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Day: 12 August 2025

France hit by massive cheese recall over Listeria fears

by: Cassandra Tanti
12/08/2025

French health authorities have issued an urgent nationwide recall of dozens of cheeses sold in supermarkets after fears of contamination with Listeria monocytogenes, the bacteria responsible for the potentially life-threatening illness listeriosis. The wave of recalls, announced 12th August by the official consumer safety portal Rappel Conso, spans multiple popular brands and styles, including camembert, coulommiers, brie, chèvre logs and blended cheese products.

The affected items – which could have also made their way into Monaco’s supermarkets – include products sold under names such as Vieux Porche, Mariotte, Saveur d’Antan, Le Chaignet, Le Berger, Carrefour Classic, La Belle du Bocage, Charles VII, and Maître Queue, among others. Many of these cheeses were available in major supermarket chains including Lidl, U stores, and Carrefour, with distribution across much of France. All are suspected to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, prompting the swift removal of stock from shelves.

Consumers are urged not to eat the products and to return them to the point of sale for a refund. Anyone who has consumed the recalled cheeses and experiences symptoms such as fever, headache, or muscle aches — particularly pregnant women, the elderly, and immunocompromised individuals — should seek immediate medical advice. Listeriosis can have a long incubation period of up to eight weeks and, in severe cases, can lead to neurological complications, miscarriage, or death.

While France has seen sporadic cheese recalls in recent years, today’s action is among the most extensive, cutting across multiple producers and regions. Food safety officials are continuing to investigate the source of the contamination, but stress that the measures taken are precautionary and aimed at protecting public health.

Authorities have also reminded consumers of the importance of checking batch numbers and expiration dates on perishable goods, particularly soft cheeses, which are more prone to harbouring harmful bacteria even under refrigeration.

For the full list of recalled items, click here.

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Main photo source: Wikicommons

Summer pet travel: what you need to know about EU documentation

by: Kyriaki Topalidou
12/08/2025

Pet owners planning European holidays this summer need to ensure their animals have proper documentation before crossing borders, according to EU regulations on pet travel. 

The EU pet passport remains the primary requirement for dogs, cats, and ferrets travelling within European Union counties. The document must include the animal’s microchip or tattoo identification, current rabies vaccination records, and details of the authorising veterinarian.

Any authorised veterinarian can issue EU pet passports, but the critical requirement is maintaining up-to-date rabies vaccinations. This applies to all pet travelling within the EU and those arriving from non-EU countries.

Travellers heading to Finland, Ireland, Malta, Norway, and Northern Ireland must ensure their pets have received treatment against the tapeworm Echinococcus multilocularis, as these countries maintain disease-free status.

Post-brexit changes

EU pet passports issued to Great Britain residents are no longer valid for travel from Britain to EU countries or Northern Ireland since 2021. These travellers now require alternative documentation.

The passport system covers only dogs, cats, and ferrets. Owners of birds, reptiles, rodents, or rabbits must check individual national regulations for their destination countries.

Pet arriving from non-EU countries need an EU animal health certificate instead of a passport. Official state veterinarians must issue these certificates no more than 10 before the animal’s EU arrival.

The certificate requires a written declaration confirming non-commercial relocation purposes.

Travel restrictions

Travellers can accompany up to five pets without additional documentation. Groups exceeding five animals must provide proof of participation in competitions, exhibitions, or sporting events, with all animals being at least six months old.

Pet owners unable to personally escort their animals can authorise another person in writing, but must reunite with their pets within five days of relocation.

The regulations aim to maintain animal health standards while facilitating freedom of movement across EU borders.

See also: 

Pet travel post-Brexit

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Main photo credit: European Commission

 

Beat the heat: Monaco’s top cultural exhibitions to catch before they close

by: Kyriaki Topalidou
12/08/2025

As temperatures hit boiling point across Monaco and the French Riviera, the Principality’s museums and exhibition spaces offer the perfect relief from the heat, all while delivering exceptional cultural experiences.

From oceanic art journeys to Napoleon’s hidden connections with the Principality, here are five unmissable exhibitions to visit before they close their doors.

‘Demain l’Océan?’ – until 7th September

The Quai Antoine 1er Exhibition Hall has been transformed into a captivating oceanic voyage featuring 34 international artists exploring humanity’s relationship with the sea through 71 works.

Curated by Elodie Antoine, this thoughtfully structured exhibition guides visitors through six thematic zones—from ‘The Horizon’ to ‘What Future for the Ocean?’—without delivering heavy-handed environmental messaging. Instead, it places spectators before what Antoine describes as “a horizon that can be somewhat turbulent”.

The international scope ensures diverse perspectives on marine pollution and climate change.

The exhibition is open Tuesday to Sunday, 1pm-7pm with free entrance.

