The International Day to End Violence against Women is being observed on 25th November and to mark the event, two Monaco associations are banding together to show boys and men how they can help stop aggressive behaviour towards girls and women.
As most violence against women and girls is inflicted by the opposite sex, their participation and support are vital in reminding people that the vast majority of men and boys are against such behaviour.
COP26 was the most significant climate conference since 2015, a unique opportunity to finalise the Paris Agreement to drive tangible action on the climate emergency. National leaders were urged to take the necessary steps to reduce emissions, mobilise funding, and boost adaptation and resilience across multiple, beautifully constructed sites in Glasgow city centre on the banks of the River Clyde.
The result was an important step in the fight against climate change; a new pact that talks about the world’s use of fossil fuels for the first time. Yet there is still much to do to build a positive human future and now is the time to turn all these high level “conversations” into actions.
Implementing change with the necessary pace and scale will require unprecedented commitment, innovation, collaboration and partnerships across governments, industry, financiers and innovators. To avoid the worst impacts of climate change, global carbon emissions need to fall by 45% by 2030. But the recent IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change) report shows emissions are set to rise by 16% during this period.
Methane has a global warming potential of more than 80 times that of carbon dioxide over a 20-year period, making it a powerful heat trapper. But it only stays in the atmosphere for 12 years, far less than carbon dioxide. In practice, this means reducing methane emissions can have a faster impact on reducing global warming and buy us some valuable time. Over 60 countries have joined the Global Methane Pledge to cut methane emissions by 30% by 2030.
Current commitments put the world on track for a global temperature rise of 2.7°C by the end of the century. To stand a chance of limiting global warming to even 1.5°C, the next eight years will be crucial. Greenhouse gases need to be halved and drastic changes need to occur through international policies.
Any temperature increase approaching 2.7°C would be a disaster for humanity and many of the planet’s species. According to the IPCC, even an increase of 2°C would have a major impact on food, security and human health. Insects, vital for pollination of crops and plants, are likely to lose half their habitat at 1.5°C. This becomes twice as likely at 2°C. The frequency and intensity of droughts, storms and extreme weather events will rise with every increment in temperature, as we are already seeing with a global temperature increase over pre-industrial levels of around 1.2°C.
We must all work together to accelerate and scale the climate response through financing and technological innovation. But how can we achieve this?
It is all well and good highlighting the issues and it is a huge step forward by just making the environment part of our vernacular. But it is action that counts, and unless we all make changes to our lives then we will still be having the same conversations in decades to come when it will all be too little, too late.
The world leaders at COP26 are capable of large scale change, which in turn can see almost immediate results. But it is us mere mortals that need to change our daily habits to make a real difference. And unless we make them habits, then how do we ever expect this situation to improve?
Let’s see how many of the conversations had this November will have been actioned by COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh next year.
Click on the photos below to see more pictures from COP26…
AS Monaco basketball responded to their recent disappointing displays with two dominant performances over the weekend, putting them back in contention on the European and domestic fronts.
The Roca team backed up their drubbing of Bayern Munich on Friday, with an even more comprehensive win over Cholet on Sunday.
Nearly 4,000 Monaco fans crammed into the Salle Gaston Médecin in Fontvieille for Friday’s fixture, and they didn’t have to wait long before their team hit the front. Leo Westermann, who was consistently finding himself in space on the left touchline, began the game in emphatic style, scoring the opening eight points of the match with 100% accuracy.
Will Thomas then got in on the act, firstly with a two pointer when he did well to manufacture space in a tight area and then find great accuracy with the shot on the spin. He then found himself with time outside the arc to accurately dispatch another three pointer for La Roca side.
Monaco had an unrelenting intensity, both in attack and in defence, that went unmatched throughout the game. Having won the first quarter 27-20, they pushed on to increase that lead in the second, aided by two Danilo Andjusic three pointers, as well as a flurry of two pointers by Dwayne Bacon to go in at half-time 55-43 up.
From there, Monaco consolidated their lead, drawing the third quarter, before closing the game out with a dominant fourth quarter, ultimately securing the win 94-71. Mike James finished as the top scorer with 18, closely followed by Andjusic and Bacon with 16.
