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Podcast: Behind the Headlines with Monaco Life

by: Cassandra Tanti
03/04/2023

Meet the team behind the headlines at Monaco Life and hear our journalists’ perspectives on the stories about Monaco and beyond that we’ve enjoyed writing about.

Featuring Editor in Chief Cassandra Tanti, Editor and Journalist Elsa Carpenter, news and lifestyle journalist Stephanie Horsman and Sports Journalist Luke Entwistle.

In this episode we talk about the multi-million euro Grace Kelly and JFK villas that have just hit the market, the new Karl Lagerfeld series and what it’s like to be an extra in a film, the biggest take aways from Monaco Ocean Week, the Kate Powers Foundation launch, the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, and the perks of being a journalist in Monaco.

Click play below to listen to the podcast…

 

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Harp concert and lecture at Princess Grace Irish Library

by: Stephanie Horsman
03/04/2023

The Princess Grace Irish Library, with the support of the Irish Research Council, is set to host an evening of harp music and a lecture by Dr. Helen Lawlor from TU Dublin.

Dr. Lawlor’s performance on the harp will be inspired by some of the titles in the Princess Grace collection of music scores.

Dr. Lawlor is currently undertaking research of the collection and is organising a symposium in Dublin in June with experts presenting, including Dr. Fintan Vallely who catalogued the library’s collection and who performed for Prince Albert II of Monaco last month to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.

To join in this unique event on 13th April and discover more about the music and symbolism of the Irish harp in musical practice, literature and cultural representations, reserve your place on info@pgil.mc or buy your online ticket here.

 

Do you have an event in Monaco or the French Riviera that you would like us to include in our What’s On section and events calendar? Please email editor@monacolife.net.  

 

 

The Côte d’Azur Garden Festival blooms here in Monaco

by: Stephanie Horsman
03/04/2023
cote d'azur garden festival

Spring has sprung with the launch of the annual Côte d’Azur Garden Festival. Here’s where to find Monaco’s two spectacular entries as well as a special non-competition creation from the government.  

As the days grow longer and warmer, signs of spring are everywhere, most notably in the arrival of a glorious array of seasonal flowers. To celebrate this return, the Côte d’Azur Garden Festival is holding its fourth edition, from 25th March to 1st May, which showcases the beauty and bounty of spring in towns and cities right along the Riviera.  

“Surprising Perspectives”

A visit to the Terraces of the Casino on the Hotel Fairmont side will give the public a chance to enjoy a series of stunning installations relating to this year’s “Surprising Perspectives” theme.  

The Principality has two competition gardens in the running: the first creation is by French duo Sarah Houlbert and Julien Thirion, and it is called “The Pier”, while the second, entitled “Fire: The Surprising Gardener” has been designed by Amber Myers and Studio Fish & Pot from the Netherlands and South Africa respectively. 

The government has also taken part in the out-of-competition category with “A Question of Point of View” by Timothée Roche, a draftsman-designer at the Department of Urban Planning’s design office. 

Public fun day

To highlight the botanical offerings of the region, a special event will be taking place on-site on 1st April from 10am to 5pm. Called “Discovering Our Botanical and Artistic Heritage”, there will be family-friendly activities such as a treasure hunt in a plant maze, a giant memory game and various creative workshops.  

Nice, Cannes, Cap d’Ail, Menton, Antibes and more are also involved, with a total of 17 gardens “in competition”. There are an additional 14 designs outside the competition to be enjoyed over the 38 days of the event.  

“This floral firework display will definitely be worth a look,” said Charles Ange Ginésy, President of the Department of the Alpes-Maritimes. “It will be the showcase of our territory and the know-how of our professionals. It will also be an opportunity to raise everyone’s awareness of environmentally friendly practices.”  

Each year, the festival and its gardens attract an estimated 400,000 visitors. For the full Côte d’Azur Garden Festival programme, please click here.

 

Do you have an event in Monaco or the French Riviera that you would like us to include in our What’s On section and events calendar? Please email editor@monacolife.net.  

 

Photo source: Yoksel Zok for Unsplash. This article was originally published on 27th March. 

Fiery car crash in Monaco tunnel kills three

by: Cassandra Tanti
01/04/2023

Three people have been tragically killed in an early morning car accident in the Louis II tunnel in Monaco.

The accident occurred at around 4.16am Saturday 1st April when a car lost control in the tunnel and hit the concrete wall near the Rainier III Auditorium.

According to a statement released by the Monaco Government, the vehicle immediately burst into flames with three occupants inside.

The fire was eventually brought under control by a team of 30 firefights from Monaco.

Heavy smoke from the accident spread to adjacent buildings, situated above the ‘Grand Prix tunnel’. Around 10 people were treated on site by emergency services.

