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Month: March 2021

Can Monaco maintain the course?

by: Cassandra Tanti
09/03/2021

The circulation of Covid-19 in the Principality continues its downward trend, with the latest figures revealing that the incidence rate has almost halved in a week. But authorities are not letting their guard down.
Weekly data from the government shows that, as of Sunday 7th March, the number of tests carried out on residents and non-residents in Monaco for the preceding week included 5,045 PCR and antigen tests.
The positivity rate among these tests was 4.48%, a drop compared to the previous seven days, which saw a positivity rate of 5.19%.
The current incidence rate in the Principality, based on the number of positive patients in a population of 100,000, is therefore 176. Just seven days earlier, the incidence rate was 226.
But that could all change given that potential Covid carriers have returned from travelling abroad during the school holidays.
The government is reminding the population that everyone who has journeyed outside the Principality in this period must be tested for the virus upon their return.
“This screening will reassure the people who will benefit from it. More generally, it will allow the health authorities to check the virological state of the population and to stem as much as possible the circulation of the virus in the Principality,” said the government in a statement on Sunday evening.
 
 
Photo: Michael Alesi, Government Communication Department
 

Monaco Telecom signs tower purchase deal

by: Cassandra Tanti
09/03/2021

Monaco Telecom and Phoenix Tower International have signed an agreement for the purchase of over 800 wireless towers across Malta and Cyprus, boosting the company’s 5G and fibre capabilities in the two countries.
According to a statement released by Phoenix Tower International (Phoenix) this week, a long-term partnership has been established that will see Monaco Telecom occupy the sites for at least 20 years. The deal involves 815 existing and newly constructed wireless towers that will be purchased over six years.
“This transaction allows us to create a strategic partnership in Cyprus and Malta with a leading international firm, which allows us to accelerate our investment plans on 5G and fibre where we are present,” said Martin Péronnet, CEO of Monaco Telecom.
In March 2020, Monaco Telecom officially became the sole shareholder of Vodaphone Malta, which was rebranded as Epic in January and also serves as an alternative operator in Cyprus.
Phoenix is a United States telecommunications company that owns and operates over 10,000 wireless infrastructure sites throughout Europe, the US, Latin America and the Caribbean.
“With this latest transaction, Phoenix continues to expand its Monaco Telecom signs tower purchase deal presence across Europe and will demonstrate the neutral host independent tower model in two new markets to facilitate increased coverage expansion for all of the wireless operators and ultimately increased connectivity for the population of Malta and Cyprus,” added Dagan Kasavana, Chief Executive Officer of Phoenix Tower International.
The closing is subject to customary condition precedents for this type of transaction.
 
Related stories:
Monaco Telecom acquisition complete
 
Photo of Malta by Karl Muscat on Unsplash
 
 

AS Monaco make 3 for 3 in derby

by: Stephanie Horsman
09/03/2021

“A great reaction from the team!” exclaimed Coach Niko Kovac after his Red and Whites beat OGC Nice on their opponent’s home turf in the third Côte d’Azur derby this season.
AS Monaco is back on track, beating OGC Nice 2-0 in round 32 of the Coupe de France. It is the first time they have won against their crosstown rivals three times in a row in a single season since 2013-14.
After their recent disappointment against Strasbourg, Coach Kovac made a few changes to the starting lineup. Cesc Fabregas, Stevan Jovetić and Krépin Diatta made the cut and took to the field against Adrian Ursea’s Niçois team.
The two teams tiptoed around each other the first few minutes of the match, with the first attempt on goal not coming until 11 minutes in when Walter Benitez blocked an incoming shot from Jovetić.
The idea to start Fàbregas was genius, as he had a stellar first half. Always a team player, he showed what a pro he was through solid passing and technical beauty. At the half hour mark, the Spaniard found Kevin Volland who had a clear shot on goal. He knocked one between the posts, opening the scoring at one-nil.
By halftime, there was no change in score. After the break, both teams seemed energised. At 55 minutes in, Nice’s Alexis Claude-Maurice made a bold shot that grazed the posts but turned out to be a “close but no cigar” moment. Just minutes later, Kasper Dolberg launched a similar shot a Monaco’s Radoslaw Majecki, but again, the ball just nicked the post.
Jovetić made a free kick that missed the mark in the 76th and made another attempt at the 87th that just missed.
Not despairing, Ruben Aguilar picked up the ball and seconds later knocked one between the poles from 25 metres, securing the Red and White’s lead to 2-0. The whistle went off three minutes later sounding the end of the match and handing another victory to Monaco.
“We played 90 quality minutes, we were disciplined and organised. In the end, we deserved this victory,” said Coach Kovac. “This is the shortest way to a title. There are still eight Ligue 1 teams in the competition. We will see what can be done. There are four games left to reach the final, so we shall see.”
AS Monaco will return this Sunday to Ligue 1 action against Lille at Stade Louis II at 5pm.
 
 
Monaco Life with AS Monaco press release, photo by AS Monaco
 
 

New openings in Monaco

by: Cassandra Tanti
08/03/2021

Three family favourites have reopened in the Principality: the mini-golf at the Princesse Antoinette Park, the José Notari Video-Sound Library and the Botanical Centre at the Jardin Exotique.
After months of closure, the Botanical Centre at the Exotic Garden has reopend to the public with free access. Inaugurated in 2017, the centre comprises 900 m² of greenhouses and 1,000 m² of shelters spread over three levels. Featuring 10,500 plants, the greenhouses are an opportunity to discover some of the rarest and most endangered succulents on the planet and to learn more about their conservation.
Free guided tours with a specialist gardener are offered on Saturdays by appointment.
Meanwhile, Monday 8th March also saw the opening of the José Notari Video-Sound Library in their new premises on 2 rue Princesse Antoinette. The library will be positioned near the Louis Notari Library and the Princess Caroline Ludothèque Library until 2024, when all the entities of the Monaco Media Library will be brought together within the new Ilot Pasteur development.

