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Month: September 2021

Roca win two friendlies in Germany

by: Stephanie Horsman
20/09/2021

The Roca boys went up against EWE Baskets twice and came out on top both times in exciting pre-season play that saw the team welcome Mike James and celebrate the return of Ibrahima Fall Faye.

In the first friendly match between Monaco and Oldenburg, both were determined, as shown by the clear lack of dominance by either side. The cat and mouse went on the entire game, with two of the four quarters ending with both sides scoring the exact same number of points.

It made for a nail-biting but exciting match that saw Monaco only pull slightly ahead in the last quarter. The end score was a slightly too-close-for-comfort 98 to 95.

The second game couldn’t have been played out much more differently. Monaco dominated their German opponent, knocking them off their offensive rhythm.

In the second quarter, the Roca team had a whopping 23-point lead and they simply never let up. By the final quarter it was clearly game over in favour of Monaco, led by Alpha Diallo who picked up 20 points on his own, grabbing seven rebounds. The game ended in a landslide win for Monaco 98 to 79.

This was the most successful match of the pre-season for the Roca team, showing them gelling more and more as team. Now they just need to build on this base to keep them at the top of their game in the highly competitive Euro League matches as well as keeping them on track for Jeep Elite play which restarts in October.

 

 

Monaco Life with AS Monaco Basketball press release, photo by AS Monaco Basketball

 
 

Heavy-hitters in Nice for Transition Forum

by: Stephanie Horsman
20/09/2021

The 4th edition of the Transition Forum is coming to the Palais de la Méditerranée in Nice and is dedicated to fostering cooperative efforts between decision makers and civil society to create eco-friendly solutions for tomorrow.
The Transition Forum will take place on 30th September and 1st October, welcoming innovators, investors, entrepreneurs, researchers and decision makers to meet with members from the business world who are looking to make the transition to more ecological ways of working – from high government officials such as France’s Minister of Economy, Finance and Recovery Bruno Le Maire and Nice Mayor Christian Estrosi, to business leaders like KLM Managing Director Anne Rigail and Deputy Governor of the Banque of France Sylvie Goulard, to members from the scientific and research world including Hervé Le Treut, Climatologist and Research Director at CNRS.
Launched in 2018 by Aqua Asset Management, the Transition Forum is “an exclusive annual gathering of global influencers and change makers in business, government and civil society, investors, startups, top researchers, and scientists who share our vision for a clean and sustainable future.”
This year’s edition, themed Time to Cooperate, is dedicated to the development of new co-operations to accelerate the ecological transition and to enable an effective implementation of the Green Deal.
The event focuses on four topics: mobility, food, housing, and production and consumption.
The mobility part will consider energy and transport alternatives, food takes a look at sustainable farming and reducing natural resource depletion, housing will address the problem of keeping up with infrastructure and basic social needs of an ever-growing world population, and production and consumption is looking at ways to modify the way we produce and consume goods and resources.
“Public-private collaboration is essential to build new economic models compatible with the ecological transition, to support the development of territories and solutions for the protection of the environment,” say the organisers of the event.
Monaco Life is proud to be a media sponsor of the event.
To register, click here: https://transitionforum-2021.vimeet.events/fr/question/209
For more information on the Transition Forum, click here: https://nice.transition-forum.org/
 
 
 

AS Monaco “on the right track”

by: Luke Entwistle
20/09/2021

AS Monaco ground out a well-earned draw in a closely-contested, eerily-quiet local derby against OGC Nice. The match, played behind closed-doors at the Allianz Riviera, lacked the atmosphere that usually accompanies such an occasion, but TV viewers were treated to four goals, which ultimately led to the Riviera rivals sharing the points.
Monaco came into the fixture high on confidence following a successful start to their Europa League campaign, having beaten Sturm Graz on Thursday evening. They came up against an in-form Nice side who are so far unbeaten in Ligue 1 this season, and are yet to even concede.
That quickly changed, as in the 39th minute, Aleksandr Golovin tapped in a perfectly-weighted pass across goal from Gelson Martins, becoming the first player to beat Walter Benitez this season.
Nice came out rejuvenated in the second half and quickly equalised through an unmarked Andy Delort, who headed in at the back post. Nice completed the turnaround in the 73rd minute when Hicham Boudaoui neatly slotted in a cut-back from Delort to make it 2-1.
Nice immediately surrendered their advantage as Caoi Henrique was felled by Nice winger Calvin Stengs within the penalty area. Wissam Ben Yedder blasted home the subsequent penalty to restore parity.
Any hopes of a Monaco victory, or even draw, were seemingly dashed moments later as Nice were awarded a controversial, and arguably generous penalty, when Benoît Badiashile was adjudged to have handled within his own penalty area. Despite the ball having undoubtedly struck the Monaco defender’s arm, there was seemingly little that he could have done to evade the ball which was struck hard, and from close-range, from Delort. Monaco will feel that justice was served moments later as Gouiri blasted wide from the spot, and proceeded to rip his shirt open in frustration at the missed opportunity.
The score therefore remained at 2-2, and that is how the 101st installment of the Cote d’Azur derby ended. Nice will ultimately feel disappointed, having been gifted the opportunity to move up to second place in the Ligue 1 table.
Monaco will be buoyed by a positive performance against a strong Nice side and, in addition to a positive result in midweek, it paints a picture of a team moving in the right direction. Speaking post-match, Monaco manager Nico Kovac was pleased with his side’s performance, saying, “We are progressing little by little. Things were progressing against Sturm Graz, today we had some good moments and some not so good moments. I think we are on the right track.”
AS Monaco come up against Saint-Etienne at the Stade Louis II stadium on Wednesday evening, and Kovac will hope that his side can build on their recent uptick in form.
 