Demain l’Océan exhibition, photo by Monaco Life.

‘Cactus’ at Villa Sauber – until 11th January 2026

The National Museum of Monaco presents a unique exploration of humanity’s centuries-long fascination with nature’s most resilient plants.

The collaborative exhibition with Yves Saint Laurent Museum in Marrakech features over 200 objects spanning from pre-Columbian codices to contemporary installations.

Co-curated by botanist Mark Jeanson and former Centre Pompidou president Laurent Le Bon, the exhibitions traces cacti’s journey from their natural habitats into European minds and artistic imagination.

The exhibition extends beyond the museum walls into Villa Sauber’s gardens, the latter of which has been transformed into a living cactus display.

‘Cactus’ exhibition, photo by Monaco Life.

‘Monaco and the Napoleons’ – until 31st August

Prince Albert II inaugurated this revelatory exhibition at the Grimaldi Forum in July, unveiling the profound but little-known connections between the Principality and both Napoleonic Empires throughout the entire 19th century.

The exhibition’s seven sections reveal how the Grimaldi dynasty became deeply embedded in the Napoleonic world, from Prince Honoré V’s role as equerry to Empress Joséphine, to the ‘Great Alliance’ of 1861 with Napoleon III that secured Monaco’s future prosperity.

Nearly 200 works from the private Iakobachvili collection bring these historical relationships to life.

‘Monaco and the Napoleons’ exhibition, photo by Monaco Life.

‘Couleurs!’ at Grimaldi Forum – until 31st August

The Grimaldi Forum presents an extraordinary celebration of colour through over 100 works by modern masters including Picasso, Matisse, Kandinsky, and Basquiat, all drawn from the Centre Pompidou’s collection.

Curated by Didier Ottinger, this innovative exhibition transcends traditional gallery experiences through seven immersive monochromatic zones enhanced with original soundscapes by composer Roque Rivas and olfactory atmospheres crafted by perfumer Alexis Dadier in partnership with Fragonard.

Meanwhile, French architect Marion Mailaender has created bold living space installations featuring iconic design pieces by Ron Arad, Jean Prouvé, and Philippe Starck, blurring the boundaries between fine art and daily life while exploring how colour shapes human experience through sight, sound, and scent.

‘Couleurs!’ exhibition, photo by Monaco Life.

‘Visions’ at Mareterra – until 23rd November

Artist Olivia Cognet has created a series of monumental ceramic works specifically designed for Renzo Piano’s floating architecture at Monaco’s newest district.

Following a four-month residency, Cognet’s exhibition presents what she describes as “a dense, silent ensemble” of bas-reliefs, sculptural lights, vertical totems, and hybrid forms that enter into dialogue with space, gravity, and light.

Located at 8 Quai du Petit Portier, nestled in the heart of the Mareterra district, her ceramic works provide an earthen counterpoint to Mareterra’s high-tech urbanism, exploring what Cognet calls “the fertile tension between grounding and ascension”. Meanwhile, her works create an ongoing conversation between ancient ceramic traditions and contemporary architectural innovation.

‘Visions’ exhibition, photo by Monaco Life.

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Main photo credit: Cassandra Tanti, Monaco Life.

Pooches welcome: Dog-friendly summer beaches in the French Riviera and the Var

by: Stephanie Horsman
12/08/2025

Looking for a beach to swim with Fido in the busy summer months? Here is what’s available in the region.

They aren’t called the dog days of summer for nothing. The extreme heat of the season affects everyone, including our four-legged friends who like a good cooling off like the rest of us.

One way to beat the heat is to take a nice cooling dip in the sea. The Alpes-Maritimes and the Var have several spots, all found on a website compiled just for them, that allow dogs to join in the fun. There are 37 in the Alpes-Maritimes and 15 in the Var, giving quite a bit of choice.

ALPES-MARITIMES

Hands down the most generous in the region for dog-friendly beaches is the Alpes-Maritimes, with a choice of seaside spots from Menton to Villeneuve-Loubet on the mainland, as well as a whopping 28 on the Îles de Lérins, there is no shortage of splashing sites welcoming pets.

There are four super close to Monaco. Menton has two. One is just after the Garavan port at the city limits with Italy and the other is at Casino Beach where a designated area for dogs has been established. There is also Piscine Beach in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin and Douaniers Beach in Cap d’Ail.

A little further down the coast in Villefranche-sue-Mer is Ange Gardien Beach (pictured above), Lanterne Beach in Nice near the airport, Hippodrome Beach in Cagnes-sur-Mer, Saint-Laurent-du-Var’s Port Beach and Vaugrenier Beach in Villeneuve-Loubet.

On the Îles de Lérins, Saint-Honroat has 10 places for pooches, and the Sainte-Marguerite has 18.

Tolerance is shown off-season in Beaulieu sur Mer and Théoule sur Mer.