“For the time being, the situation has stabilised and the Louis II Tunnel remains closed to traffic,” said the government in the statement released at 8.30am. “The Prince’s Government sends its most sincere condolences to the families of the victims.”

The tunnel was reopened to traffic at around 3.30pm.

An investigation into the cause of the fatal accident is underway.

 

Photo by Monaco Life

 

 

France’s lack-of-action plan on banning cancer-causing nitrates in food

by: Stephanie Horsman
01/04/2023
nitrates charcuterie

Months after a strongly-worded report from France’s food safety agency about the prevalence of carcinogenic nitrates in food products, the French government has called for the reduction – not the removal – of the cancer-causing additives.  

Nitrates have become a dirty word since a study from 2022 exposed them as cancer-causing menaces.  

These food additives, commonly found in processed meats like that oh-so-French staple of charcuterie, were found to be linked to the disease in a scientific report by France’s national food safety agency, the Nationale de Sécurité Sanitaire des Aliments (ANSES), in July last year.  

A HEALTH RISK 

Studies on nitrates and cancer links have been around since 2015, when the International Agency for Research on Cancer declared deli meats as having high cancer risks. France alone has 4,300 new colon cancer cases each year ascribed to charcuterie consumption.  

SLOW AND INADEQUATE 

Government reaction to the news was anticipated to be swift, but turned out to move at a snail’s pace, with the plan only coming out on 27th March. Its contents could be termed uninspired and ambiguous, stating an “ambition to remove nitrates from our food as much as possible and wherever possible”. Hardly the decisive action expected by the public when food safety is questioned.   

This means the government will only require a reduction in nitrates in foods. For example, certain cured meats, such as cooked ham and lardons, will require producers to reduce nitrate usage by 20% by the end of April. For other producers, such as those who produce rillettes and andouillettes, for example, they will be given six to 12 months to reduce their levels, and allowed up to five years to come up with alternative solutions to reduce or eliminate usage altogether. 

This being said, France is trying to be ahead of the EU in terms of an action plan. The bloc has been incredibly lax in making a ruling on how to proceed, giving France a bit of a leg to stand on when responding to critics.  

PLUSES AND MINUSES 

Alternatives to nitrates exist and are being used in 7% of the market, though the price points on these products tend to be higher. Manufacturers are reluctant to scare off customers in these cash-strapped times, so their feet-dragging is understandable, but risks to public health should trump all.  

This is where it gets murky. Producers say that less nitrates means a higher risk of bacteria, with food poisoning or worse being a potential outcome, though this is only theory and has not been scientifically tested.  

In the end, it is a matter of preventing several thousand cancer cases each year brought on by a known carcinogenic substance, versus a possible maybe of a might, and the government’s lack of clarity on this does not bode well.  

 

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Photo source: Alex Guillaume for Unsplash

France considers stronger regulations for e-scooters

by: Stephanie Horsman
31/03/2023
e-scooter france

A new proposal from the French government on how to better regulate the use of electric scooters has put safety concerns in the spotlight. 

Electric or e-scooters are in the news a lot these days. On the one hand, they are being touted as an environmentally sound way to get around, a new tool in the clean mobility arsenal to be applauded. On the other, they have been vilified as a dangerous product, a reputation made worse by a growing number of electric scooter related incidents, some fatal.   

Though certain regulations have been implemented, they have been scattered at best, so French Minister for Transport Clément Beaune is now taking matters in hand and presented a national plan for the regulation of electric scooters on 29th March.  

TOO MANY ACCIDENTS 

The number of serious accidents involving users of motorised personal transport equipment (EDPM) went up by 38% between 2021 and 2022, according to government reports, and with more than 2.5 million people regularly opting for e-scooters as transport in France, there are bound to be a few bad apples who don’t follow basic rules of civility and safety.  

Unfortunate incidents are aplenty and last June in Nice, a five-year-old Ukrainian boy was killed on the Promenade des Anglais by a person driving an electric scooter at high speed. 

PREVENTION 

To combat this, the government scheme is taking a three-prong approach. The first objective is to “protect, deter and avoid dangerous behaviour” by increasing the minimum age of drivers to 14 and raising fines from €35 to €135 for riding illegally or in prohibited lanes and spaces.  

The government also wants to build awareness through information collection. To this end, a National Micromobility Observatory will be created, which will produce data on the use of electric scooters in France, their accident rates and their environmental impacts.  

Finally, they will look to self-service e-scooter providers to remind customers that, as users of the roads, they have obligations to be in compliance of the French highway codes and to practice safety when driving.  

 

Sign up for the Monaco Life newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. 

 

Photo source: Vlad B for Unsplash