This week the official Monaco Government website reported that Prince Albert II visited one of the new housing construction sites in the Condamine area of Monaco. The building is being carried out on reclaimed railway track and the most recent project is scheduled to provide 87 units for the local Monegasques. Due to the limited size of Monaco, land is at a premium, and so wherever buildings can be constructed, they are.

According to a report on the Express Travelworld website, representatives from Monaco Government Tourist Office and Convention Authority and the Societe des Bains de Mer have visited India to promote the Principality as a luxury destination, especially for what's called MICE tourism (meetings, incentives, conferences and events).

The first CleanEquity conference will be held in Le Sporting d'Hiver congress centre, right in the heart of Monte Carlo, on February 20 and 21 in 2008. The conference is being organized by Innovator Capital and aims to present new environmental technologies to potential investors.

The largest shareholder of British bank Northern Rock is a Monaco based hedge fund called SRM Global. With shares of just over 9%, SRM is supporting a proposal by Olivant, a rival to Richard Branson's Virgin Money consortium, whose bid has been favourably viewed in the UK. SRM feels that the struggling bank has been undervalued by Virgin, which wants 55% equity in return for paying back 10 million GB pounds to the Bank of England immediately.

The Hotel Metropole in Monte Carlo has won an award for Commitment to Quality from the Leading Hotels of the World organization. Hotels are visited anonymously and the Metropole scored the highest marks for a European hotel. This is a great achievement for one of our Monaco businesses, and well deserved. I occasionally meet friends in the hotel bar and the service is always attentive and professional.

The BBC news website has just published its updated profile of Monaco.

Today sees the opening of the Motorsport Business Forum at the Grimaldi Forum here in Monaco. Over two days attendees will be able to network, visit the exhibition and attend conference presentations related to business management, marketing and investment in motor sport and Formula 1.

One of the leading Canadian satellite technology companies has opened an office in Monaco. Norsat International say in their press release that they hope to use the base to enter markets in Southern Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.

The Junior Chamber of Monaco is holding a breakfast debate on Thursday 6 December in the Salon Bellevue of the Cafe de Paris, on the subject of brand protection on the Internet. Speakers include Cédric MANARA and Dominique MORVAN. Mr Manara is Associate Professor of Law at the EDHEC business school in Nice, and Mr Morvan is General Manager of NameBay.

A report just published by the WWF has criticised luxury companies for their poor performance in sustainable development. "Deeper Luxury" ranked leading luxury brands by comparing their own environmental claims against media reports and comments of non-governmental organizations.