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Month: March 2021

Another weekend lockdown for Alpes-Maritimes

by: Cassandra Tanti
10/03/2021

After two consecutive weekend lockdowns, authorities in France have ordered the Alpes-Maritimes to continue with the measure this coming Saturday and Sunday. As a result, Monaco Police are expected to once again strengthen border controls.
Government spokesman Gabriel Attal made the announcement on Wednesday, saying, “It has been decided, and it is a difficult decision, to extend the confinement for this weekend.”
The government will assess the situation next week to determine whether the strict measure has reduced circulation of the Covid-19 virus in the department and the lockdown can be lifted.
“The hospital situation is particularly worrying in Ile-de-France, in Hauts-de-France and in the south,” said the spokesman. “We must redouble our efforts.”
The partial lockdown affects 63 municipalities on the coastal strip of the Alpes-Maritimes, including Menton, Nice and Antibes.
Mayor of Nice Christian Estrosi had said on Sunday during a vaccination blitz in the city that he “envisioned” no lockdown for the coming weekend, however the decision has been made at a national level.
“I take note of the decision to extend the weekend confinement taken by the government even if it was not my recommendation,” reacted the mayor on Twitter. “I ask the prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes if it is possible to extend from one hour to three hours outings to practice physical activity.”
It means that police in Monaco will once again tighten border controls and increase checks on motorists with a foreign number plate and those entering the Principality at the train station.
While French municipalities surrounding Monaco are affected by the partial lockdown, such as Beausoleil, La Turbie and Cap d’Ail, Monegasque authorities are not applying the same “no-entry” rules as they are to other larger municipalities.
The weekend lockdown will take effect from 6pm Friday 12th and last until 6am Monday 15th March.
 
Related stories:

France ramps up vaccine rollout

300 turned away at border

 
 
Photo by Michael Alesi, Government Communication Department
 
 

Tickets from €19 on Paris-Nice overnight train

by: Stephanie Horsman
10/03/2021

French national railway SNCF has started selling tickets for the revived Paris-Nice overnight service with a launch date set for mid-April. 
The much-anticipated SNCF service for the Paris to Nice overnight train has officially opened, with ticket prices starting at €19 and a launch date set for 16th April.
The service will run six days a week, Monday through Saturday, from Paris Austerlitz station, via Marseille Blancarde, Toulon, Les Arcs Draguinan, Saint Raphaël Valescure, Cannes and Antibes, before ending in Nice Ville.
The trains will have seven carriages and will leave from Paris at 9:52pm, arriving in Nice at a civilised 9:06am the following morning. Return journeys depart Nice at 7:16pm and arrive in Paris at 6:55am.
Passengers can choose €19 reclining seats, six-berth second class compartments starting at €29, or first class four-berth spots from €39. The train will have a dining car as well as paid bike storage.
French Transportation Minister Jean-Baptiste Djebbari announced the revival of the much-loved service in February as part of his plan to increase the number of night services operating in France to 10 by 2030.
There are expected to be two more overnight services by the end of this year: Paris-Tarbes and Paris-Vienna.
After 2021, there will be a break in introducing new services until 2025 for necessary work on tracks to be completed as well as the purchase of new trains. Djebbari’s hope is to raise funds to pay for these upgrades from the European Union’s Green Deal.
Tickets can be purchased on the Oui.sncf website and app, or in stations, shops and SNCF-approved travel agencies.
 
Photo of Paris train station, source Pixabay
 
 

Roca team chalks up another victory

by: Stephanie Horsman
10/03/2021

AS Monaco Basketball have already secured their spot in the Euro Cup 7 Top 16, but that didn’t stop them going for it against Unicaja Malaga on Tuesday night, when they beat the Spanish team 98 to 89.

The Roca boys already had their Sweet 16 spot clinched when they went on the road to play Unicaja Malaga at the Palacio de Deportes. The 12,000-seat stadium had a bit of life with some 400 spectators allowed to attend, giving slow but steady signals that life is returning to a bit of normalcy.

