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Month: November 2024

French climate minister withdraws from COP29 amid tensions with Azerbaijan

by: Cassandra Tanti
14/11/2024

France’s Ecological Transition Minister Agnès Pannier-Runacher and President Macron will skip COP29 in Azerbaijan, citing misuse of the summit by Azerbaijan amid rising France-Azerbaijan tensions over climate.

France’s Ecological Transition Minister Agnès Pannier-Runacher announced her decision to skip the COP29 climate summit in Azerbaijan, marking a rare absence of senior French representation at a UN climate conference. The move comes after Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev accused France of “brutally” suppressing climate issues in its overseas territories, a statement that Pannier-Runacher denounced as “unacceptable” and “unjustifiable.”

In her address to the French Senate on Wednesday, Pannier-Runacher claimed that Azerbaijan was misusing the platform of COP29 to promote a “personal agenda” rather than fostering climate cooperation. French President Emmanuel Macron has also chosen not to attend the summit, making COP29 the first such conference since the 2015 Paris Agreement that France will not attend with high-level leadership. The decision highlights escalating tensions between Paris and Baku, fuelled in part by France’s support for Azerbaijan’s regional rival, Armenia.

The dispute intensified on Wednesday after Aliyev, addressing a group of leaders from small island nations, accused France and the Netherlands of “neocolonialism”. He alleged that France had inflicted “environmental degradation” on its overseas territories, citing nuclear testing in French Polynesia and military actions in New Caledonia, where recent clashes between protesters and police led to multiple casualties. The remarks ignited further diplomatic friction, with French officials denouncing Azerbaijan’s accusations and its continued reliance on fossil fuels, even as it hosts COP29.

EU climate chief Wopke Hoekstra and the Dutch government both defended France in statements made later on Wednesday, refuting Aliyev’s assertions and calling for climate talks to remain focused on collaborative progress. Hoekstra praised France’s commitment to climate action, emphasizing that COP summits should foster open negotiation, unimpeded by bilateral conflicts.

The climate summit, meanwhile, has faced scrutiny from NGOs criticizing Azerbaijan’s investment in fossil fuels, which some claim undermines the credibility of its COP29 presidency. Aliyev defended Azerbaijan’s energy policies, accusing Western nations of hypocrisy for both condemning and purchasing Azerbaijani oil and gas. French officials joined this criticism, calling Azerbaijan’s stance “unworthy of a COP presidency” given the summit’s central mission to combat climate change.

Monaco Life is produced by real multi-media journalists writing original content. See more in our free newsletter, follow our Podcasts on Spotify, and check us out on Threads,  Facebook,  Instagram,  LinkedIn and Tik Tok.

Photo credit: Orkhan Farmanli, Unsplash

“Waste is out of taste”: Monaco’s plans for European Week for Waste Reduction

by: Stephanie Horsman
14/11/2024

In line with 2024’s European Week for Waste Reduction, the Principality of Monaco is set to host an array of engaging events and zero-waste initiatives promoting sustainable practices between 16th and 24th November. 

The theme of this year’s European Week for Waste Reduction (EWWR) is “Waste is Out of Taste,” a nod to the need to reduce the vast amount of perfectly good food that ends up in landfill each year. It is estimated that more than 58 million tonnes of food waste is generated in the EU each year, a staggering 131kg per inhabitant.

Between 16th and 24th November, numerous government departments and agencies, along with the Mairie de Monaco and the Société Monégasque d’Assainissement, will be putting on a variety of workshops, events, and collections with the goal of raising awareness about this unnecessary wastage and encouraging the Principality’s population to be more conscientious.

On the agenda

The Department for the Environment, in partnership with the Department of Urban Planning, the Mairie, and the Société Monégasque d’Assainissement, has arranged for a dedicated EWWR village to be set up on the Promenade Honoré II and at the Casa d’I Soci on 20th and 21st November, from 9am to 6pm.

“Open to all, the village will have around 15 stands specially set up for this event and will host numerous activities related to waste reduction, food waste, the circular economy, repair, recycling, and raising awareness of environmental protection,” says a Monaco Government representative.

The Société Monégasque d’Assainissement is organising a number of separate events at the EWWR village, such as a Waste Frieze workshop that will allow participants to explore the life cycle of waste and reflect on the environmental impacts of its management, a free 5Rs and Sustainable Development Goals escape game, and a practical workshop to show citizens how to recycle properly in a fun, interactive environment.

The Department for the Environment is also organising, after the success of last year’s drives, a collection of undergarments and glasses. Donations can be placed, as in previous years, in the bins located outside the Fontvieille Shopping Centre.

New for this year, hairdressers in Monaco have been invited to collect and keep all hair cuttings over the last few weeks. These will soon be forwarded to the Association Coiffeurs Justes, who turn this useful natural resource into anti-pollution products.

