Wed. March 8 – CREM Spa Day
Day: 15 January 2017
French rail chief in Monaco for talks
Mr Guillaume Pepy, Chairman of the Board of French train operator SNCF, was in the Principality on Friday, January 13, 2017, for an important working meeting with the Minister of State. Discussions focused on improving regional TER train services to and from Monaco.
Several working groups are currently involved in studies aimed at optimising services, including improving the existing Mandelieu-Ventimiglia line in terms of reliability, regularity, capacity, interoperability and speed. The Principality has already contributed €714,250 for preliminary work.
An effort is also proceeding on improving cross-border information systems in PACA, Monaco and the Liguria region of Italy. An audit of services at the Monaco-Monte-Carlo is also underway, towards which Monaco is also contributing.
Further demonstrating its commitment to improving service to and from Monaco, the Principality is participating in the financing of construction work at the Nice-Riquier station to accommodate the new “Régio2N” trains.
Monaco’s focus on rail travel results from the fact that trains carry the majority of employees coming every day to work in the Principality. The Monaco railway station now welcomes more than six million passengers each year, compared to 2.3 million in 1998. In terms of use, it is the second-busiest station on the Côte d’Azur after Nice, and the Nice Ville-Monaco link, constantly increasing in numbers of users, is the busiest segment of the TER line.
On the Nice-Ventimiglia route, Monaco, served by 102 trains a day, is the origin or destination station for more than 43 percent of passengers, of which 67 percent are TER PACA subscribers. (Feature photo: Mr Guillaume Pepy, SNCF Chairman of the Board with Serge Telle, Minister of State. Photo: DC)
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Important new rules for Monaco’s travelling minors
In view of the introduction in France, from January 15, 2017, of new rules concerning minors travelling without parents, Monaco is following the same procedures.
All minors residing in Monaco who are to leave the Principality on a trip abroad without a person who has parental authority must have proper authorisation to do so. This authorisation takes the shape of a form available on the governmental portal.
To cross borders, your child will have to have with him the original of this printed form, signed by the holder of the parental authority. The traveller must also bear, for a Monegasque or a resident who is a national of a state outside the European Economic Community, his or her passport or for a resident who is a national of a Member State of the European Economic Community, his or her passport or his national identity card, and a photocopy of the identity document of the person signing the form.
The minor must be able to present these documents upon the demand of the border control services. This form is the only document valid for a minor residing in the Principality.
Of course, such an authorisation is issued exclusively in the context of a trip abroad, it will not be required, for example, for a simple journey in everyday life, such as travelling to Nice.
However, this authorisation is separate from the parental discharge that some airlines may require indicating that the child is allowed to fly.
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France prepares for more snow and power outages, Monaco government issues flu guidelines
Much of France has been put on a weather alert as cold weather continues to cover many areas. On Sunday, three departments were placed under an orange alert: Loiret, Seine-et-Marne, and Essonne.
More snowfall is expected in Paris, the Loire valley and Limousin. Two elderly people died when their car slid off the road and fell into a river at Noes, in the Loire, central France, on Sunday morning during a snowstorm.
Closer to the Principality, there is a high risk of avalanches in Ariege, Haute-Garone, Pyrenees-Atlantiques and Hautes-Pyrenees. In Corsica, almost 4,000 homes were without electricity on Sunday afternoon due to snow.
The French government has put in place a daily emergency programme to meet extraordinary situations due to the icy weather, which could result in some areas receiving additional emergency funding.
By Tuesday, the body in charge of France’s national grid, RTE, will be prepared to bring in “exceptional measures” to deal with a surge in demand for electrical power resulting from the cold spell. Peak hours are between 8 am and 1 pm and 6 pm and 8 pm.
The forecast for Monaco for the coming week is for morning temperatures near 2°C and daytime highs ranging between 10°C to 13°C, with mainly settled conditions apart from gusty winds on Monday, January 16.
Meanwhile Monaco’s Department of Health and Social Services has issued recommendations that should be followed during the current flu epidemic.
Contact with those already infected should be avoided, especially by pregnant women and those over the age of 65. Hands should be washed regularly, with soap, or disinfectant solution.
It is also important to cover the mouth when sneezing and to use paper tissues only once before throwing them away.
The Department points out that influenza is particularly dangerous for people who are already suffering from another ailment and for the elderly. Those with symptoms such as fever, coughing, aches and fatigue should consult a doctor.
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Fined for theft in Monaco from prostitute
A resident of Roquebrune has been found guilty in Monaco of stealing $1,430 from a prostitute. The offence came to light on May 10, 2015, when the victim initially accused the culprit of raping her in the room of an upmarket hotel.
The defendant told the Monaco Criminal Court that after an evening spent carousing he had not taken the young woman to be a professional, especially since she was so smartly dressed, and he had not expected to be asked to pay her bill of €300. But he admitted stealing €800 in cash while the woman was in the bathroom, regretting he had acted as a “kid” in doing so.
The defendant was arrested on the day following the theft, and had on him the sum of €1,430 – the proceeds of two previous transactions by the prostitute, less the cost of his lunch with a friend. The tribunal president told the culprit that he could not expect to have his cake and eat it too. The court followed the recommendations of the prosecuting counsel and fined him €1,500.
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Cemetery access changes
Work to create the parking lot for the new Princess Grace Hospital has been ongoing since July 2015, resulting in a change in access to the cemetery and the pedestrian pathway. More work is about to start. On the edge of the upper part of the cemetery, the building of the foundations of a bridge over the avenue Pasteur Haut will begin on January 17, 2017.
During the first four months, this work requires the closure of the sidewalk along the cemetery and the installation of a temporary pedestrian path between boulevard Charles III and avenue Pasteur in the direction of the CHPG, on the Pissarelles staircase. During this phase of work, access to the cemetery by avenue Pasteur (upper entrance) will not be possible. Access will therefore be made only at the level of the other two entrances: the middle parking zone and the lower parking area by the Lower Corniche.
Suitable signage has been installed around the site by the Prince’s Government to allow pedestrians to easily find this temporary route.
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