AS Monaco had a fantastic start to the match and quickly dominated the scoring, especially Mathias Lessort, who was seemingly everywhere at once.

Just before the quarter hour mark, Unicaja seriously stepped up their game with Yannick Nzosa and Francisco Alonso going mad with three-pointers, evening up the score. Monaco found a three-point master of their own to retaliate in the form of Captain Dee Bost, but until halftime it was a battle between two teams who were “en fuego”, and Unicaja had the lead going into the locker room, 48 to 55.

After the halftime break, Monaco fought back hard to regain control. It wasn’t until the fourth quarter that they managed to even up the game and, after a Damien Inglis three-pointer, they never looked back. Unicaja continued to fight hard, but they never took back the lead after this. The game ended in a 98-89 victory for the Roca team as they head to the quarterfinals.

Monaco made 28 out 46 shots with an amazing nine for 13 in the three point range. They had 31 rebounds, with 11 by Lessort alone, 13 assists and six steals.

Dee Bost and Lessort were tied for Roca high scorers with 21 points each, followed closely by Damien Inglis who had 16.

“I think we played well from the start in this Euro Cup and we deserve the first place,” said assistant head Coach Mirko Ocokoljic, who was standing in for Zvezdan Mitrovic. “When we saw the group, the teams that made it up, we said to ourselves that it would not be an easy mission. The team knew how to mobilise. From now on, we will prepare for this quarter-final.”

Monaco Basketball returns on 12th March for another away game against ESSM Le Portel Côte d’Opale in a Jeep Elite match starting at 6pm.

 
Monaco Life with AS Monaco Basketball press release, photo by AS Monaco Basketball
 
 

Italy joins UK in grisly milestone

by: Stephanie Horsman
10/03/2021

Italy has become the second European country to pass the 100,000 Covid death marker. Meanwhile, it is the first member of the EU to green light the production of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine.
Until Monday, only the United Kingdom had racked up more than 100,000 Covid deaths since the start of the pandemic. Now, Italy has joined them in this sad milestone, noting 318 deaths on Monday and raising the country’s total to 100,103.
New Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi didn’t paint a hugely sunny picture for Italians in the near future either, saying that the situation will get worse in the coming days as hospitalisations are expected to take a big jump.
Experts are warning the country to brace itself for a surge in new cases over the next few weeks, possibly reaching new daily cases as high as 40,000 unless stricter measures are put in place.
Italy had the first, and one of the strictest, lockdowns in Europe last year.
The government is responding by placing three more regions, Friuli Venezia Giulia and Veneto, on ‘orange’ restrictions, whilst the Campania region, of which Naples is a part, will jump to ‘red’, Italy’s highest risk level.
The new wave is being largely blamed on the highly contagious variant first detected in the UK late last year, but World health Organisation European Regional Director Dr Hans Kluge also contributes the rise in cases to “The opening of society, when it is not done in a safe and controlled manner.”
Meanwhile, Italy has signed a deal with Russia to begin production on the Sputnik V vaccine, the first in the EU to do so.
The announcement came Tuesday via the Italian Russian Chamber of Commerce and was signed with Adienne, maker of drugs for autoimmune diseases and bone marrow transplants, and Krill Dmitriev, CEO of Russian Direct Investment Fund.
“The innovative production process will help create new jobs and allow Italy to control the entire production of the compound,” the chamber said in a statement. Terms regarding financials were not released.
The Sputnik V has not yet been approved for use in Europe, but the Italians are planning to churn out 10 million doses this year starting in July in anticipation of approval. The European Medical Agency began a rolling review of the jab last week, which has had a 91% efficacy rate according to a study published by respected medical journal Lancet.
 
Picture of the Vatican City source Pixabay
 
 

Princely family turns out for shuttle inauguration

by: Stephanie Horsman
09/03/2021

Camille Gottlieb has baptised the new Monaco One shuttle in the presence of her mother Princess Stephanie and other members of the Princely family. The super-fast shuttle will carry passengers from Monaco to the new Calla del Forte port in Ventimiglia.

