A rapidly spreading wildfire reached the outskirts of Marseille on Tuesday 8th July, forcing Marseille Provence airport—France’s fourth‑busiest—to close and residents to shelter indoors. Fanned by fierce winds, the blaze swiftly consumed around 350 hectares, with thick smoke and ash enveloping the city’s suburbs.
The fires, driven by winds gusting up to 70 km/h, began in Les Pennes‑Mirabeau to the north and advanced into Marseille’s 16th borough, prompting urban smoke alerts. Residents were urged to close shutters and doors, and to remain indoors unless formally instructed otherwise, to keep roads clear for emergency services. Efforts by 168 firefighters, supported by fire engines, helicopters and aerial water bombers, aim to contain the flames. Smoke was reported miles away: “The sky is grey with ash, and the smell of fire is very strong in the centre of Marseille,” said one local bank worker to AFP.
Mayor Benoit Payan posted on X: “The fire that started in Pennes‑Mirabeau is now at the gates of Marseille,” while the regional prefecture advised, “At this stage, populations must remain confined … keep your property clear for emergency services”.
Airport shutdown and disrupted transport
Marseille Provence airport halted all take‑offs and landings from around midday, with incoming flights rerouted to Nice, Nîmes and other regional airports. SNCF suspended train services north and west of Marseille after flames endangered nearby tracks.
Regional wildfire context
This intense blaze adds to a string of wildfires across southern Europe, fuelled by early‑season heat and dry conditions. Greece and Spain are similarly grappling with forest fires, and southern France—including the wider Provence region—was placed under red alert by Météo‑France in several départements, including Bouches‑du‑Rhône. Just days prior, a blaze in Hérault burned some 400 ha before being brought under control.
Climate‑driven threats escalate
Experts warn that such events are becoming more frequent and severe due to climate change. The wider 2025 Mediterranean fire season has already caused fatalities, destroyed thousands of hectares and prompted the evacuation of more than 57,000 people across Europe. In France alone, nine people have been injured in wildfire‑related incidents so far, and national transport and aviation infrastructure have been disrupted.
What to watch next
Containment efforts remain underway in Marseille while weather conditions could shift quickly. Authorities continue to warn locals to comply with safety advice and stay prepared for possible evacuation orders. Given the wider regional fire activity, a prolonged “fire siege” scenario is unfolding as southern Europe endures a fierce and early heatwave.
The second edition of Monaco’s Académie de la Mer opened this week with a dedicated session on the state of the world’s whale populations, drawing attention to the growing scientific and legal challenges facing cetacean conservation.
On the morning of 8th July, H.S.H. Prince Albert II attended a session of the Académie de la Mer de Monaco (A2M) dedicated to whales, signalling the Principality’s continuing engagement in global marine protection efforts. The session marked the beginning of a series of thematic discussions organised under the academy’s programme, which convenes leading international experts from science, law and environmental policy.
Canadian marine ecologist Lyne Morissette, a professor at the Institut des Sciences de la Mer at the University of Quebec, opened the morning with an overview of the global status of whale populations. Her address highlighted the pressures faced by whales due to climate change, shipping traffic, entanglement and noise pollution, while also identifying pathways for recovery through coordinated conservation policy.
A multidisciplinary approach to marine challenges
This year’s edition of the Académie de la Mer is continuing its mission to foster scientific dialogue and actionable strategies to protect marine ecosystems. The whale session set the tone for a week of in-depth discussions that bring together scientists, legal scholars and environmental advocates to address pressing ocean-related challenges.
Through the lens of whale conservation, the session tackled broader themes such as the role of international law in regulating maritime activity, the use of technology in marine monitoring, and the ethics of human interaction with marine megafauna.
Monaco at the forefront of ocean protection
Organised under the auspices of the Oceanographic Institute and in line with the environmental vision of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, the Académie de la Mer serves as a platform for high-level exchange on the sustainable management of the world’s oceans.
The European Commission has proposed a major revision to its EU Climate Law, introducing a new 2040 target to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by 90% compared to 1990 levels. The move aims to provide clarity for investors, bolster EU industrial competitiveness, and strengthen energy security across the bloc.
Announced on 2nd July, the new legislative proposal is described by the Commission as a pragmatic yet ambitious step forward on the path to the EU’s legally binding goal of climate neutrality by 2050. The EU is already on track to achieve its 2030 interim target of a 55% reduction in emissions. The 2040 milestone is designed to help maintain momentum while adapting to ongoing economic, security and geopolitical challenges.
According to a recent survey, public support for climate action remains high: 85% of Europeans believe climate change is a serious issue, and 81% back the EU’s 2050 net-zero target. The revised climate law intends to reflect this mandate by promoting stronger enabling conditions for the transition—such as investment in innovation, clean industrial transformation, and energy affordability.
