Fuel giant Total Energies announced on Tuesday that it will continue to cap fuel prices at less than €2 per litre, beyond the end of 2023 and “as long as prices remain high”.
In a statement this week, the French group said that it intends to fight against the constant rise in fuel prices.
“In the context of rising fuel prices since the beginning of summer, TotalEnergies reaffirmed its commitment at the end of August 2023 by confirming that the price of diesel and gasoline will not exceed €1.99/L in the all of its service stations in France,” said the group.
Nearly 2,600 Total Energies service stations, out of the company’s 3,400, are affected by the measure.
Having “touched the hearts of the Monégasques,” as well as the French title last year, AS Monaco Basketball are now tasked with repeating the feat, which in the words of manager Sasa Obradovic will be “very hard.”
The Roca Team exceeded all expectations last season by winning the French title, the French Cup, and by reaching the Final Four in the Euroleague – a historic achievement for a team from the French league. However, for general manager Oleksiy Yefimov, their biggest achievement was that they “touched the hearts of the Monégasques.”
The Salle Gaston Médecin was filled throughout the season, and it will soon be again. The court itself has been redone for the upcoming season, which begins with an away trip to Limoges on Saturday. However, whilst the aesthetics at Monaco’s home court may be different, the roster will be largely recognisable.
The redone court of the Salle Gaston Medecin. Photo credit: Luke Entwistle, Monaco Life.
Unlike in past years, which have seen wholesale squad overhauls, there was a greater deal of stability this year, with only Chima Moneke departing from the first team. Four players have arrived in Mam Jaiteh, Petr Cornelie, Terry Tarpey and of course, Kemba Walker.
The latter two were presented to the media on Wednesday. “I appreciate being here. I just want to play, to be on the court. What better city, better place to come to than Monaco? Everyone has been great, I’ve been welcomed with open arms. I’ll be on the court to help these guys as much as possible,” said Walker, the blockbuster signing of the French division this summer.
AS Monaco Basketball’s Kemba Walker. Photo credit: Luke Entwistle, Monaco Life.
However, despite strengthening the squad this summer, the Roca Team are depleted heading into the new season. Players such as Donatas Motiejunas, who went deep into the World Cup, are still on leave, whilst injuries and a virus have ripped through the squad.
“Preparations were difficult for me and the staff,” admitted the Roca Team manager. It leaves coach Obradovic in an uncomfortable and uncertain position; not the ideal context to kick-off a French title defence. “It’ll be hard to repeat what we’ve achieved in the past two years,” began Obradovic.”
European basketball returns to the Principality in October
He continued, “We should work twice as hard, to be at a higher level to have a chance to repeat it. We have a group of people capable of doing big things, but doing so depends on a lot of different factors. We should all be ready for a big step. What we achieved last year was great, but our goals must be big, we need to dream big.”
Monaco can afford to “dream big.” They have the means, and the ambition to improve. “The feeling of the French title was sweet; I want that again,” said John Brown III. However, the Roca Team are now the team to beat, and everyone team that faces them will be looking to pull off a scalp. “We’ll have more eyes on us, more pressure,” admits John Brown III, who will once again hope to feature prominently.
Fans of the Roca Team will have to wait to welcome their players back to the Principality. The team start with two away games before welcoming Saint-Quentin in the Betclic Elite on 26th September. European basketball then makes its long-awaited return on 13th Ocotober, when Virtus Bologna play a visit to the Salle Gaston Médecin.
“The government, the Prince, and the population are behind them.”
Prince Albert II is one of the Roca Team’s most ardent fans, but it was a member of his government, Patrice Cellario, who was present to support the Principality’s basketball club on Wednesday.
The Roca Team has won the heart of the Monégasques. I want to salute the past results and encourage them for the coming season. We have to prove everything all over again. The government, the Prince, and the population are behind them,” said the Interior Minister, who added that the plans for a new, larger stadium for the Roca Team, are still being “studied and reflected.”
Oleksiy Yefimov and Patrice Cellario. Photo credit: Luke Entwistle, Monaco Life.
For the Roca Team, the new season gets underway with a mixed set of emotions. There is excitement, uncertainty, and above all expectation. “There is bigger pressure on our shoulders. However, these guys won’t hide from that,” said Yefimov, who is charged with the difficult task of steering Monaco to even greater heights.
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The European Union is adopting a raft of new initiatives to reduce tax compliance costs and make rules easier for large, cross-border businesses.
The European Union (EU) is hoping to make life easier for businesses who have operations in two or more bloc countries by introducing a standardised set of rules that will help tax authorities determine the tax base of these types of companies.
Called Business in Europe: Framework for Income Taxation (BEFIT), the new rules aim to reduce compliance costs for large companies who have set-ups in more than one Member State by up to 65%, if all goes according to plan.
