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Day: 13 November 2019

NBA star joins Monaco Basketball

by: Stephanie Horsman
13/11/2019

Two-time NBA champion Norris Cole has joined AS Monaco Basketball for the remainder of the 2019-2020 season.

The 31-year-old former Miami Heat star played seven seasons and 428 games, including six playoffs in the NBA, before making the move across the pond in 2017 to play in the Euroleague for Maccabi Tel Aviv.

Last season, he started with Italian team Sidigas Avellino before moving on to become a stand-out for Montenegro’s KK Budućnost.

Cole joined the Roca Team just in time to play in Tuesday night’s 7DAY EuroCup competition where Monaco played Promitheas Patras. He is also on board for the upcoming French Jeep Elite match on 16th November against Dijon.

When asked about the differences between playing ball in the States and playing here in Europe, the 1.88 metre tall athlete candidly said in an interview, “It was very different at first. But I like differences. I do not think everything should look alike. Different ways to play, different tactics, different rules too. Of course, I enjoyed the NBA. But I also appreciate being able to play in Europe… I am very happy to start this new adventure with AS Monaco.”

AS Monaco is 3-3 in EuroCup’s Group A and on track for a spot in the sweet 16. The team also have a 6-2 win-loss record in the French league.

 

Top picture: AS Monaco Basket Facbook

Modric receives Golden Foot Award

by: Staff Writer
13/11/2019

Real Madrid’s Luka Modric has landed the 2019 Golden Foot award, an accolade that recognises the best player aged over 28 who stands out for their on-field achievements, both as an individual and a team player.

Modric collected the award in Monaco on Tuesday night in recognition of his outstanding career, which, amongst other honours, has yielded 15 pieces of silverware with Real Madrid: four Champions League crowns and Club World Cups apiece, a trio of UEFA Super Cups, a LaLiga title, a Copa del Rey and a pair of Spanish Super Cups.

“I’m really happy and it’s an honour to be collecting this award,” said Modric after receiving the award. “Some great players have won it in the past and winning it fills me with great pride”.

The Golden Foot has been awarded annually under the patronage of Prince Albert II of Monaco since 2003. The nominees are chosen by a jury of representatives from specialist media outlets from across the world and the winner is decided by an online vote.

Previous winners have included Ronaldo (2006), Ibrahimovic (2012), Casillas (2017) and Cavani (2018).

 

Herrmann reflects on Malizia’s finish

by: Cassandra Tanti
13/11/2019

Malizia II, helmed by Boris Herrmann and Will Harris, has crossed the finish in 12th place for the 14th edition of Transat Jacques Vabre.

The pair on the Monegasque boat, initiated by YCM Vice President Pierre Casiraghi, took 14 days, 22 hours, 28 minutes and 43 seconds to cover 4,350 theoretical miles from Le Havre to

Salvador de Bahia, Brazil, at an average speed of 12.13 knots. In reality, they covered 4,979 at 13.89 knots and were 1 day 10 hours 20 minutes 43 seconds behind the winner in this class, Apivia, co-skippered by Yann Eliès and Charlie Dalin.

“I’d like to sincerely thank Pierre Casiraghi for his support from the start of this project, the Yacht Club of Monaco and the young people in the Sports Section who followed and encouraged us throughout the race, all the team who helped prepare the boat and my teammate Will who was competing in his first Transat Jacques Vabre.”

The German sailor chose the 25-year-old Englishman Will Harris who had excelled on the Figaro circuit. After joining forces for the Rolex Fastnet Race this summer, the pair decided to tackle this highly-competitive transatlantic which had 29 IMOCAs registered. After a good start and fast race out of the Channel they were lying second off Perros-Guirec.

https://www.facebook.com/yachtclubmonaco/videos/2179105919058096/

Rapidly out-paced by the new foilers, they made the choice with the Prysmian Group to continue west, on a less tight option than Hugo Boss, being positioned further south. Boris and Will re-joined Yannick Bestaven and Roland Jourdain (Maître CoQ) and Louis Burton and Davy Beaudart (Bureau Vallée 2).

As they headed south with the other west-option mavericks, they were neck and neck with Hugo Boss until Alex Thomson was forced to stop after hitting a submerged unidentified object north-west of the Canaries.

In the wake of Maître CoQ, Malizia II-Yacht Club de Monaco were locked in a battle with Corum and Groupe Apicil which lasted all along the Brazilian coast. It was a fiercely fought 12th place that has proved an ideal dress rehearsal before Boris Herrmann lines up on 8th November for the start of the 2020 Vendée Globe.

“Obviously, I’m a bit disappointed as the result does not really reflect our ambition or potential,” said Boris Herrmann on his arrival in Brazil. “Nevertheless, we have no regrets. With the information we received at the time of making that strategic decision, going west seemed the right one.”

“We absolutely must have a debriefing with our meteorologists and make an analysis to continue to improve, although undeniably there is always a lot of luck involved. Analysing, taking and accepting risks is all part of the game.”

