Billionaires vie to see who can order more champagne in Saint Tropez  nypost.com 24 Jul 10 A pair of rival billionaires set a new world record Thursday night at Les Caves du Roy nightclub in St. Tropez with an East vs. West contest to see who could order the most champagne. Zhen Low -- the younger brother of big-spending Malaysian billionaire Jho Low -- squared off against Winston Fisher of the prominent New York real-estate family. At the end of the night, Low was the "winner." The bill? A staggering 2 million euros. Witnessing the revelry/rivalry were Thor Equities CEO Joseph Sitt, SBE CEO Sam Nazarian and Paris Hilton.

Diamond League 2010 Monaco: David Oliver falls short in bid to break 110m hurdles record  telegraph.co.uk 22 Jul 10 David Oliver's bid to break the 110 metres hurdles world record ended in disappointment despite his victory at the Diamond League meeting in Monaco. The American had been bullish about his chances of lowering Deron Robles' mark of 12.87 seconds on a fast track in the principality, but his hopes were extinguished almost before he started thanks to a dreadful start. Oliver powered his way to the head of the field at the 60m mark but he clattered into two consecutive hurdles to finish in a time of 13.01 seconds. Ryan Wilson and Jamaica's Dwight Thomas followed him home.

Monaco: Prince Albert's wedding set for July 2011  washingtonpost.com 22 Jul 10 The royal palace in Monaco says Prince Albert II will tie the knot with his future bride in July 2011. Albert is engaged to Charlene Wittstock, a former Olympic swimmer from South Africa. The palace in the Riviera principality said Thursday that the two have set a date for a religious ceremony: July 9, 2011. A civil ceremony will take place the day earlier. Alfred met the willowy blonde Wittstock during a 2000 swimming competition in Monaco. His betrothed has iconic shoes to fill, stepping into a role left vacant since the death of much-beloved Princess Grace in a car crash in 1982. AP.

Monaco confirms 'negotiations' with Ecclestone  motor sport.com 22 Jul 10 The Automobile Club de Monaco has confirmed it is in "negotiations" with Bernie Ecclestone. The F1 chief executive said recently that Formula One could "do without Monaco", moving former driver Patrick Tambay to surmise that it is a strategy to have the famous race's fees "revised upwards". The Club reacted on Thursday by saying it is reluctant to comment on the reports because it is unaware of their "context". "The reality is simple," a statement added. "Negotiations are underway between l'Automobile Club de Monaco and Formula One Management." The Club added that it will make an announcement if an agreement is reached. GMM.

Monaco could be axed from calendar for 2011  thef1times.com 18 Jul 10 Monaco is facing being axed from the F1 calendar as early as 2011 according to Formula One Management boss, Bernie Ecclestone. With 19 races on the 2010 calendar and India and Texas looking to join for 2011, space has to be made to allow Ecclestone to meet the 20-race cap that himself and the teams have verbally agreed. Looking at ways to meet the cap, the 78-year old Bilionaire said, "I think we can do without Monaco, they don't pay enough." The Principality has been on the F1 calendar since 1955 and is the only race that doesn't pay a hosting fee. "The Europeans are going to have to pay more money or we will have to go somewhere else," Ecclestone concluded.

Swansong for Nice Jazz Festival in Cimiez  lemonde.fr 17 Jul 10 The Nice Jazz Festival, scheduled from July 17 to 25, could be the last in its present form. The three year contract is coming to an end this year and a tender has been launched. Nice town hall wants the festival in the city centre, in the Albert I Garden close to the Promenade des Anglais. The Nice-Matin reports that the UMP mayor and minister of industry, Christian Estrosi, wants to reduce the subsidy from the city. Estrosi says he wants to bring the festival closer to public transport, restaurants and hotels and increase capacity from 5,500 at Cimiez to 9500 seats on two stages. Sylvain Siclier.

Clashes between police and firefighters in Nice: five injured, five arrests  lepoint.fr 16 Jul 10 Two firefighters and three police were wounded during clashes that erupted Friday in Nice between police and firefighters who were protesting against pension reforms. Five firefighters were arrested, including the President of the Autonomous Federation of Firefighters, Andre Goretti. One of the injured firefighters was hospitalised. The incidents took place near the Place Massena, the central square of Nice. According to firefighters who were still on the scene after the incident, the police violently charged the demonstrators, numbering about 200, without being provoked. AFP.