Monaco unveils its groundbreaking €2 billion floating eco-district

Monaco unveils its groundbreaking €2 billion floating eco-district

In the heart of Monaco’s coastline, a new vision of urban development has come to life. Dubbed the Mareterra project, this floating eco-district was officially completed this month, setting an unprecedented global benchmark. Built entirely on "land" reclaimed from the sea to create new territory for development, this urban expansion adds six hectares (about 15 acres or 3% of Monaco’s total land area), seamlessly blending environmental stewardship with architectural sophistication.

Yoann Richomme is new Vendee Globe leader

Yoann Richomme is new Vendee Globe leader

After leading on December 1st Richomme (PAPREC ARKÉA) gave up many miles when he elected to sail north out of the track of a big Indian Ocean depression on December 2nd. Four days later he was 540 miles behind Dalin but Richomme’s recovery is complete this morning.

There is less than 50 miles between the top three contenders, Seb Simon (Groupe Dubreuil) doing a remarkable job hanging on with no starboard foil.

Behind them the regrouping promises an utterly engaging second half of the race. There are just 14 miles between Nico Lunven (HOLCIM PRB), Thomas Ruyant (VULNERABLE) and Jérémie Beyou (Charal) in sixth.

And behind them 80 miles between the 2020-2021 Vendée Globe champion Yannick Bestaven (Maître CoQ V) and Briton Sam Goodchild (VULNERABLE).

And Germany’s Boris Herrmann (Malizia Seaexplorer) continues a recovery which almost matches Richomme’s as he launches himself back into the top ten, ninth this morning as this group make the most of the fast, windy conditions.

Most Audacious Watch of the Year

 

How Sylvain Berneron Created the Most Audacious Watch of the Year

The independent watchmaker took home a GPHG award for his unusually shaped Mirage timepiece.

Earlier this month, at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie in Geneva, a.k.a. the Oscars of watchmaking, Sylvain Berneron stood on stage at the Théâtre du Léman before a crowd of some 1,400 people and accepted the Audacity Prize for his Mirage timepiece, a sublime example of shaped watchmaking that he spent nearly $900,000 of his own money to develop.

 
In his acceptance speech, Berneron, an industrial designer who’d worked at Breitling for five years before pursuing his own endeavor, remarked on the perseverance the project required and the risks he took to bring the Mirage to market.
 
“There is a real form of self-endangerment which is the foundation of artistic art,” he said. “I would also like to thank my team with whom I work. I was able to start by surrounding myself with their courage.”
 
On the morning after the awards, I met Berneron and his wife, Marie-Alix, for breakfast at the Beau Rivage hotel on Geneva’s lakefront, where he told me about the journey to making the original 38 mm Mirage as well as the smaller 34 mm stone-dial version he introduced at Geneva Watch Days in late August. He kicked off the conversation with a potent anecdote about how, in the earliest stage of his work on the Mirage, a supplier who also happened to be a friend tried to talk him out of making the timepiece, implying that carrying on with his plan would be akin to professional suicide. That Berneron defied the warning and instead committed himself entirely to the project seems like the very essence of audacity. Below, he talks about why he thinks making art requires some “personal endangerment,” how the Mirage is like “an offering to God,” and what collectors and fans of his work can look forward to seeing from Berneron in 2025.

International students enrich our communities

 

News release

January 22, 2024—Ottawa—International students enrich our communities and are a critical part of Canada’s social, cultural and economic fabric. In recent years, the integrity of the international student system has been threatened. Some institutions have significantly increased their intakes to drive revenues, and more students have been arriving in Canada without the proper supports they need to succeed. Rapid increases in the number of international students arriving in Canada also puts pressure on housing, health care and other services. As we work to better protect international students from bad actors and support sustainable population growth in Canada, the government is moving forward with measures to stabilize the number of international students in Canada.

The Honourable Marc Miller, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship announced today that the Government of Canada will set an intake cap on international student permit applications to stabilize new growth for a period of two years. For 2024, the cap is expected to result in approximately 360,000 approved study permits, a decrease of 35% from 2023. In the spirit of fairness, individual provincial and territorial caps have been established, weighted by population, which will result in much more significant decreases in provinces where the international student population has seen the most unsustainable growth. Study permit renewals will not be impacted. Those pursuing master’s and doctoral degrees, and elementary and secondary education are not included in the cap. Current study permit holders will not be affected.