 

Photo: Yacht Club of Monaco

GDP hits record high

by: Stephanie Horsman
13/11/2019

Monaco achieved a record-breaking GDP of more than €6 billion in 2018, according to the latest figures from statistics group IMSEE. 

The Monegasque Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (IMSEE) this week published the 2018 Gross Domestic Product (GDP) report showing positive growth in all sectors.

After the slowdown of the past few years which saw a drop in growth from +9.6% in 2013 to +3.5% in 2016 and a downturn of -3.4% in 2017, the Principality is again on the upswing.

Monaco’s GDP exceeded €6 billion for the first time in history in 2018 and the increase in volume reached +6.1%, corrected for inflation.

The employment picture remains strong, with both public and private sectors showing growth of +3.7%, equalling more than 2,000 new employees in human terms, as of December of last year.

Taxes on products rose rather sharply in value (+8.7%) and volume (+7.8%), contributing to 12.7% of total wealth produced. This rise in taxes can be explained by VAT, transfer duties and real estate VAT increasing.

Subsidies continue to grow but at a low +1.7%, far below that of 2017 which saw a massive 16.1% jump due to the creation of the Dependency Fund and monies allocated for the Energy Transition.  

Economic performance varies depending on the activity, but an encouraging eight out of 12 sectors saw an increase in growth, with the biggest contributors being scientific and technical activities, administrative and support services and wholesale trade.

Nearly 44% of wealth generated in the Principality is driven by scientific and technical activities, administrative and support services, financial and insurance activities and real estate.

Per capita GDP rose +3.5% to €70,881 and GDP per employee, which indicates productivity went up by 2.3% to €108,112.

 

 

Monaco jeweller helps shed light on importance of coral

by: Cassandra Tanti
13/11/2019

Monaco jeweller Alberto Vitale put coral front and centre at the Yacht Club of Monaco recently, inviting the Scientific Centre of Monaco to explain the important role that coral plays in our eco system.

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“I wanted to host this event because even I, whose family has been in jewellery for four generations, never used to know what coral actually was,” reveals Alberto Vitale. “Is it an animal? Is it a rock? I decided to ask the Scientific Centre to explain coral from a scientific point of view.”

As Scientific Director Denis Allemand told a crowd of around 65 YCM members, corals are sessile animals that permanently attach themselves to the ocean floor, essentially “taking root” like most plants do.

Most coral structures are made up of hundreds to thousands of tiny coral creatures called polyps and each soft-bodied polyp secretes a hard outer skeleton of limestone that attaches either to rock or the dead skeletons of other polyps. These structures form the home for thousands, if not millions, of other species. If the coral dies, so do hundreds of thousands of animal and plant life.

“Everyone at the evening was surprised to learn that coral was an animal,” explains Alberto. “They were also surprised to learn that coral is so important for our lives and for the life of the planet.”

After the scientific explanation, Alberto described how he uses coral in his high-end jewellery. “We only use coral that comes from 50 metres below the surface, not the coral you would usually see diving and snorkelling. But in particular, I explained that we use ethical coral.”

Hundreds of years ago, explained Alberto, there was a volcanic eruption in the Mediterranean Sea near Sardinia which destroyed a vast amount of coral naturally. It is this coral that he uses in his jewellery.

“I also presented my recent collection and explained that I give 8% of the sales to the Prince Albert Foundation and through them we give money to the Scientific Centre, who conducts research to not only save the coral, but in turn save humanity, because coral has properties that can be used for health and therapeutic purposes.”

Meanwhile, Alberto announced at the end of the evening that he would be funding a new piece of equipment within a year that the Scientific Centre needs in order to study coral.

“I think they do a very vital job so it is important to help them discover how coral can save our life and how we can save coral. It is a circle.”

Alberto Vitale will present his new collection inspired by the ocean and coral from the 1st December at his showroom in Monte Carlo.

 

Top photo: Scientific Director Denis Allemand and Alberto Vitale

 

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Yacht Club unveils new weather training courses

by: Stephanie Horsman
13/11/2019
Yacht club Monaco

A new training program dubbed the Monaco Weather Lab and devoted to marine weather, climatology and sea safety is being launched by the Monaco Yacht Club just in time for race season.

The introductory event on Thursday is bringing together meteorologists and maritime weather experts for a conference on ‘Interpreting marine weather in an the era of technology’ where they will join a panel of select professionals to present their ideas and perspectives.

Classes will take place at La Belle Classes Academy, the yacht club’s formal training centre, with the cooperation of Navimeteo, a company dedicated to maritime weather information services.

The course is designed for sailors and sea professionals, is being held in English and, after this inaugural event, will have four dates in 2020. Each six-hour class will have a maximum of 12 students to ensure proper time can be offered to each participant and covers both theory and practical training.

The Monaco Weather Lab’s main goal is “to enable all maritime professionals and boaters to know how to interpret the weather beyond technologies, to understand and safely manage the hazards of weather at sea and on the coast.”

The Weather Lab’s secondary objective is to create a working lab in Monaco, making it the go-to for professionals in the field who would look to them to receive information and advice on the safest and nicest routes to follow in the region.