VAR

The Var has a fair share as well, starting with Saint-Aygulf’s Esclamandes Beach, then La Gaillarde Beach in Les Issambres, Bonnegrace Beace in Six-Fours-les-PLages, Bregancon Beach in Bormes-les-Mimosas, the aptly named Dogs Beach in La Londe and in Bandol, Saint-Cyr-sur-Mer’s Port d’Alon Cove. The department’s undisputed winner for dog-friendly beaches is Ramatuelle, which boasts eight in all, though they enforce strict leash laws.

As with many of these swimming spots, people shouldn’t expect white sandy beaches… these are primarily rocky outcroppings or small pebbled beaches, but they’re still lovely areas and they are designated to ensure the comfort of all, so they won’t be filled with tourists and they won’t have people complaining about any inconveniences, so both you and your dog can frolic without fear of retribution!

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Photo of Plage Ange Gardien in Villefranche-sur-Mer by Cassandra Tanti, Monaco Life. Note this article was originally published on 12th August 2023. 

 

 

Plastic Treaty talks in Geneva face tense final hours as nations remain split on production caps

by: Cassandra Tanti
12/08/2025

The clock is ticking in Geneva as delegates from more than 180 countries struggle to agree on a landmark United Nations treaty to end plastic pollution. With the 10-day conference due to end on 14th August, negotiators are confronting deep divides over whether the agreement should include limits on plastic production — a dispute that has stalled progress for more than a year.

It is the sixth and intended final meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5.2), tasked with delivering a legally binding instrument covering the full life cycle of plastics, from production and design to disposal. Chair Luis Vayas Valdivieso described the gathering as a “historic opportunity” and warned that plastic pollution is damaging ecosystems, polluting oceans and rivers, threatening biodiversity, harming human health and unfairly impacting the most vulnerable. “The urgency is real,” he said.

Outside the United Nations’ Geneva headquarters, the debate has been given a striking visual presence in the form of ‘The Thinker’s Burden’, a six-metre-high sculpture by Canadian artist Benjamin Von Wong. Draped in layers of discarded plastic waste and growing daily with contributions from passers-by, the artwork stands as a reminder of the mounting crisis negotiators are trying to address.

The Thinker Burden sculpture by Canadian artist Benjamin Von Wong. Photo credit: Florian Fussstetter/ UNEP

Behind closed doors, negotiations have continued late into the night across four separate contact groups. One group has been wrestling with definitions and product design standards alongside the highly contentious “sustainable production” article, the heart of the dispute over whether to impose caps on plastic output. Another has focused on plastic waste management, remediation and leakages into the environment, finding some agreement on clean-up measures but continuing to argue over how far the treaty should go in addressing waste already in oceans and rivers.

A third has been grappling with funding and international cooperation, with developing nations calling for a dedicated facility to channel resources, while developed countries warn of potential administrative burdens. The fourth group has discussed health impacts, the treaty preamble, and national action plans, but disagreements remain over whether health provisions should stand alone or be integrated into other sections.

The second part of the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment (INC-5.2) in Geneva, Switzerland. Photo credit: Florian Fussstetter/ UNEP

There has been some progress, with countries recognising the role of waste pickers in a “just transition” and agreeing that remediation measures should be aligned with other environmental agreements. But the overall pace has been slow, with much of the draft still filled with bracketed text marking unresolved provisions. In corridor conversations, frustration has been evident. One delegate described the process as “a circus”, complaining of being rushed from one room to the next as schedules shifted and sessions were postponed. Others warned that the stop-start nature of the talks was draining momentum at a critical stage.

Nations can’t agree on plastic production cap

The central dispute over production limits remains the sticking point. More than 100 countries, supported by a coalition of 300 major companies including Walmart, Coca-Cola and L’Oréal, want the treaty to address production as well as recycling and waste management.

Oil-producing nations, joined by the United States, continue to resist binding caps, arguing that pollution can be tackled through redesign, reuse and better waste systems. Without agreement on scope, many fear the treaty could be reduced to a politically convenient but environmentally ineffective compromise.

Luis Vayas Valdivieso, Chair of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee and UN Environment Programme Executive Director Inger Andersen meeting with Indigenous Peoples group. Photo credit: Florian Fussstetter/ UNEP

The United Nations Environment Programme estimates that between 19 and 23 million tonnes of plastic waste enter aquatic ecosystems each year, a figure that could rise by 50% by 2040 without urgent action.

For those pressing for ambitious measures, the next two days may represent the last realistic chance to secure a treaty that tackles plastic pollution at its source as well as its symptoms. Whether ministers can bridge the gap in the hours ahead will determine if Geneva delivers the historic breakthrough many have been hoping for.

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Main photo credit: Florian Fussstetter/ UNEP