IRCC will allocate a portion of the cap to each province and territory, who will then distribute the allocation among their designated learning institutions. To implement the cap, as of January 22, 2024, every study permit application submitted to IRCC will also require an attestation letter from a province or territory. Provinces and territories are expected to establish a process for issuing attestation letters to students by no later than March 31, 2024.

These temporary measures will be in place for two years, and the number of new study permit applications that will be accepted in 2025 will be re-assessed at the end of this year. During this period, the Government of Canada will continue to work with provinces and territories, designated learning institutions and national education stakeholders on developing a sustainable path forward for international students, including finalizing a recognized institution framework, determining long-term sustainable levels of international students and ensuring post-secondary institutions are able to provide adequate levels of student housing.

In order to better align the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program, we are changing the eligibility criteria:

• Starting September 1, 2024, international students who begin a study program that is part of a curriculum licensing arrangement will no longer be eligible for a post­graduation work permit upon graduation. Under curriculum licensing agreements, students physically attend a private college that has been licensed to deliver the curriculum of an associated public college. These programs have seen significant growth in attracting international students in recent years, though they have less oversight than public colleges and they act as a loophole with regards to post-graduation work permit eligibility.
• Graduates of master’s degree programs will soon be eligible to apply for a 3-year work permit. Under current criteria, the length of a post­graduation work permit is based solely on the length of an individual’s study program, hindering master’s graduates by limiting the amount of time they have to gain work experience and potentially transition to permanent residence.

In the weeks ahead, open work permits will only be available to spouses of international students in master’s and doctoral programs. The spouses of international students in other levels of study, including undergraduate and college programs, will no longer be eligible.

The important measures announced today complement other recently announced reforms to the International Student Program. Taken together, they aim to ensure genuine students receive the support they require and have the resources they need for an enriching study experience in Canada, while at the same time stabilizing the overall number of students arriving and alleviating pressures on housing, health care and other services in Canada.

Quotes

“International students are vital to Canada and enrich our communities. As such, we have an obligation to ensure that they have access to the resources they need for an enriching academic experience. In Canada, today, this isn’t always the case. Today, we are announcing additional measures to protect a system that has become so lucrative that it has opened a path for its abuse. Enough is enough. Through the decisive measures announced today, we are striking the right balance for Canada and ensuring the integrity of our immigration system while setting students up for the success they hope for.”

– The Honourable Marc Miller, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

The 10 Largest Sailing Yachts on the High Seas

 While Lürssen claims a whopping 13 of the 25 largest yachts in the world, Oceanco rules the waves when it comes to sailing vessels. The Dutch shipyard scoops the top two spots on this list, with a total of three overall, including the famed Black Pearl.

For four years, Black Pearl ranked as the largest sailing vessel until early 2023 when Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’s 417-foot sailing gigayacht Koru delivered, and a new flagship was born. That’s because the most unusual and easily recognizable of the largest sailing yachts in the world doesn’t even qualify for this list. The 468-foot sailing yacht A, which has been subject to sanctions, is officially designated as a sail-assisted motoryacht, meaning it’s a hybrid that only uses its sails to supplement its diesel propulsion.

But the rest of this list comprise true sailing vessels, many with classic lines and others employing modern racing and cruising designs to the fullest.

Here, our top 10 largest sailing yachts in the world in 2024.

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Charlie Dalin at the gateway to the Pacific Ocean

Charlie Dalin at the gateway to the Pacific Ocean

On this 32nd day of racing, the skipper of MACIF Santé Prévoyance continues his express ride on the Vendée Globe after having engulfed the Cape of Good Hope / Cape Leeuwin section in 9 days and 22 hours. A record!

SailGP, CBS Sports extend partnership

SailGP, CBS Sports extend partnershipCBS Sports will have a record 54 hours of television coverage for the fifth season of the SailGP sports league set to air across its platforms during the 2024-25 season. The first event of the Season 5, which was held November 23-24, will be be broadcast on December 7 at 2:00pm ET.

“We are thrilled to make history with the largest-ever U.S. broadcast deal for SailGP as the appetite for the most exciting racing on water continues to grow in the U.S. market,” said Russell Coutts, SailGP CEP. “Coming off record-breaking audience figures from last season, CBS Sports’ expanded commitment to our league provides another proof point that SailGP is one of the world’s fastest growing sports and entertainment properties.”

Greg Trager, CBS Sports’ vice president of Programming added, “SailGP is high-octane, dynamic racing against the backdrop of the world’s most beautiful vistas. They have a growing fanbase and we look forward to welcoming them back for another exciting season.”

The 2025 SailGP schedule features three event in key United States markets – Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York.