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Day: 1 April 2021

Italy halts Easter travel plans

by: Cassandra Tanti
01/04/2021

Italy is imposing a five-day quarantine on travellers from the European Union over Easter, even for those with a negative Covid test.
The government announced on Tuesday that, in addition to the obligation of filling in the self-declaration form and negative Covid test upon arrival, anyone who enters Italy after having stayed in or tansitted through European countries in the previous 14 days, must undergo self-isolation under the supervision of health authorities for five days. After this self-quarantine period, a new PCR or antigen test is mandatory.
The measure also concerns Italians returning home from abroad.
The measure “applies to all those who leave and arrive, including Italian nationals,” said a ministry official.
The new restriction will be in effect until 6th April, covering the Easter weekend, during which Italy is a popular destination for foreign tourists.
A 14-day quarantine is already in effect for countries outside the EU.
 
Photo of Milan Cathedral on Pixabay
 
 

Carrefour workers to strike this weekend

by: Cassandra Tanti
01/04/2021

Carrefour Monaco employees will stage a strike this Saturday amidst the busy Easter weekend. They’re demanding a “Covid bonus” for working in one of the few sectors that hasn’t closed during the crisis, despite the health risks.
Information on the strike is being distributed to Carrefour customers outside the Fontvielle store, informing them of the 24-hour strike on Saturday 3rd April.
“Since the start of the health crisis, Carrefour Monaco employees have been more present than ever to keep the store open to customers,” reads the leaflet by the Syndicat du Commerce de Monaco (Monaco Trade Union). “They took risks and many of them contracted the virus. The work of the employees has enabled Carrefour to achieve a record turnover, not equalled in 20 years.”
Meanwhile, according to the Monaco Trade Union, the number of employees has fallen by 29 over the space of two years, “considerably increasing the workload for those present, contrary to their salary”.
The workers are demanding a “Covid bonus” of €1,000 euros per employee. They are also calling on management to stop all restructuring projects aimed at further reducing staff numbers.
The strike is expected to lead to delays in restocking and checkout.
 
Photo of Carrefour workers handing out information leaflets at the Fontvielle store, by the Syndicat du Commerce de Monaco
 
 

Roca team in semi-finals

by: Stephanie Horsman
01/04/2021

For the first time in the club’s history, AS Monaco Basketball is going to the Euro Cup 7 semi-finals after a hard fought 90 to 87 win over Buducnost Podgorica.

Hugs, tears, smiles and even a chest bump between Mathias Lessort and team President Sergei Dyadechko punctuated the Wednesday night victory of the AS Monaco Basketball team over Buducnost Podgorica, a win that catapulted them into the Euro Cup 7 semi-finals for the first time ever.

Monaco and Podgorica have faced off three times since 23rd March and each had one win under their belts going into the game. Tensions were high and both teams were evenly matched. At no point did either team have a clear advantage, though Monaco managed to maintain small leads for much of the game.

The Montenegrins played a brilliant game, but they just weren’t able to inch past the Roca team who had the home court advantage and a fire to win. In the end, the game was a super close 90 to 87.

“We work and live for these kinds of matches,” said Coach Zvezdan Mitrovic. “My first thought went to our public, with whom we could not share this great moment. My team achieved a big defensive work, we caught a lot of offensive rebounds. Both teams gave everything in defence, and we finished at 90-87, that shows the quality of the match.”

He went on to express his delight at making it to the semi-finals, saying, “Getting to the semi-finals of the EuroCup is an incredible result for the whole club. We have to savour this evening and then we will look forward to the rest. We had to put in some energy. I’m proud of my team, proud of all my players. Everyone did the job.”

Mathias Lessort had a monster night, scoring 24 points on his own. He was followed by JJ O’Brien with 13, Marcos Knight with 12 and Captain Dee Bost with 11 points apiece.

The Roca boys made 31 shots out of 60 tries, with only four out of 17 in the three-point range. They recovered a whopping 46 rebounds, with Knight having 12 alone. The team recovered 17 stray balls and had 10 assists.

The Roca team is back on 3rd April in Jeep Elite action when they go up against Orleans at home, followed on 6th April by the first Euro Cup 7 semi-finals match against Gran Canaria.

 
Photo by Manuel Vitali / Government Communication Department
 
By Monaco Life with press release
 
 

Marine science efforts continue in Monaco

by: Stephanie Horsman
01/04/2021

Two intergovernmental organisations dedicated to marine sciences and based in the Principality have agreed to continue working together to find ways to protect and increase knowledge of the seas. 

The International Hydrographic Organisation (IHO) and the International Commission for the Scientific Exploration of the Mediterranean Sea (CIESM) renewed their agreement on 23rd March to continue scientific cooperation for the next four years.

The renewal comes as several international initiatives are being launched regarding sustainable use of the world’s oceans, such as the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science. The timely announcement also took place during Monaco Ocean Week, an event led by the Prince Albert II Foundation, the Scientific Centre of Monaco and the Oceanographic Museum to promote ocean sciences and conservation efforts.

The specifics of the cooperation agreement include working together to map the seabed, monitoring marine environment changes, obtaining data and contributing to global ocean initiatives.

The partnership is also collaborative in that the exchange of experiences, training and knowledge is reciprocal, and that technical advice is shared in order to strengthen marine policies from international conventions and organisations.

Dr Mathias Jonas, Secretary General of the IHO, underlined the complementary nature of the two organisations who, he says, are both “committed to increasing our knowledge of the oceans through regional and international cooperation”. He added that “this work will provide valuable background data for the region”.

The IHO was established in 1921 and currently boasts 94 member nations. The association coordinates activities of the national hydrographic offices in order to promote uniformity of marine-related data and documents. Additionally, they publish sea surveys and provide guidelines on the best use of hydrographic data amongst member states.

The CIESM was founded in 1919 to encourage research in the Mediterranean and Black Seas to better understand, monitor and protect the region’s marine environments. They organise workshops for marine professionals, as well as regular collaborative programmes and conferences and provide independent expert advice to national and international agencies.

 
 
Photo source: Government Communication Department
 
 

Umberto Tozzi charity event in Monaco

by: Stephanie Horsman
01/04/2021

Italian superstar Umberto Tozzi will play a special live-streaming acoustic concert on Saturday 10th April to benefit his musicians, technical and support staff who have been without work for over a year due to the global pandemic.
Umberto Tozzi is an Italian singer and musician whose career spans five decades. He is coming to the Sporting’s Salle des Etoiles on 10th April for a one-night only charity event benefitting his team who has been unable to work during the Covid-19 crisis.
“I am happy to announce this concert because I hope it will give me the opportunity to concretely help the musicians of my band and all my technical staff,” Tozzi said about this special broadcast. “They are people with family and children, they have been with me for 20 years, we had a world tour that obviously was postponed and like all those who work in the artistic field have been penalised by this pandemic. This concert is for them.”
Tozzi boasts over 70 million records sold in his long career and is famous for his hits Ti amo and Gloria. He has lived in Monaco for several years.
The pandemic forced the postponement of his world tour and this will be the legend’s first appearance since his Paris concert in November 2019. It will also be the first acoustic show he has performed in his career.
Fans will have the chance to hear his greatest hits as well as some of his songs never played in concert before, and all with the acoustic twist.
“I can’t wait to make music away from home,” he joked.
The ‘Songs’ event will stream live from his website.