The José Notari Video-Sound Library, previously located at Villa Lamartine, features a wide range of music and film collections, including 18,500 CDs and 10,500 DVDs, as well as a relaxation area and a multimedia room equipped with computer stations.
And after several months of closure, the mini-golf at Parc Princesse Antoinette has been welcoming the public again since 24th February on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 2 p.m. to 5.30 p.m. by reservation only.

Photo: Parc Princesse Antoinette by the Mairie de Monaco

The course, which includes 18 clay obstacles that are linked to a walk under the olive trees, gives people an opportunity to enjoy outdoor time with friends and family. The wearing of masks and social distancing are mandatory at the park.
The Princess Antoinette Park is the “green lung” in the heart of the Principality and serves as an entertainment area for children of all ages. In addition to the miniature golf course, it also hosts a mini-farm with chickens, ducks, goats and rabbits as well as a vegetable and herb garden.
 
Top photo of the Botanical Centre by the Mairie de Monaco 
 
 

France ramps up vaccine rollout

by: Cassandra Tanti
08/03/2021

The French Riviera city of Nice has achieved a successful vaccination blitz with over 13,000 elderly residents inoculated in 48 hours, contributing to over half a million shots administered throughout the country. Meanwhile, the city’s mayor says another weekend lockdown is unlikely in light of favourable figures.
After constant criticism of the slow speed of its vaccination rollout, the government initiated a mass vaccination programme on Friday for three days as it faces off against a continued spread of the virus and its variants.
It comes as welcome news to Monaco, where the neighbouring Alpes-Maritimes department has the highest incident rate in the country.
Health Minister Olivier Veran revealed that around 585,000 people were given their first Covid injection on the weekend, as Prime Minister Jean Castex said in a tweet: “A new step in our battle against the virus has been taken this weekend.”
Two doses are necessary for the vaccine types authorised in France to be fully effective.
The figure is an increase on previous weeks, in which 100,000 to 200,000 doses were delivered each day, and the health minister says he expects vaccinations to intensify in the coming months to reach “five to six times this quantity in April”.
Thousands of makeshift vaccination centres, or large exhibition spaces, were mobilised for the blitz in France. By 15th March, general practitioners, nurses and pharmacists will also be able to administer the vaccines.
At the Palais des Expositions in Nice, 13,048 vaccinations were delivered on Saturday and Sunday. It brings the total number of people to receive their first jab to nearly 50,000 in the Metropolis, equivalent to around half of those who have registered for the shot, according to Mayor of Nice and president of the Nice Côte d’Azur Metropolis Christian Estrosi.
At this rate, and with regular supplies guaranteed by France’s Regional Health Agency, Mayor Estrosi expects that everyone over the age of 75, who wants to, will be vaccinated by the end of March.
Those over 50 with serious underlying health issues and people aged over 65 are expected to follow, with a “very high level of immunity achieved by the end of April”, he told Nice Matin.
After two consecutive weekend lockdowns, the mayor said that he doesn’t “envision” a third weekend lockdown for the region, saying, “The indicators I have today show that we are already on a steady decline in the incidence rate which should not justify a third weekend of confinement. I hope that the people of Nice can enjoy the next weekend with more freedom.”
The French Riviera lockdown forced Monegasque authorities to step up controls on its borders, with 2,811 vehicles stopped by police on the weekend and 270 refused entry into Monaco.
 
Photo by Roxana Crusemire on Unsplash
 
 

Monaco to host Karl Lagerfeld auction

by: Stephanie Horsman
08/03/2021
karl lagerfeld monaco

Karl Lagerfeld’s art and design collections are set to go under the hammer in the Principality of Monaco this autumn, two years after the legendary Chanel designer’s death.
Karl Lagerfeld, who died in February 2019 at the age of 85, was an avid, some say voracious, collector of art and design pieces. Now it has been announced that these pieces are going under the gavel at an auction to be held later this year in Monaco, a nod to the designer’s long-standing connection to both the Principality and to the sovereign family.
Sotheby’s was selected as the executors of Lagerfeld’s estate to auction his personal effects, and the house is keeping schtum about details of what this will include except to say there will be furniture, design and fine art up for grabs. The auction house estimates it will take two months to value the items from his eight homes in Monaco and France, and then it will set a date for the sales.
“The auction will pay tribute to this unique and exceptionally creative designer, a major figure in the worlds of fashion and art,” says Pierre Mothes, Vice-President of Sotheby’s France.
This isn’t the first time Lagerfeld has cleared house. Back in 2000, after stating he had tired of the Ancien Régime style he had previously fancied, he sold much of his art, furniture, tapestries and porcelain collection through Christie’s. A similar sale of Art Deco pieces went on sale in 2003 and raised nearly €7 million. No estimate has yet been made on what this auction is likely to raise.
“We are just starting with the inventory. In sales of collections of such major global personalities, the value of the objects is closely linked to their provenance,” Mothes told Reuters.
Sotheby’s has stated that it expects the auction to take place sometime in autumn this year.
 
 
Photo: Hermann Bühlbecker, Prince Albert, Princess Charlene and Karl Lagerfeld at the Cinema Against AIDS gala in 2011, by Nadja Amireh – Flickr