Not wishing to dwell on the win, Coach Zvezdan Mitrovic’s thoughts turned immediately to Sunday’s fixture against Cholet, a team that they struggled against last year, and who have since improved further. Mitrovic acknowledged the short turnaround for all Euroleague sides this year. “There are lots of problems with consistency for all Euroleague teams. Bayern are also struggling in their domestic championship.”
There was, however, no such hangover for Mitrovic’s men as they backed up their Euroleague win with an even more emphatic display at home against Cholet. A tightly-contested first quarter, which was edged 24-25 by Cholet, gave the false illusion of a tight encounter; what followed was a complete annihilation.
AS Monaco basket took the second quarter by an impressive 18-point margin (27-9), and this display then set the tone for a dominant second-half as wins in both quarters (30-13 and 21-12) gave Mitrovic’s men a resounding 102-59 victory. Yakuba Outtara and Brock Motum this time the outstanding points scorers with 23 and 22 points respectively.
Keen to avoid over-analysis after two impressive weekend displays, Mitrovic succinctly summarised, without embellishment, his side’s performance after the match. “It was a very good collective display”.
The victories not only put them back in contention on both the domestic and European fronts, but the manner of them was an emphatic sign of strength that is sure to disturb their rivals.
Photo source: AS Monaco Basket
Voxan, owned by Monaco-based Venturi, has unveiled its new Wattman high-speed electric motorbike as it sets out to conquer even more world records with world champion Max Biaggi at the controls.
The Voxan Wattman was initially due to make its attempts on a Bolivian salt flat in July 2020, but the pandemic made travel impossible, and so it was on the runway at the Châteauroux airfield in France that the team broke 11 world speed records a year ago.
Asphalt proved to be an interesting surface, so the Wattman – modified accordingly – will continue its schedule on another strip. This time, the venue will be the Space Florida’s Launch and Landing Facility at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA, where, on Monday 15th November, the first ultra-high-speed tests got underway.
The Wattman is now under 300 kilos in weight, allowing it to compete in this category. The weight difference is primarily down to a new Voxan-Saft battery design, which is both mechanical and electric.
Saft, the French subsidiary of TotalEnergies, specialises particularly in high-performance, very high-power batteries. The pouch cells used make it possible to increase the batteries’ power by nearly 80 times, compared with around 10 times for standard products on the market. They are assembled in modules, enabling cooling to be managed with a recently patented process, resulting in an ultra-compact construction.
The bike continues to rely on the Mercedes EQ Formula E powertrain, which delivers power of 320 kW (compared with 270 kW for the previous version) and offers torque of 1,360 Nm.
Other notable differences compared with the previous Wattman include the motorcycle’s dimensions: to improve stability and air penetration, the wheelbase has been increased to 1,957 mm (from 1,800 mm previously) and the seat height is now 685 mm (up from 610 mm). In the event of significant crosswinds, the team will now have the flexibility to add a fairing that cuts wind resistance.
As for the tyres, longstanding partner Michelin has worked on designs specifically tailored to this challenge. The front 120/70-17 is a tyre from the Michelin Power GP range, which has been modified to tolerate extremely high speeds. For the rear 190/55-17, Michelin has relied on technology that has been proven in MotoGP to develop a tyre with improved grip. The challenge was to channel all of the extraordinary torque delivered by the Wattman’s electric engine, allowing the motorcycle to accelerate as fast as possible without skidding.
Once the new Wattman is ready, further world record attempts will be made within the first six months of 2022. As they did last year, Max Biaggi and Voxan will seek to beat the clock with two types of motorcycles in two separate categories: “partially streamlined” (traditional sports bike) and “naked” (roadster with no streamlined elements).
SEE ALSO:
Voxan back on the world speed record trail
Gildo Pastor’s motorcycle team makes history books
Monaco Rugby Sevens were comprehensively beaten by a dominant Barbarians side in the final of Inferno Super Sevens finals at the La Défense Arena, Paris. Prior to their heavy 14-40 defeat, Monaco had successfully overcome La Rochelle and, most impressively, last season’s champions – Racing 92.
