In a video released by the Palace New Year’s Eve, around 9 pm, HSH Prince Albert discusses various topics concerning the Principality of Monaco, from solidarity to security, and from the economy to his fight against corruption. Of course, the environment, a subject close to the sovereign’s heart, is also touched upon in his 3 minute and 22 second address.
Video courtesy of Facebook Prince’s Palace of Monaco.
Those of us who are looking forward to 2017 will have just a little longer to wait this year, due to the fact that the earth’s rotation is slowing over time. In fact, the extra second we need to ring in the New Year is not a new development, the same thing having taken place 26 times since 1972.
The gravitational pull of both the sun and the moon may not matter too much to Monaco residents, but for the world of the internet and hi-tech transactions, one extra second can cause major problems.
“Satellite navigation systems, telecommunications networks and financial markets are sensitive. The addition of a second on June 30, 2012, caused a problem of synchronisation on the web, especially for servers and merchant sites,” according to France Info.
The United Nations is due to discuss the ongoing problem, but typically, not any time soon. We’ll have to wait until 2023 for a debate on the topic. In the meantime, if readers have a problem with payments and other transactions in the immediate aftermath of New Year’s Eve, maybe the extra second will be to blame.
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Since Christmas weekend, train travellers have experienced random last minute cancellations of scheduled rail service, even as recently as yesterday. It’s no surprise then that French train operator SNCF has warned of cancellations and delays over the New Year weekend. The latest disruption to services is not due to strike action, the most frequent cause, but because of “operational problems”, SNCF said.
The interruption is due to start on Friday, December 30, and last through Monday, January 2. At such times, it’s the later services in the day, particularly the last scheduled trains, that are most likely to be cancelled, often without warning.
The last scheduled train service from Monaco to Nice Ville on December 31 is at 11:42 pm, arriving at 00:06 am on Sunday, January 1.
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The Organising Committee of the International Circus Festival of Monte-Carlo has announced more top international acts for the annual celebration of the art of the circus, due to take place under the Big Top in Fontvieille from January 19 to 29.
Otto Wessely, the eccentric magician who has starred at the Crazy Horse and other renowned venues, will be present for the first time, as will the Zapachny brothers from Russia who will present their mixed big cat act, featuring 14 tigers and lions, for the first time outside their country.
Also making her debut in Monaco, an artiste from Ethiopia, Rich Miteku, who began practising the very demanding discipline of contortion at eight years old, promises an astonishing act.
Another innovation will be the Skokov troupe from the Rosgoscirk, who will bring an exceptional Russian trapeze act featuring eight women acrobats – a first in circus history –. entertaining the audience with double and triple somersaults.
It will also be the first time a kangaroo has entered the famous Fontvieille ring. Presented by Marek Jama, the group of exotic animals from the Charles Knie circus is made up of five camels, six llamas, two Watusi with giant horns, four zebras, a zebu (hump-backed cow), a Hungarian cow, two Andalusian horses and a kangaroo.
And, once again for the first time, the Fontvieille Big Top will welcome two large wheels of death: placed above the ring and turning on the same axis, but in opposite directions, which will enable the four artistes of the Columbian Gerlings troupe to show off their death-defying act.
Tickets are avaiable from montecarlofestival.mc, France-billet.com or fnac.com
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The latest Knight Frank Prime Global Cities Index has reconfirmed Monaco as having the most expensive real estate worldwide.
The top-end agency reports that $1 million (€954,000) buys only 17 square metres in the Principality, less than in any other city. While prices continue to increase each year, with a 10 percent jump in 2015, Knight Frank says that high demand and a limited supply have caused property prices to rise by 27.8 percent over the past five years.
Largely due to a surge of buyers from Asia, Vancouver had the fastest house price growth of any city during the 12 months to September 2016, with an average increase of 32 percent. Later in the year, demand was somewhat dampened when British Columbia introduced a 15 percent transaction tax for foreign buyers. (Feature image: Photo: Tobi 87)
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Two more German banks are to introduce negative interest rates for clients with large deposits. From April 1, Stadtsparkasse of Munich will introduce a negative rate of 0.4 percent for customers with balances of €100,000 and more and Volksbank of Hamburg is introducing a negative rate of 0.2 percent on balances of more than €500,000.
Deutsche Skatbank introduced negative rates in 2014, followed by Raiffeisenbank Gmund last August. The European Central Bank is currently holding hundreds of billions of euros for banks, and lowered its deposit rate to -0.4 percent from March 2016 to encourage banks to keep their money invested in the real economy.
In France, the law currently does not allow for negative interest rates, but many banks are hiking their charges and charging commissions and account-holding fees for those with large balances to find a way around the rules. However, customers with more modest accounts can also expect to be caught up in higher bank charges.
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