HOW IT WORKS
As coordination between 27 different tax systems has been tricky in the past, many companies have been reluctant to invest beyond their original borders, limiting growth and putting the EU at a marked disadvantage.
Businesses who fall under the BEFIT regulations will now be able to calculate a standard tax base in accordance with a common set of rules, aggregated into one single tax base. Each BEFIT company will take the average of the three previous years’ taxes to calculate the percentage of the aggregated tax base they will be in going forward.
According to the EU, “The new rules will be mandatory for groups operating in the EU with an annual combined revenue of at least €750 million, and where the ultimate parent entity holds at least 75% of the ownership rights or of the rights giving entitlement to profit.”
Smaller organisations can opt in if they are willing to provide consolidated financial statements.
TRANSFER PRICING
The new package also includes a proposal aiming at harmonising transfer pricing rules within the EU and ensuring a common approach to the practice. Transfer pricing is an accounting practice that represents the price that one division in a company charges another division for goods and services provided in different states or countries.
The proposal will increase tax certainty and mitigate the risk of litigation and double taxation. The directive will also restrict opportunities to use transfer pricing for aggressive tax planning purposes.
Once the plan is fully adopted, it will go into effect from 1st January 2026. BEFIT’s start date is planned for 1st July 2028.
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Who are the Monegasques? How many are there? Where do they live? Monaco Life delves into the data available on one of the world’s rarest nationalities.
Living within one of the smallest states on the globe is a population so few in number that many on the outside don’t even know it exists.
Monegasque citizenship
Monegasque is the official name for the citizens of Monaco. Citizenship in the Principality is based primarily on the jus sanguinis principle – a blood right – meaning that the majority of those who can legally call themselves Monegasque have gained that citizenship through descent. Others gain citizenship through marriage or naturalisation. Interestingly, dual nationality is not recognised in Monaco, and there are very few exceptions to this rule.
Most Monegasques hold their nationality thanks to the principle of jus sanguinis. Photo credit: Palais Princier de Monaco
How many Monegasques are there?
So, who are the Monegasques? It’s difficult to put an accurate figure on the number of Monegasque “grandes familles”, but estimates stand at around 500. The most visible of these, of course, is the Monegasque Princely family: the Grimaldis. Other more well-known Monegasque families will today include the Pastors and their construction empire, and the Leclercs courtesy of big shot F1 driver Charles Leclerc.
The most recent census of Monaco’s population was back in 2016 and, at the time, Monegasques ranked as the second largest nationality living within its borders with 8,378 residents counted. First came France at 9,286.
The Mairie de Monaco revised the global figure of Monegasques in 2022 to 9,686. Monegasque men count for 45.7% of this population, while women are at 54.3%. The median age for men is 41.4 years of age and 51.2 for women to give an overall median of 46.9.
The Mairie de Monaco is responsible for all things pertaining to Monegasque nationality and citizenship. Photo credit: Mairie de Monaco
Where do they live?
The vast majority of Monegasques live in the Principality, but a handful – 4% – live in France and smaller percentages still live in Switzerland, Italy and the US. 0.5% are recorded as living elsewhere.
Births and deaths
Nearly two thirds of Monegasques are born in Monaco, these days at the Centre Hospitalier Princesse Grace, but neighbour France is second in the list. Just over 2,500 of Monegasques were born over the border, then comes Italy with 221 recorded births. The US and the UK take third and fourth spot for births of Monegasques outside of Monaco, followed by the perhaps surprising tie of Switzerland and Morocco in fifth.
92 new Monegasques came into the world in 2022 – 39 of them boys and 53 of them girls – and 85 departed. The average life expectancy for a Monegasque currently stands at 86.5 years of age.
New parents and their babies were welcomed at the Mairie de Monaco earlier this year to celebrate the next generation of young Monegasques. Photo credit: Mairie de Monaco
Marriage and Monegasques
There are more “single” – that confusing French language status of “célibataire”, which is perhaps best described as “unmarried” – Monegasques than married; around 4,000 of them split fairly evenly between men and women. A third of the population is married, just over 1,000 are divorced, 604 are widowed and 24 count as “separated”.
In 2022, 96 marriages involving at least one Monegasque citizen were recorded by the Mairie de Monaco, which handles all matters concerning nationality. The majority of these nuptials – 51 in total – featured a Monegasque and a French citizen, while the number of marriages between a Monegasque and a person of different nationality other than French stood at 37. Eight of the marriages were between two Monegasque citizens. Nine in 10 of these marriages took place within the Principality, while a small few occurred in France or elsewhere.
A total of 18 divorces involving at least one Monegasque party were recorded last year.
Monegasque traditions
There are several key dates in the calendar for Monegasques. The biggest is Monaco’s National Day, which takes place on 19th November each year. Another highlight is the Principality’s patron saint celebrations, the Fête de Sainte Dévote, on 27th January, which includes a religious mass that is exclusively reserved for Monegasques. Others are more informal and on a family scale, such as the recent U Cavagnëtu picnic that is uniquely for Monegasque citizens.