On 23rd November, from 3.30pm to 6pm, the popular Mùnegu Repair Café event will return to the Marché de la Condamine. The Mairie-backed initiative offers visitors an opportunity to get household items repaired for free. For the first time, an outreach branch of the Décathlon brand will also be present. The team will be on hand to carry out maintenance work on bicycles requiring professional technical assistance.

Read related:

MaConsigne recycling initiative looking for new face to front campaign

 

Monaco Life is produced by real multi-media journalists writing original content. See more in our free newsletter, follow our Podcasts on Spotify, and check us out on Threads,  Facebook,  Instagram,  LinkedIn and Tik Tok. 

 

Photo credit: Stéphane Danna / Monaco Communications Department

Daring Monaco watch store robbery ends with arrest across border in Beausoleil

by: Cassandra Tanti
13/11/2024
The Watch Project Monaco robbery

An armed man was swiftly arrested by police on Tuesday evening following a robbery at a luxury watch store in Monaco. This marks the second high-end watch theft in Monaco within six months.

On Tuesday 12th November, an armed man robbed the luxury The Watch Project boutique on Boulevard Princesse Charlotte in Monaco. According to Monaco Matin, the robbery took place around 5.25pm and lasted less than five minutes before the suspect fled on foot to nearby Beausoleil, where he was apprehended by local police.

During the incident, the suspect reportedly entered the store pretending to be a customer interested in purchasing a watch. When the store manager stepped away to retrieve a certificate of authenticity, the man followed, pulling a firearm and threatening him. The manager was forced to hand over four high-end watches valued at approximately €40,000. As he exited, the suspect also reportedly deployed a taser on the manager before escaping the premises.

Police were immediately alerted by an in-store alarm. The suspect, who fled on foot toward the French border, was later apprehended by the Beausoleil municipal police near Rue Jules-Ferry at around 7.30pm. Monaco Matin reports that the stolen watches were recovered, though details about the suspect’s age and nationality have not yet been disclosed.

This latest incident follows another brazen robbery in May, when a masked thief made off with over 80 luxury watches from The Monaco Watch Company using an elaborate disguise. Unlike that incident, the suspect in Tuesday’s robbery reportedly did not attempt to cover his face and hide his identity.

Read related:

Luxury store in Monaco robbed: millions in jewellery stolen at gunpoint

 

Monaco Life is produced by real multi-media journalists writing original content. See more in our free newsletter, follow our Podcasts on Spotify, and check us out on Threads,  Facebook,  Instagram,  LinkedIn and Tik Tok.

 

Photo by Monaco Life

New digital tools aim to simplify employment processes in Monaco

by: Niki Borisova
13/11/2024

Monaco is set to revolutionise its employment services with a set of new digital tools designed to streamline processes for employers and job seekers as part of the ongoing Extended Monaco programme.

On 12th November, Monaco Life attended an event where Christophe Robino, Monaco’s Minister of Social Affairs and Health, and Frédéric Genta, the Interministerial Delegate for Attractiveness and Digital Transition, introduced a number of new online services aimed at improving employment-related processes for both employers and job seekers in the Principality. This move is part of the government’s broader Extended Monaco programme, which was launched in 2019 with the goal of enhancing digital transformation across various sectors.

“These advancements are aimed at equipping the Department of Employment with more effective and user-friendly tools, providing both employers and job seekers with streamlined and digitalised procedures,” said Robino.

The new services, now accessible through MonGuichet.mc, the government’s online portal for administrative procedures, have been tailored to meet employer demands for more accessible and efficient methods of managing job offers and recruitment.

“The goal is to make the employment journey simpler and more efficient for both parties, leveraging the technological products developed by the Princely Government,” explained Genta.

Feedback from employers during the initial presentations has been positive, with many welcoming the added convenience. The real test will come once the services are in regular use.

The first phase of these digital updates, set to launch this month, will feature a modernisation of the Department of Employment’s current tools. Notably, the launch will include two new dedicated sections on MonGuichet.mc: one for employers and another for job seekers. These spaces will allow users to post, view and manage job offers in real time. Additionally, after an initial priority period for specific users, job offers will be publicly accessible on MonServicePublic.mc, allowing for broader visibility and transparency of available job opportunities within Monaco.

By the end of 2025, the government plans to introduce even more advanced digital services with enhanced functionalities designed to improve the user experience further. These improvements will refine the interaction processes, making them more streamlined for job seekers and employers. The second phase is intended to add even more sophisticated features, building on the success of the initial launch.

Looking further ahead, the programme will enter its third phase in 2026, introducing more comprehensive updates to the system. This phase will focus on expanding the services to meet the evolving needs of Monaco’s workforce and employers.

Read related:

Monaco Employment Forum returning in February 2025

 

 

Monaco Life is produced by real multi-media journalists writing original content. See more in our free newsletter, follow our Podcasts on Spotify, and check us out on Threads,  Facebook,  Instagram,  LinkedIn and Tik Tok. 

