Month: January 2017

The number of cigarettes sold in France in 2016 fell by 1.2 percent to 44.92 billion. In value, the drop was 1.1 percent to €15.17 billion, according to figures from Logista France.

With a price rise looming in 2017, a further reduction is expected. A price-fixing order setting the new price for cigarettes is expected be published in France’s Official Journal within the next few days.

The only sector to record an increase is rolling tobacco, which recorded an increase of 0.43 percent in volume, to 9.28 billion units, in 2015. Rolling tobacco “is on the increase because it represents a legal alternative for smokers who can no longer afford to buy cigarettes, which have become too expensive,” a source in the sector who wished to remain anonymous told AFP.

Most of the cost of cigarettes is taken up by taxes, at 80 percent, while less than nine percent goes to the tobacconist and the balance to the manufacturer.

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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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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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