Monaco kicked off proceedings in Paris with their curtain raising fixture against La Rochelle on Saturday afternoon. Having signed only a matter of days ago, Dan Norton and Cecil Afrika didn’t take long to find their feet as they scored the opening two tries for the Monegasque side, having gone behind to La Rochelle’s converted opener.
Missed conversions however meant that Monaco took only a slender lead into half-time. Afrika then extended Monaco’s lead with his second try just after the break, which was duly converted. La Rochelle then pulled one back, but Monaco held on to progress to the semi-final stage, winning 17-12.
Next up was Racing 92, the reigning French champions were hoping to retain their crown, having won the inaugural championship a year earlier. The champions quickly found themselves trailing, however, thanks to a converted Demai-Hamecher try. Racing 92 had the steely determination that saw them lift the trophy last year, and quickly responded, although the try was not converted.
Monaco Sevens extended their lead early in the second-half. McNulty, having had a try disallowed in the dying seconds of the first-half, got his reward this time, as his try was successfully converted. Racing 92 responded with a second unconverted try, but the game was put beyond the champions by Courtaud, whose converted try saw Monaco to a surprisingly comfortable 21-10 victory.
Monaco were to face the Barbarians in the headline act, a team whose imperious form in their quarter-final and semi-final fixtures saw them register a mammoth 74 points in the two fixtures.
The Barbarians wasted no time getting going here either. Without barely allowing Monaco a touch of the ball, the Barbarians scored three converted tries without reply. Dan Norton’s try just before half-time gave Monaco hope of an unlikely comeback. This hope was, however, quickly dashed, as the Barbarian’s blitzed the Monaco side early on in the second-half.
Similarly to the first-half, the Barbarians scored three unanswered tries to extend their lead to 7-40. Courtaud’s late consolation try for Monaco only served to make the final score less emphatic, but with a 14-40 victory, the Barbarians superiority was still plain for all to see.
Despite a disappointing final, Monaco Sevens centre Paulin Riva believes they can still be proud of their efforts, having only finished constructing their side earlier in the week, saying, “We are proud to have reached the final today. The Barbarians are a good, well-run team… We arrived with a week’s preparation. We tried to adapt as well as we could and to create relationships as quickly as possible.”
Monaco will be hoping to build on what, despite a difficult final, was undoubtedly a successful tournament and go one further next year.
Photo credit: David Nivière
Monaco has signed a bilateral tax agreement with the United Arab Emirates to prevent tax evasion and eliminate double income tax, an historic move that was witnessed by both the Prince of Monaco and the Prince of the UAE.
On Saturday 13th November, Prince Albert II of Monaco and Crown Prince of Dubai Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum were present for the signing of the bilateral tax agreement by Monaco’s Finance Minister Jean Castellini and UAE Minister of State for Financial Affairs Mohamed Bin Hadi Al Hussaini at Dubai Expo.
It is the 36th tax agreement entered into by the Principality and is “the result of constructive negotiations carried out with the objective of preserving the specificities and interests of the two States, promoting their economic relations and improving their cooperation in tax matters,” said the Prince’s government in a statement.
In 2009, at the instigation of Prince Albert, Monaco began pursuing agreements to strengthen tax transparency and the exchange of information between countries, in line with the international requirements advocated by the OECD.
“The Principality welcomes the excellent links with the United Arab Emirates and the increased relations between the two states,” concluded the government.
In addition to complying with OECD standards, the agreement offers full protection to tax payers from double taxation, removes difficulties in cross-border trade and investment flows, and encourages the exchange of goods, services and capital movements.
The signing came on the same day that Monaco celebrated its National Day at the Dubai Expo.
Sheikh Hamdan and Prince Albert also toured their country’s Pavilions and discussed other ways of expanding economic, investment and cultural ties.
I met with Albert II, Prince of Monaco, at the UAE Pavilion at @expo2020dubai and visited the Monaco Pavilion, which features a design inspired by the ‘Rock of Monaco’ that represents the country’s national, cultural and environmental identity. pic.twitter.com/2o7hvIRDLP
— Hamdan bin Mohammed (@HamdanMohammed) November 13, 2021
Image Credit: Twitter/Hamdan bin Mohammed
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