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Day: 3 November 2021

“It’s up to us to bounce back”

by: Luke Entwistle
03/11/2021

In a pre-match press conference ahead of Thursday’s home game, ASM’s Nico Kovac has called for a reaction from his players in the crucial Europa League match against PSV.
The ASM manager, ahead of Thursday night’s fixture at the Stade Louis II, recognised the difficulty of the task facing his players, but is nonetheless confident that those on the pitch will show a greater level of intensity than during the defeat to Brest on Sunday. “In the Europa League, we play in a very aggressive way, because motivation is maybe more important. In Ligue 1 we perhaps play a level below.”
Despite Kovac’s concern over his side’s motivation for domestic fixtures, he is confident of being able to achieve a greater consistency across all competitions. “We must maintain our level in both competitions. We continue to work to remedy that. Our results are becoming more consistent.”
Asked what kind of match he expected from a competitive PSV side, who currently sit in second position in the Eredivisie, Kovac confessed, “I expect a strong opposition, an intense match”. Kovac will undoubtedly be hoping that Golovin, in his return from a hip injury, will be fit enough to earn a place in the starting 11, having made a cameo appearance in the second-half of ASM’s disappointing defeat to Stade Brestois. Should Golivn be deemed fit, he will fancy his chances against a porous PSV defence who have conceded seven goals in their last two Eredivisie fixtures.
As well as being buoyed by PSV’s poor defensive record in recent times, ASM will be equally encouraged by the absence of Madueke. The exciting England U21 international’s direct dribbling ability could have caused problems down the right where Caio Henrique has sometimes been found wanting defensively. PSV are also weakened by the absence of experienced World Cup winner Mario Gotze, who has been ruled out of the crucial clash with illness.
Despite their absentees, PSV are far from blunt in attack; one needs only to look at their 5-2 hammering of Eredivisie rivals FC Twente at the weekend to realise their potency in the attacking third. In particular, ASM will be hoping to keep Carlos Vinicuis, whom some may remember from his unspectacular loan spell at the Rouges et Blancs, off the scoresheet after he netted a brace over the weekend. ASM will also be hoping for a subdued performance from Madueke’s replacement on the right-wing, Vertessen, who also netted a brace in their last outing.
Given PSV’s gung-ho, all-or-nothing attacking approach, fans should expect a highly entertaining, end-to-end game. The game kicks off at the Stade Louis II at 18h45.
 
Photo source: AS Monaco Football Club 
 
 
 

Luxury brands on sale at Vintage Salon in Nice

by: Stephanie Horsman
03/11/2021

Combining sustainability and sublime apparel, the Vintage Salon of Nice has everything a fashionista could dream of, including a tribute to the late great Karl Lagerfeld.

“The past has a future.” So say the organisers of the Vintage Salon of Nice who are bringing creations from top designers ranging from the Swinging 1960’s to the Naughty 90’s together for a eco-friendly weekend of glamour and fashion fun at the Nice Acropolis Exhibition centre in November.

Over 150 vintage clothing dealers will be on hand in the 3,500m2 space offering quality pieces, all of which, say organisers, will have been checked for authenticity giving buyers peace of mind that they are getting the real deal. Couple this with the sustainability aspect of buying second-hand, and the show, despite being filled from things from yesterday, is a truly modern event.

For lovers of Chanel and Karl Lagerfeld, a special treat awaits as the salon pays tribute to the designer looking back on the iconic creations of the creator who died more than a year and a half ago: from the first pieces of the ‘Kaiser’ from the house of Chloé in the 70s, to his Chanel years where he knew how to capture the spirit of Gabrielle Chanel.

The organisers are confident that visitors will feel like they are immersed in another era with 80s tunes blasting from the speakers and dealers displaying exquisite vintage pieces from days gone by. This back to the future event will ooze serious cache featuring pieces from Courrèges, Yves Saint Laurent, Chanel, Rolex, Jaeger-LeCoultre, as well as a selection of luxury leather goods and jewellery from Hermès and Louis Vuitton.

Additionally, Laurent Journo, founder of the Vintage Show and buyer for the France 2 television series ‘Affair Concluded’ will be present to advise visitors on their choices and assess their favourite objects.

For those not so keen on clothes and accessories, classic cars and motorbikes will also be exhibited and an arcade with classic pinball machines on display. 

The Vintage Salon runs from 13th to 14th November from 10am to 7pm at the Nice Acropolis Congress and Exhibition Centre. Entry is €6, kids under 8 years old are free. For more info, visit the website at www.salonduvintage.com

 
 
 

Tech investor event to focus on South Korean start-ups

by: Stephanie Horsman
03/11/2021

Vroom Monaco 2021, an exclusive one-day tech investor event, is returning this month and, for this edition, all eyes will be focused on South Korea. 
The Vroom Monaco Summit, an invitation-only fundraising event bringing together select technology companies, tech executives and investors, is taking a closer look at a powerhouse from the east, an underrepresented yet highly interesting market: South Korea.
The Asian nation will be in the spotlight this year, presenting themselves as a centre of technical innovation and business enterprise often overlooked by European investors.
The Korea Institute of Start-up and Entrepreneurship Development (KISED), working with Vroom, will give investors a chance to meet start-ups and trailblazers from the country’s booming tech industry.
Eleven companies have been selected to present: Geo-Line – an E-vehicle charging company, FS Innovation – working in sustainable textile dyes, Video Monster – producing social media videos, Hodoolabs – a game-based learning system designed to teach English, driving test outfit Morai, L-Base lung cancer researchers, Seoul Ventures who tout themselves as the future of e-commerce, Prinker – a temporary tattoo company, UIMD who specialises in blood analysis, DTonic – a big data company dealing in Spatio-temporal big data, and Bitsensing who design and develop cutting edge imaging radar technology.
The event will provide networking opportunities for both investors and companies, opening up business connections to the South Korean market and expanding channels to enable faster market entry options.
The Vroom Summit will be held on Tuesday 16th November at the Monaco Yacht Club on the Quai Louis II. For more information, visit the website at https://vroomsummitsouthkoreaedition.splashthat.com/
 