Climate and competitiveness go hand in hand
The proposed 2040 target is closely aligned with broader EU strategies including the Clean Industrial Deal, the Affordable Energy Action Plan, and the EU Competitiveness Compass. The Commission also released a Communication detailing the first wave of actions under the Clean Industrial Deal, intended to help industries decarbonise while remaining globally competitive.
The revised law incorporates findings from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and guidance from the European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change. It underlines the importance of science-based policymaking as the EU seeks to lead by example on climate leadership.
Legislative next steps
The Commission’s proposal will now move to the European Parliament and the Council under the ordinary legislative procedure. If adopted, the 2040 target will not only shape the EU’s future environmental legislation but also provide a benchmark for the post-2030 policy framework.
Authorities in Monaco have stepped up their campaign against financial crime with a major information session aimed at boosting private sector compliance with international anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-terrorism financing (CFT) standards.
Held on 26th June, the session brought together more than 500 industry professionals at the Grimaldi Forum. Organised by the Permanent Secretariat of the AML/CFT Coordination Committee, the event included presentations from the Monegasque Financial Security Authority (AMSF) and the Public Security Department.
The briefing focused on Monaco’s national coordination efforts in light of the Principality’s placement on the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list in June 2024. Officials provided updates on discussions with FATF and MONEYVAL, the Council of Europe’s monitoring body, and reiterated Monaco’s commitment to meeting the highest international standards.
Focus on compliance tools and reporting
The AMSF presented its latest priorities and practical guides, including a newly released sector risk analysis linked to cross-border tax fraud. Authorities also reviewed the GoAML reporting system, urging obligated entities to register and improve the accuracy and timeliness of suspicious activity reports.
Law enforcement outlines laundering typologies
Monaco’s Public Security Department detailed various laundering techniques encountered by law enforcement, underlining the evolving risks and the importance of vigilance. These real-world examples aimed to enhance detection and reporting by the private sector.
Public-private cooperation a cornerstone
Officials described the event as a vital step in reinforcing cooperation between regulators, law enforcement, and the private sector. They highlighted the need for continued dialogue to ensure Monaco’s financial framework complies with international norms and exits the grey list promptly.
The Grimaldi Forum Monaco has thrown open the doors to a vivid new world with Couleurs!, a striking summer exhibition that runs until 31st August. Orchestrated by Didier Ottinger, the renowned Deputy Director of the Centre Pompidou, this genre-defying show dives deep into the emotional and symbolic power of colour, drawing visitors into a visual journey that’s as intellectually sharp as it is visually intoxicating. Already, it’s being talked about as one of the Forum’s most daring and unforgettable ventures.
This is not just an exhibition; it’s an experience. For the first time, the Centre Pompidou has partnered with the Grimaldi Forum to bring over 100 modern and contemporary masterpieces to Monaco, grouped thematically by colour and enhanced by soundscapes and scents. Visitors embark on a sensory journey through seven monochromatic rooms – each one tuned not only to a palette but to an emotion, a memory, an idea.
As Didier Ottinger explained, “This is less a lecture on colour than an invitation to experience it. The show raises more questions than it answers: what does blue mean when it’s chosen by Matisse or Gontcharova? What does it mean to you? Colour resists explanation—it must be felt.”
René Magritte ‘Les marches de l’été’, 1938. Collection Centre Pompidou, Paris Musée national d’art moderne. Photo credit: Cassandra Tanti, Monaco Life
The colours of meaning: how artists shaped emotion
Pablo Picasso, Francis Bacon, Fernand Léger, Andy Warhol, Marc Chagall, Salvador Dalí, Yves Klein, Robert Delaunay, Vassily Kandinsky, Henri Matisse… the masters like you’ve never seen them before. In Couleurs!, their works are not arranged chronologically or by movement, but by pigment itself: each artist brought together in a chromatic dialogue that reveals how colour can define emotion, provoke thought, or stir the soul.
Each hue is more than a pigment — it’s a statement. The exhibition opens with a kaleidoscopic prelude, before plunging into individual zones: Blue evokes both melancholy and serenity, as in Kandinsky’s Bleu de ciel, painted at the brink of war to portray peace in a world crumbling. Red roars with danger and passion, captured in Warhol’s Big Electric Chair, where political tension drips from the canvas.
Pablo Picasso’s ‘Femme en bleu’ 1944
Pink, often dismissed as frivolous, is redefined here as the most rebellious of colours. “From Rococo pleasure to feminist protest, pink is sensual and subversive,” said Ottinger. In Guston’s unsettling In Bed, the powdery blush of the room masks racial violence with deceptive sweetness.