Monaco’s holy relics of Sainte Dévote are transported to the cathedral for a special mass each year. Photo credit: Palais Princier de Monaco
IMSEE: Monaco’s dictionary of data
Each year, Monaco’s statistical agency IMSEE produces a comprehensive analysis of data related to life in the Principality, featuring everything from its population to its economy, healthcare, public services and environment. Called “Monaco en Chiffres”, it is fully downloadable in French here, while a breakdown of the key information is available in English here.
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The number of electric scooter related deaths and serious accidents is swelling in France, leading the government to pass a new law that has raised the minimum legal age for riding one of these vehicles to 14.
10 riders of motorised personal transport, a group of vehicles including electric scooters, died in the month of July alone in France, taking the death toll so far this year to 41. July also saw 53 riders seriously injured.
Beneath these grim figures lies another very serious problem: the steady rise of the use and popularity of electric scooters, monowheels, gyropods and hoverboards amongst young people; vehicles that all relatively unregulated.
MINIMUM LEGAL AGE INCREASES
Now the French Ministry of Transport has stepped in “to protect, deter and avoid dangerous behaviour” by changing the minimum age to ride one of these vehicles from 12 to 14 years of age. The law also coincides with the legal age in France to drive a moped or voiturette.
First presented in March of this year, the new law has since passed and was published in France’s Official Journal on 1st September.
FINES TO RISE TOO
The new decree also allows for more stringent fines for those who transport passengers on e-scooters and the like – vehicles designated for personal use only – to discourage the practice. The government is also toughening its stance on those who drive on prohibited roadways, such as urban motorways.
The fines have increased significantly from a not-so-bad €35 to €135, which is hopefully enough to make people think twice. This now rivals the €135 fine for driving on pavements, which is already in effect, except in the cases where mayors specifically authorise it.
In towns and cities, scooters must remain on cycle paths and lanes. If there is no such lane, they can be on roads with maximum speed limits of 50km/h or less. Outside urban areas, they must use greenways and cycle paths.
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From sailing to classical music and photographic exhibitions, here’s a rundown of all the commemorative events taking place this September in honour of Monaco’s Prince Rainier III.
The year-long programme of events chronicling and celebrating the life of Prince Rainier III on the 100th year of his birth continues this month with a roster of one-off events and rolling exhibitions.
Monaco Classic Week
First up, and just ahead of the Monaco Yacht Show, is the Exposition de Bateaux Ayant Appartenu au Prince Rainier III – or Prince Rainier III’s Boat Exhibition – which is being held from 13th to 16th September within the scope of Monaco Classic Week. The waters off the Yacht Club de Monaco are the setting for this assembly of boats that once belonged to the late Prince, who, like so many of Monaco’s sovereigns, was a great lover of the sea.
Music and concerts
On 17th September, head to the Salle Garnier for a chamber music concert featuring Monaco’s own Shani Diluka, who will perform pieces by Nadia Boulanger and Mozart alongside violinists Liza Kerob and Ilyoung Chae, Federico Hood on viola and Thierry Amadi on violoncello. Also on the bill is a tribute to Mikael Glinka, as performed by Nikolai Kuznetsov on piano, Sibylle Duchesne and Mitchell Huang on violins, François Duchesne playing viola and cellist Delphine Perrone. The final pieces will be a selection of upbeat pieces from several artists, including Listov, Nichifor and Gordon, as played by Christine Rossi on accordion, violinists Diana Mykhalevych and Alexandre Guerchovitch, Sofia Timofeeva on viola, cellist Thierry Amadi, Véronique Audard on clarinet and Tarik Bahous on double bass. The show starts a 3pm and tickets can be purchased here.
Then on 24th September at 6pm, the Grimaldi Forum will host the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra for the launch of their season: a concert commemorating Prince Rainier III. Under the conductorship of Kazuki Yamada, soprano Eleanor Lyons and mezzo-soprano GerhildRomberger will be joined by the CBSO Chorus under Simon Halsey to perform works by Gustav Mahler and Andrzej Panufnik.
Ongoing events
In addition to these special shows and events, there are several ongoing items to catch, including The Prince and his Animals at the Jardin d’Animalier, Prince Rainier III: A Sailor Above All at the Yacht Club de Monaco, Prince Rainier III: A Rose Garden in Tribute of his Wife at the Princess Grace Rose Garden, The Builder Prince: Ambitions for Monaco on the Quai Antoine I, and The Constitutional Prince at the Conseil National, which will also name a room after Prince Rainier III to mark his centenary.
For the full programme of events taking place in 2023, please click here.
Click on the images below to see photos of the past and ongoing events celebrating Prince Rainier III:
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