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Month: March 2022

Reigning champions can’t breach Monaco’s home fortress

by: Luke Entwistle
12/03/2022

Turkish side Anadolu Efes are the latest team to come away from the Principality short-changed, as the Roca Team produced some season’s best basketball to secure a huge win (102-80).

3,400 packed into the Salle Gaston Medecin on Friday to witness what French player Yakuba Outtara described as their “best match of the season”. The result leaves AS Monaco Basketball on the brink of the play-offs in ninth, with just four games remaining in the European season.

If they are to make those play-offs, this is the model performance which they must emulate over the coming weeks. Winning every quarter, Monaco took the reins of this crunch clash and didn’t let go, exorcising those game-management demons that have haunted them for large parts of the season.

The match began with an exhibition of outside-of-the-key scoring as over 46% (12/26) of both side’s three-point attempts found the hoop. The Roca Team advantage was constructed through some aggressive defending, which allowed for a handful of easy counter 2-pointers, as Anadolu failed to reach the 20-point mark in either of the opening two quarters.

This was also a match in which every single Monaco player chipped in with points, leading Alpha Diallo to telling Monaco Life that, “It was a really good game for us collectively. It felt like everything was clicking.”

Diallo’s points-haul was significant in itself and is another sign of a player that is growing in confidence on this run-in. “I feel like I’m improving game-by-game, and the more I’m on the court, the more confident I feel.”

The star performer, however, was undoubtedly point-guard Mike James who was the source of 27 points on the night, including nine in just three minutes during a third-quarter blitz. Should the American maintain this current form, he could be pivotal in deciding the Roca Team’s fate.

Monaco continued to dominate in the second-half and further extended their lead, eventually breaching that 100-point mark whilst leaving the Turkish side trailing in their wake. A 22-point gap by the final buzzer was a fair reflection of the home side’s dominance (102-80).

Post-match, coach Sasa Obradovic was emphatic in his positive appraisal of his side’s performance. “Quite simply, it was our best match. We had good cohesion and I didn’t believe we could get back the goal average before the meeting.”

The side’s thoughts now turn to maintaining this level. Diallo told Monaco Life that the team’s objective remains unchanged. “The top eight has always been the goal, and we’re going to keep fighting for it.” If not for the voiding of the games against Russian opposition, the Roca Team would have already pierced into those play-off spots, but Diallo isn’t focusing on what could have been. “It’s a tough situation, but we’ll take whatever comes. We’ll just play the games we have to play.”

For now, attention returns to the domestic division with three ties in succession before the next Euroleague fixture. The Roca Team hosts Roanne on Sunday and Strasbourg on Wednesday, before a trip to Paris next weekend.

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Photo by Luke Entwistle, Monaco Life

 

 

 

Government reveals new mental health plan  

by: Stephanie Horsman
11/03/2022

Monaco’s Minister of Social Affairs and Health, Didier Gamerdinger, has unveiled the governments new five-year mental health agenda, a plan that will encompass 53 specific actions and lead to new recruitments, premises, and equipment.

The plan, revealed in early March, covers three themes: the promotion of mental well-being, the guarantee of coordinated care avenues, and the reintegration of people into society who are recovering from mental illness, be it short or long-term.

The focus is on mental health, psychological balance and well-being. Running five-years from 2022 to 2027, it will encompass 53 points of action all subdivided under the three themes.

“It is a written mental health plan, but what is important to me is what is written below – psychological balance and well-being, because mental health is already a bit stigmatising,” said Didier Gamerdinger. “Our society must make it imperative to pay attention to all of its members and, above all, to the needs of the most fragile.”

He went on to remind people of the importance of keeping an eye on their neighbour, saying it was “the duty to be attentive to these situations of ill-being, to detect them, take charge of and participate in the reintegration of patients without judgement.”

Alexandre Bordero, director of Action Sanitaire, Virginie Van Klaveren, principal administrator within Action Sanitaire, and Dr. Valérie Aubin, head of the psychiatry department of the CHPG, joined the minister for the announcement.

“This plan symbolises a commitment from the government and will require major resources: recruitment of 20 to 25 caregivers, premises, and equipment,” said Dr. Aubin. “We will obviously prioritise these needs in the years to come and I hope that we will be supported by the entire government so that this does not remain a list of pious wishes, but so that we can carry out these essential actions.”

Much is already in place to turn the plan into a reality.

“In terms of care, we have an extremely efficient hospital and extra-hospital system that takes care of more than 500 patients a year,” Dr Aubin went on to explain. “We have 56 hospital beds, with an occupancy rate between 90 and 95%, apart from the last two Covid years which have disrupted society as a whole.