SEE ALSO:

Vroom presents leading tech start-ups, wows investors and crowds

 
Photo of 2019 edition of Vroom by Monaco Life
 
 

Mask-wearing mandate to continue in Alpes-Maritimes

by: Stephanie Horsman
03/11/2021

The compulsory mask-wearing rule for the Alpes-Maritimes region has been extended in light of a slight increase in Covid cases last week.  

The Prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes has announced that the wearing of face masks in public spaces in all of the region’s municipalities for everyone over 11 years of age will be extended to 16th November.

The original date to lift the regulation was 2nd November, but Prefect Bernard Gonzalez decided to renew the decree upon seeing a small rebound of cases last week, after several weeks of decline.

The most recent health data from Public Health France released on 26th October saw the incidence rate sitting at 62 cases per 100,000 inhabitants and a positivity rate of 1.5% of Covid tests carried out in the department. This number exceeds the alert threshold set out by the authorities of 50 cases per 100,000.

This ruling affects not just the Alpes-Maritimes, but all of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (PACA) region and includes public spaces such as open-air markets, shopping malls, bigger supermarkets and their car parks, urban roads, city centres, establishments that require a health pass, and at events such as sports or concerts.

If there is at least two metres of social distancing space, a mask will not be required to go to beaches, river banks, parks, and natural areas. 

Schools are not exempt, and masks must be worn within 50 metres of all school entrances, five minutes before and five minutes after leaving the establishments, by students, faculty, and parents. This affects all educational institutions from creches to universities.

 
 

Prince Albert: “We are not up to the climate challenge”

by: Stephanie Horsman
03/11/2021

Prince Albert II of Monaco has addressed the COP26 climate summit, saying that the lack of urgency on climate control issues has been a major disappointment. It comes as world leaders pledge to cut methane emissions by 30% by 2030.  
Originally delayed due to the pandemic, the COP26 Climate Change Conference is currently underway in Glasgow. On Tuesday, Monaco’s head of state addressed around 120 assembled world leaders, saying that he regretted the fact that countries have not lived up to the commitments set forth by the Paris Agreement in 2015 and that climate change issues are not being progressed fast enough.
“Having the privilege of being one of the oldest participants in these meetings, and consequently of having the memory of many previous COPs, I remember the observations that we shared there, the promises that we made there, hopes that we raised there,” said the Prince. “However, I see today that we are not living up to these promises and these hopes. We are not up to the commitments made in 2015 in Paris during the COP21. We are not up to the climate challenge.”
Prince Albert added that he had hope in the collective ability to make meaningful change, saying, “Thankfully, there is still time to act. There is still time to limit global warming to 1.5°C, a threshold that the IPCC has shown us is a limit. There is still time to develop another energy model, which is the only way to guarantee our common future.”
Prince Albert used the Monegasque model as an example of how small changes can make big differences, highlighting some of the policies and actions the Principality has enacted including the total electrification of the urban public transport network by 2025, ocean energy heating systems, and solar panel installations. “Monaco is fulfilling its share of this communal fight,” he said.

Prince Albert attending the COP26 summit in Galsgow, photo by Photos Gaetan Luci, Prince’s Palace

The European Union and the United States were joined by more than 80 countries in pledging to cut methane emissions, the most potent greenhouse gas, by 30% by 2030.
It is the most significant achievement made thus far at the summit and will have a powerful short-term effect on global warming.
Until recently, the focus has been on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, but methane (CH4), which has received little attention until recently, is over 80 times stronger than CO2. Sources of methane emissions come from livestock and open pit coal mines.
The United Nations last month said that methane emissions around the planet could be cut by 20% with little to no cost using practices and technologies already available, and another report from earlier this year stated that “available targeted methane measures” could see methane levels lessened by 45% by 2023.
This alone could cut 0.3º C off projected global warming temperatures, reduce air pollution deaths by 250,000 and increase the world’s crop yield by 26 million tonnes, the UN Environment Programme said.
According to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the methane cut would “immediately slow down climate change”, while US President Joe Biden called it a “game-changing commitment.”
Photo by Ivars Utināns

Additionally, over 100 nations have agreed to end deforestation practices by the end of the decade as well. Details on how this will eventuate are few, and environmentalist groups are sceptical about how it will be effectively implemented, but the determination seems sincere with the collective countries making a multi-billion-dollar pledge towards the goal.
A similar vow was made in 2014 in New York, but seven years on, little has been done to stop the progressive destruction of forests. Nearly half the world’s forests have been cut down, and the decimation of the Brazilian Amazon basin continues at an alarming pace under President Jair Bolsonaro.
Despite the challenges, there is hope that this renewed pledge will be different in that it secures the rights of indigenous people and recognises their role as guardians of the forests.
The COP26 summit, which runs from 31st October to 12th November, has brought parties together to accelerate action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.
While world leaders have now left the summit, high-ranking officials are staying on to discuss and debate more detailed actions and commitments to curb climate change.
 
 
Top photo by Gaetan Luci, Prince’s Palace