 

Frédéric Genta, the Interministerial Delegate for Attractiveness and Digital Transition, fourth from left in photo; and Christophe Robino, Monaco’s Minister of Social Affairs and Health, fourth from right

Photo by Monaco Life

 

Maybourne Riviera heading to court amid multiple planning violations claim

by: Elsa Carpenter
13/11/2024

The owners of the five-star Maybourne Riviera hotel, which overlooks the Principality of Monaco from a rocky outcrop in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, are reportedly due in court next week to face accusations of multiple planning violations.

The Maybourne Riviera, formerly Vista Palace, was purchased at auction by Qatari royal Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani in 2014.

Over the subsequent seven years, the glass and steel edifice underwent a major reconstruction project that transformed the once dilapidated site into one of the most recognisable luxury hotels on the Riviera. Designed by the celebrated French architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte, whose other projects include the Allianz Riviera Stadium in Nice, the Grand Palais Ephémère in Paris, and the MoNa Residence in Monaco, the construction side of the project was handled by an Irish company headed by property mogul Paddy McKillen. It is this latter element that has caused controversy.

In February 2021, the Apave Group, an international construction engineering company, reportedly threatened to pull out of the project in a letter sent to the company managing the build, the Société d’Exploitation et de Détention Hôtelière Vista (SEDH). According to a report by Monaco Matin, the letter warned the SEDH of “significant material and immaterial risks” and of the Group’s concerns about the “stability of structures at the end of the work” due to the works carried out by McKillen’s company and contractors. The letter also noted “numerous non-compliances in fire safety”.

A few months later, the certified inspection office responsible for overseeing the project is understood to have alerted the SEDH to a number of potential building infractions and violations of local planning regulations, including excess square meterage. According to Monaco Matin, it is claimed that the vast majority of the flagged issues were ignored.

Then, in June 2021, a local safety commission reportedly gave the hotel its approval, noting just a handful of “minor issues,” reports Monaco Matin. The favourable review is noted by the local newspaper as being at odds with previous inspections.

It wasn’t until the following year that the extent of the issues relating to the Maybourne Riviera really came to the authorities’ attention. In August 2022, a Roquebrune-Cap-Martin opposition councillor, Marie-Christine Franc de Ferrière, filed a criminal complaint against the hotel. Two agents from the Prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes were sent to investigate and unearthed a number of infractions. They later produced a list four pages long, reports Monaco Matin.

It is this list of violations that will reportedly be the focus of the upcoming court case in Nice between the representatives of the former Emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani. According to the local newspaper, these representatives have told investigators that they were “deceived” by the Irish building company and only discovered the extent of the issues with the property when they received Apave’s letter in February 2021. The credibility of the Irish company has been further questioned by reports that it is not covered by décennale assurance, a mandatory insurance policy for construction projects.

The situation is further complicated by a new permit that was issued by the Roquebrune-Cap-Martin town hall in 2023, allowing the owners of the Maybourne Riviera to “regularise” its excess surface area. These works have not yet been carried out. 

Monaco Life is produced by real multi-media journalists writing original content. See more in our free newsletter, follow our Podcasts on Spotify, and check us out on Threads,  Facebook,  Instagram,  LinkedIn and Tik Tok. 

 

Photo of the Maybourne Riviera hotel in the hills above Monaco, by Monaco Life

Smakelijk! stand-up comedy debuts at Le Méridien with French comic GGUIZZ

by: Cassandra Tanti
13/11/2024

Le Méridien Beach Plaza is launching the Smakelijk! Comedy Club on Friday 14th November, with French comedian GGUIZZ kicking off the stand-up show series.

Le Méridien Beach Plaza in Monaco is bringing a new flavour of comedy to Monaco with the Smakelijk! Comedy Club. Scheduled for Friday 15th and Saturday 16th November, as well as Wednesday 13th December and Thursday 14th December, the comedy show series will offer two performances each evening at 7pm and 9pm.

French comedian Guillermo Guiz, known professionally as GGUIZZ, has earned a strong following for his witty, down-to-earth humor that explores themes of everyday life, relationships, and cultural quirks. Originally from Belgium, GGUIZZ has built a name for himself across France and beyond, sharing stories that blend personal insight with sharp comedic timing.

His critically acclaimed show Au Suivant has resonated widely, drawing audiences with its honest and often self-deprecating humour. GGUIZZ’s style is characterised by an ability to laugh at life’s absurdities, inviting audiences to find humor in the ordinary, and his performances are known for their authentic, conversational tone that keeps fans coming back for more.

Tickets are available at €35, with the show running for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Reservations can be made at www.slash-f.com or by emailing hello@slash-f.com.

Monaco Life is produced by real multi-media journalists writing original content. See more in our free newsletter, follow our Podcasts on Spotify, and check us out on Threads,  Facebook,  Instagram,  LinkedIn and Tik Tok.