Day: 22 August 2018

The Carabinieri Orchestra of HSH the Sovereign Prince has been invited to the Spasskaya Bashnya Festival in Moscow and has held its last practice sessions before flying to the Russian capital.

On the morning of Wednesday, August 22, at the Louis II Stadium the Orchestra, under the direction of Olivier Drean, practised for the last time its musical programme specially concocted for the “Spasskaya Bashnya” International Military Music Festival, due to take place on Red Square from August 24 to September 2.

This year, Russian military orchestras from the Navy, the Ministry of Defence, the Preobrazhensky Regiment, the Royal Overseas Orchestra of the Sultanate of Oman and the Sri Lankan Military Orchestra have been invited, 14 orchestras in total, seven of which are foreign.

The Carabineros Orchestra will give 14 performances in its 12 days in Moscow in front of an audience composed each evening of 8,500 people. It will unveil its new repertoire on the theme of the ‘Changing of the Guard’. The Orchestra will also participate in newsstand concerts in Moscow parks and will perform in concert alone, in the afternoon, on Red Square.

The name of the Festival, “Spasskaya Bashnya” (St. Savior’s Tower) refers to the tower of the Kremlin topped by a clock that dominates Red Square.

David Beckham will receive the UEFA President’s Award for 2018 in Monaco next week in recognition of his soccer achievements and humanitarian work.

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said the former Manchester United and Real Madrid midfielder is “a true football icon.”

The annual award on August 30 rewards “outstanding achievements, professional excellence and exemplary personal qualities.”

Beckham was the first English player to make 100 appearances in the Champions League and helped Manchester United win the title in 1999.

Beckham also launched the 7 Fund in partnership with UNICEF, the United Nations agency for children, which runs projects in El Salvador, Indonesia, Nepal and Uganda.

Ceferin praised Beckham for “promoting the game and all its values in every corner of the planet. His tireless humanitarian efforts … should also be celebrated.”

HSH Prince Albert was present at the start of the Palermo-Monte-Carlo regatta, now in its fourteenth year, on Tuesday, August 21. He was also made an honorary citizen of the capital of Sicily by its mayor, Leoluca Orlando.

The regatta, organised by the Circolo della Vela Sicilia, the Monaco Yacht Club and the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, has attracted 55 crews this year, against 44 last year.

The route passes Sardinia and Corsica for 500 nautical miles to end on Sunday, August 26, at the Monaco Yacht Club.

The Sovereign Prince was in Palermo last October to receive an honorary diploma in marine ecology from the city’s university.

The last weekend of August will see major congestion on French motorways, particularly along the Riviera. Delays and jams can be expected from Thursday, August 23, to Monday, August 27.

On the A8 motorway, trouble can be expected around Nice between 15:00 and 19:00 on Thursday, and on Friday the traffic situation is expected to be bad all day.

While Saturday may bring its own problems, Sunday is expected to be particularly challenging, especially between 17:00 and 20:00 and again on Monday between 15:00 and 19:00.

Local French daily Monaco Matin has been asking tobacconists about their future as the price of a pack of most brands of cigarettes rose agin this week by 30 euro cents.

Tobacco shop owners in Menton – close to the border with Italy where cigarette prices are somewhat lower – told the daily that the only way to survive is to diversify into other products.

Some have moved into serving food and drinks, while others have added seasonal merchandise to their shelves, items like diving masks and swimwear. Loto is another favourite for the sometimes desperate tobacco shop owners.

“We sell everything we can,” one told the paper. With French cigarette prices heading for 10 euros a pack by 2020, many ‘tabacs’ see what was once their main merchandise becoming just an additional draw for customers.

However, there remains one ray of sunshine for smokers in Monaco. Tobacco prices are tied to the same figure as in France.