Another victory for Monaco's footballers
Monaco won again tonight, continuing its winning streak away to Metz with a comfortable scoreline of 2-0. Monaco now sit comfortably at 11th place in France's Ligue 2, well away from the relegation one. The next match will be against Le Havre at home next Friday, April 20.
State receipts jump 22 percent
Despite the economic crisis, state revenues in Monaco rose by 22 percent in the first three months of this year. TVA receipts jumped by 25 percent and property transfer tax by 50 percent. “The economy is holding-up well,” said Alexandre Bordero, president of the committee on finance and economy of the National Council. The biggest black spot is the SBM, the hotel and casino operator, which lost 30 million euros over one year.
Christopher Foyle to speak at Business Lunch
Monaco resident Christopher Foyle, of Foyles Bookshop fame, will be the guest speaker at the Monaco Life Business Lunch on May 21. The title of his talk will be “From Books to Planes and Back Again.” Christopher’s Air Foyle has been a very successful aviation company and he is still active in the sector. In the early part of its life easyJet flew on Air Foyle’s operating licence. He is also well-known as a very entertaining speaker. The venue is the top deck of the Fairmont Hotel and the cost will be €90. To book a place, please email Ian Brodie at monacotoday@gmail.com
Planet Solar due back on May 4
Planet Solar will arrive back in Monaco on May 4 after circumnavigating the globe using only solar power. The initiative has been supported by a consortium of the Tourism and Convention Bureau, the Prince Albert II Foundation, the Société des Bains de Mer and the Yacht Club of Monaco. The 31 metre-long catamaran left Monaco on September 27, 2010, just after the annual Yacht Show. Planet Solar will have sailed 53,000 kilometres by the time it arrives.
Honeymoon Rolls-Royce for auction in Monaco
A classic Rolls-Royce is expected to fetch £1million at auction after receiving one of the brand’s most flamboyant-ever makeovers - complete with a cocktail bar in the boot, the UK’s Daily Mail reports. The 1958 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud I Two-Seat Drophead Coupi is one of two models ever built. The car is better known by boffins as the ‘Honeymoon Express’ because it has no rear seats but a huge boot. The 54-year-old Roller boasts an electric hood, the finest leather and even a cocktail cabinet with four whisky tumblers. Auctioneer Bonhams is selling the car in Monaco on May 12 with enthusiastic collectors expecting to pay in excess of £1 million.
Recital in support of young musicians
Last night at the Yacht Club a member of the Friends of the Philharmonic Orchestra of Monte-Carlo organised a piano recital by young and talented Italian artist Chiara Opalio, who is just 22. Among the enthusiastic audience was Italian conductor and composer Gianluigi Gelmetti, who has been named the 'chef référent' of the Monte Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra. Gelmetti will temporarily take the reins of the acclaimed orchestra following the death of the principal conductor Yakov Kreizberg last year. A cocktail was served after the performance.
PHOTO: Gianluigi Gelmetti and Paul Masseron Celina Lafuente de Lavotha
Tyrus opens up Monaco office
Tyrus Capital Hedge Fund has opened its office in Monaco and will manage most of its operations from the Principality. The UK press has speculated that the fund is moving in response to looming European Union regulation and UK tax rates. Tyrus runs a fund of about $2.7 billion and was founded by Tony Chedraoui in 2009. Most of its staff moved to the new Monaco office in the early part of April. Reuters commented today that Tyrus's move “opens up the possibility that Monaco, which is home to only a handful of hedge fund managers, could become a favoured destination for UK traders fleeing tighter rules and higher tax burdens.”
Record number of passengers at Monaco’s station
Despite, at best, a patchy service from SNCF, the French railway company, Monaco’s station managed to increase the number of users to 5.45 million in 2011, a record year since the station was built in 1999. Thirteen years ago the annual figure was close to three million. Guy Pujalte, the station manager, told Monaco Matin this morning that the jump in users was due to less frequent cancellations and delays than in previous years. “Last year 90 percent of trains ran on time and there was a very major reduction in cancellations,” Mr Pujalte said…