Photo source: AS Monaco 
 
 
 

Italy mandates health pass for all workers

by: Cassandra Tanti
18/09/2021

The Italian government has made it obligatory for all workers to carry a health pass, showing proof of vaccination, a negative test or recent recovery from infection.
The new rules will come into force on 15th October in the latest effort by Prime Minister Mario Draghi’s broad coalition to persuade people to get inoculated.
Any worker who fails to present a valid health certificate will be suspended on no pay, but cannot be sacked, ministers told reporters after the cabinet approved the measures.
People who ignore the decree and go to work regardless will face a fine of between €600 to €1,500, while the sanction for employers will be €400 to €1,000.
“Nothing like this has been done in Europe … we are putting ourselves in the forefront internationally,” said Public Administration Minister Renato Brunetta.
He added that the government expected an “enormous” acceleration of jabs simply by the announcement of the decree, so that much of its desired effect could be achieved before it actually comes into effect in a month’s time.
 
 
 
Monaco Life with Reuters. Photo by Gabriella Clare Marino on Unsplash
 
 
 

Monaco 'gazelles' racing in desert for children’s charity 

by: Stephanie Horsman
17/09/2021

The all-women rally car race Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles du Maroc is featuring two local racers driving their electric car in support of Monaco Liver Disorder association, a charity which raises awareness about children with rare, serious medical conditions.

Monaco’s representatives for the Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles du Maroc, Lise Largilliere and Manal Faxelle, are seriously tough cookies. These local ladies are signed up to drive a Zoe electric car in the 30th edition of the all-female off-road desert race through southern Morocco that brings together women aged 18 to 70 in a gruelling contest where winners are determined not by time, but by plotting the shortest route to the finish.  

The women will put themselves to the test for a good cause, the Monaco Liver Disorder (MLD) association, which supports research to help scientists overcome serious, sometimes fatal diseases, raise awareness about organ donation and to improve paediatric hospital services to better support families of sick children.

The drivers will be raising money for the charity, created in 2011 with Princess Charlene as Honorary President, under their e-car team number 500 in order to renovate the three paediatric departments of Archet II Hospital in Nice. The monumental task will improve the facilities for the hospital’s neonatal department, the neonatal resuscitation department and the paediatric oncohematology department.

The primary focus will be the creation of common rooms for the children in hospital, as well as for parents, the construction of a caregiver’s kitchen and the building of two protected units for the most vulnerable. Additionally, the project will equip a dozen rooms with en-suite facilities and space so that parents can comfortably stay overnight with their children with all possible comforts.

After an official send-off in Nice on Saturday, the cars head to the port city of Sète where they embark on a ship bound for Tanger. Once they arrive, they make their way to Morocco and there are several days of briefs and technical verifications before the race begins in earnest on 23rd September. The race is in six brutal steps, with two marathon sessions, culminating in the final day of the race on Thursday 30th September.

During the final evening, the organisers celebrate all the participants with an evening of food, drinks, fireworks and music.

 
 
Photo source: 2016 Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles du Maroc
 
 
 

Blue Air ends decade-long monopoly

by: Cassandra Tanti
17/09/2021

Nice Côte d’Azur airport has celebrated the inaugural flight of new low-cost airline Blue Air, offering a Nice to London-Heathrow direct link from €30 one way.
Blue Air is a Romanian low-cost airline which has been operating a Nice to Bucharest service at the French Riviera airport.
On Thursday 16th September, the airport celebrated the first flight of Blue Air’s new route – Nice to London/Heathrow, onboard a 189-seat 737-800.
Until 29th October, two flights will be offered weekly on Thursday and Sunday, increasing to four weekly flights from 30th October, with fares starting at €30 one way.
With this London route, Blue Air is now in competition for direct flights with British Airways.
“We are thrilled to launch today this highly demanded service between the two of Blue Air core markets – London – Heathrow and Nice Côte d’Azur, ending a nearly decade of monopoly service and adding greater and more affordable travel options to the market,” said Krassimir Tanev, Blue Air Chief Commercial Officer. “We are happy to bring our outstanding service and low fares to the benefit of our Heathrow customers and we are aiming to develop the route to a daily service in maximum six month period.”
 
 
Photo source: Nice Côte d’Azur airport