Yellow plays a double role: imperial colour in China, a symbol of betrayal in the West. Baselitz’s golden Demoiselles d’Olmo II flips perspective and balance, making colour itself the protagonist. Meanwhile, the white of Lempicka’s La Communiante speaks of purity, but also of a world on the edge of collapse.
Black, in Dalí’s surrealist hallucinations, becomes the colour of dreams and oblivion. Green, so long mistrusted in modern art, finds redemption through Picasso’s luminous Portrait de jeune fille, a calm echo before chaos.
The exhibition offers an interpretation of the sound and smell of yellow, a remarkable and memorable immersion for visitors. Photo credit: Cassandra Tanti, Monaco Life
Each colour is paired with an immersive room, featuring a bespoke fragrance created by Alexis Dadier (Robertet) and sound compositions by Roque Rivas, turning every colour into an atmosphere.
This multisensory approach echoes the early 20th century dream of “synesthesia” pursued by artists like Kandinsky and Klee.
Interior spaces designed by French architect Marion Mailaender. Photo credit: Cassandra Tanti, Monaco Life
Where masterpieces and design collide
Beyond the paintings, Couleurs! introduces a new way of seeing art in daily life. French architect Marion Mailaender has recreated interior spaces where artworks by the likes of Jean Prouvé, Philippe Starck and Ettore Sottsass are integrated into domestic scenes. The message is clear: colour lives not only on canvas, but in the way we inhabit space.
And just as the Centre Pompidou’s facade transformed Paris with its primary-coloured pipes, the exhibition closes with a tribute to Renzo Piano’s vision—linking Pompidou’s bold architecture to his new role in shaping Monaco’s own Mareterra.
The Centre Pompidou was designed by Renzo Piano, the mastermind behind Monaco’s main building at Mareterra. Photo credit: Cassandra Tanti, Monaco Life
A cultural crescendo for Monaco’s summer
In the words of Grimaldi Forum Director Sylvie Biancheri: “This exhibition is a true adventure into the world of colour—through masterpieces, through scent, through sound. It invites every visitor, young and old, to see colour in an entirely new way.”
Couleurs! isn’t just a show to be seen—it’s one to be felt, to be remembered. For Monaco’s residents and summer visitors alike, this is the exhibition of the season, and a rare opportunity to experience the world of colour in full spectrum.
Photo credit: Cassandra Tanti, Monaco Life
Practical information
Couleurs! runs from 8th July to 31st August 2025 at the Grimaldi Forum Monaco, located at 10 Avenue Princesse Grace. The exhibition is open daily from 10am to 8pm, with late openings until 10pm on Thursdays.
Tickets can be purchased online or at the venue. Reduced rates are available for students, seniors, and groups, and children under 18 enter free. A comprehensive exhibition catalogue is available in French and English for €42.
The Grimaldi Forum is accessible to visitors with reduced mobility and offers family-friendly workshops and educational tours throughout the summer. For more information, visit www.grimaldiforum.com.
Informa, the international events and digital services group, has announced the acquisition of Art Monte-Carlo, strengthening its portfolio of branded luxury events in Monaco and consolidating its position in the Principality’s high-end cultural and lifestyle sectors.
The deal was confirmed on 7th July, the opening day of this year’s Art Monte-Carlo fair at the Grimaldi Forum. The event, founded in 2016, is now part of Informa Prestige, the company’s luxury and lifestyle division. The acquisition builds on Informa’s existing presence in Monaco, where it already owns and operates the Monaco Yacht Show, Top Marques Monaco, and luxury media brand BOAT International.
The company’s expansion reflects a clear strategy to develop branded experiences in key luxury sectors, positioning Monaco as a central hub in its global portfolio. With Art Monte-Carlo, Informa gains an established foothold in the contemporary art market on the Côte d’Azur, complementing its international art assets such as Art Miami and Untitled Art.
Informa deepens commitment to Principality
“Informa Prestige has been built around exceptional brands that create unique opportunities in the luxury market,” said Toby Moore, CEO of Informa Prestige. “Art Monte-Carlo has earned its reputation here in Monaco, the home of luxury, and is a perfect addition to our portfolio.”
The acquisition further cements a more than decade-long relationship between Informa and Monaco. The company now oversees more than 15 luxury brands across Europe and the United States, with Monaco at the core of its strategy. Informa is already the largest operator of live events in the Principality by footprint.
Fair continues with existing team and expanded support
This year’s edition of Art Monte-Carlo features 25 modern and contemporary galleries, alongside curated special projects and international publishers. The fair’s existing team will continue to lead its curatorial direction, now supported by Informa’s global infrastructure and access to adjacent luxury sectors including yachting, aviation, automotive, jewellery, and technology.
John Paton, Executive Chair of BOAT International, has been appointed Executive Chair of Informa Prestige, a move that aligns leadership across the company’s core luxury titles.