After sneak peaks and sea trials, the Monaco One was officially inaugurated on Monday 8th March at the Yacht Club of Monaco.

The vessel’s “godmother”, Camille Gottlieb, was accompanied arm in arm by her uncle Prince Albert for the ceremony, which was also attended by Caroline, Princess of Hanover, Princess Stéphanie, Louis Ducruet, Pauline Ducruet, as well as several Monegasque and Italian authorities.

After breaking the traditional champagne bottle on the hull to formally baptise the vessel, Archbishop of Monaco Monsignor David then blessed the boat, giving a speech addressing all sailors.

Photos by Eric Mathon / Prince’s Palace and Michael Alesi / Government Communication Department

Monaco One is the navette that will connect yacht owners moored in the new extension port of Cala del Forte in Ventimiglia to the Principality.

“More than a means of transport, this shuttle constitutes a link capable of joining the ports of Monaco to that of Cala del Forte in just over 10 minutes,” said Aleco Keusseoglou, President of the Société d’Exploitation des Ports de Monaco (SEPM), adding that Monaco One is a “vessel of the future straight out of a science fiction film.”

Thanks to its innovative aeronautical design, the 12-seater catamaran can sail at more than 40 knots and its energy consumption is 50% lower than a conventional boat.

The shuttle will also be equipped with an innovative tracking device to detect the presence of marine mammals in real time.

Photos by Eric Mathon / Prince’s Palace and Michael Alesi / Government Communication Department

Created by A2V (Advanced Aerodynamic Vessels) out of La Rochelle, it is one of two operational shuttles out there. Like it’s sister Evian One, which is currently being run on Lake Geneva, the boat uses a design inspired by an airplane wing using aerodynamic lift.

Once reaching a certain speed, the shuttle is “lightened” by half its mass and is usable in even the foulest weather conditions.

“Since this boat should be able to be used in the widest possible conditions, we have designed a machine that is welcoming, but also robust, and easy to use,” said Matthieu Kerhuel, President of A2V.

Photos by Eric Mathon / Prince’s Palace and Michael Alesi / Government Communication Department

Bollywood-themed Rose Ball postponed, again

by: Cassandra Tanti
09/03/2021

The first major event on Monaco’s high society social calendar, the Rose Ball, is being shelved for the second consecutive year due to Covid. 
Fans of the annual gala, which normally takes place in March, will be disappointed to hear that they will have to keep their gowns and tuxedos under wraps for another 12 months.
After initially being postponed in 2020, the 66th Bal de la Rose was due to take place this month at the Salle des Etoiles in the Sporting Monte-Carlo.
But with heavy restrictions still in place and an active circulation of the Covid-19 virus, organisers Société des Bains de Mer (SBM) have been forced to put one of the Principality’s most treasured celebrations on hold, again.
President of the Princess Grace Foundation Caroline, Princess of Hanover, chose Bollywood for the gala’s theme and had given her friend Christian Louboutin carte blanche to make it a reality.
The legendary fashion designer channelled his fascination for India to conceptualise a grandiose and poetic décor for the Rose Ball, which has always served as a symbol of glamour and fuelled the fascinating legend of Monte-Carlo, which it helped to create.
But the ball, created by Princess Grace in 1954, is not just a high society event. Since 1964, it has also raised important funds for her Foundation, which supports people in difficulty and disadvantaged children.
The last Rose Ball took place in 2019 on the theme of the ‘Riviera’. Hosts Prince Albert and Caroline, Princess of Hanover, paid a special tribute to the late Karl Lagerfeld, who for several years had worked with the princess to design the ball. The ‘Riviera’ theme was the last Lagerfeld had designed before his death in February that year.
Famous French-Egyptian fashion designer Christian Louboutin was appointed his successor, continuing a long-held tradition of great names taking charge of the artistic organisation of an evening that marks the first important social event of the year.
The 66th Rose Ball is now due to take place on 19th March 2022.
 
Photo: Caroline, Princess of Hanover and Prince Albert of Monaco Preside over the 2019 Rose Ball. Source: the Prince’s Palace