment on why he thinks his team is struggling despite a fairly strong start to the season.
“I feel like we are the fourth-fastest car at the moment,” said the 26-year-old Monegasque in an interview with formula1.com. “The first part of the year for us was, for the first half, pretty positive; the second half [we are] struggling a bit more, trying to fix the issues.”
He continued, “We are just going to try and recharge our batteries during the break, come back, try and analyse, and hopefully bring new parts as soon as possible on the car to be challenging for wins again.”
His solution to the team’s woes, and to regain traction against the Mercedes, McLaren and Red Bull teams, is to incorporate upgrades to the cars, as well as smooth out the hitches caused by the change to the floor that was introduced for the Spanish Grand Prix, which caused excessive bouncing at higher speeds.
But while Leclerc’s views lean toward giving his team a “needs improvement” label, Ferrari Team Principal Frédéric Vasseur has a brighter outlook.
“Overall, it’s a much better start than 12 months ago,” said Vasseur to formula1.com. “It was a bit up and down. We had a good sequence and a bit more difficult sequence, but the most important [thing] is to score the points that you can score.”
Ferrari has collated 345 points this season, putting the team in third place behind the leading Red Bull side and second-placed McLaren.
Whatever the perspective, the fact is that the team have a bit of time to iron out any glitches before returning to action on 25th August for the Dutch Grand Prix on the Zandvoort Circuit.