“There is also the extra-hospital unit, La Roseraie, which only takes care of residents of the Principality, with 150 chronic patients under 60 and around 100 over 60. The psychiatric and psychological problem also exists in Monaco, and it is extremely present.”

However, the specialist recognises that improvements are possible in “long-term care and reintegration”.

The plan addresses some things that had been parked for one reason or another for years, such as the creation of an addiction care liaison team, in the hopper since 2012 and finally being realised. This has been fast tracked after the release of a report by ESHAD, listing addictive behaviours in secondary school students in the Principality.

“We have made progress in terms of binge drinking and tobacco consumption, on the other hand, we remain among the biggest consumers of alcohol, cannabis, first in the use of electronic cigarettes, and among the highest users of social networks and money betting,” Princess Grace Hospital’s Head of Psychology declared.

When the pandemic struck a year later, a whole raft of new conditions came to the forefront.

“We are seeing an explosion of anxiety disorders, depression, excessive use of social networks, and great difficulty in limiting access to screens. At the CHPG, with regard to the team in charge of adolescents, activity doubled between 2020 and 2021.”

Mental illness affects roughly 20% of the global population, and 60% of mental disorders begin before the age of 21, so attention to children’s health care is seen to be a priority.

To that end, a child psychiatry day centre in Beausoleil is due to open soon. This Franco-Monegasque project provides for 35 places for long term care, including 17 reserved for children residing or attending school in the Principality.

Additionally, amongst the flagship actions are the development of the expert-patient, defined as people living with a long-term health condition who take more control over their health by understanding and managing their conditions, leading to an improved quality of life. Becoming an expert-patient is thought to be empowering for people with chronic conditions.

 

 

Photo by Michael Alessi, Government Communication Department

 

 

 

 

Monaco part of landmark anti plastic pollution resolution

by: Stephanie Horsman
11/03/2022

Monaco is one of 70 nations to agree on forming an international legally binding agreement to end plastic pollution by 2024, decided at a recent United Nations Environment Assembly.

Plastic pollution is a global problem. It affects every living creature on the planet, infiltrating food chains, leading to groundwater contamination, contributing to global warming, killing animals and blighting the landscape.

Though everyone knows it is a catastrophe waiting to happen, the world continues to churn out plastics at an alarming rate. Recent reports state that plastic production has increased exponentially in the past few decades, reaching an astonishing 400 million tonnes per year. This figure is expected to double by 2040.

The 5th United Nations Environment Assembly, which ran from 28th February to 2nd March in Nairobi, brought together 193 UN member states, civil society, business leaders and other interested parties to create new policies to address this most pressing of environmental challenges under the theme ‘Strengthening Actions for nature to Achieve Sustainable Development Goals’.

A delegation from Monaco led by Professor Alain Piquemal, Permanent Representative of Monaco to the United Nations Environment Programme, took part where more than 70 nations, the Principality amongst them, formulated a goal of putting an end to plastic pollution by 2024 through an international agreement.

The resolution, based on three initial draft resolutions from various nations, establishes an Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC), which will begin its work in 2022, with the ambition of completing a draft global legally binding agreement by the end of 2024.

The agreement would reflect diverse alternatives to address the full lifecycle of plastics, the design of reusable and recyclable products and materials, and the need for enhanced international collaboration to facilitate access to technology, capacity building and scientific and technical cooperation, and is considered to be the most important multilateral agreement on the environment since the Paris Agreement on climate. 

A highlight of the summit was the start of a new intergovernmental science-policy group that will be set up to contribute to the rational management of chemicals and waste in order to reduce pollutants.

 

 

Photo of Nicaragua by Hermes Rivera on Unsplash

 

 

 

CHPG makes history in joining responsible food programme

by: Stephanie Horsman
11/03/2022

The Princess Grace Hospital has become a member of the Mon Restau Responsable team, dedicating itself to serving local and seasonal products and reducing food waste.

Mon Restau Responsible, My Responsible Restaurant in English, is a free tool used by nearly 1,700 participating restaurants whose aim is to offer patrons healthy, quality and environmentally friendly cuisine.

Engaged by hospitals, schools, companies and retirement homes, Mon Restau Responsable is leading the way in supporting ecological food transitions in these facility’s catering establishments.

The Princess Grace Hospital Centre (CHPG) was the latest to become a part of the movement on 3rd March, through the support of the Department of the Environment. By becoming a member of the network, the hospital’s hope is to promote its best practices and define new areas for improvement.

Committed to a sustainable development approach for more than a decade, the Princess Grace Hospital has already implemented several actions, particularly within their catering department. The efforts carried out relate, among other things, to the choice of local and seasonal products and the sorting and reduction of waste.

In June, the hospital will take part in a public commitment session, officially marking its entry into the method. This will make it the first establishment in the Principality, and the first hospital in the PACA region, to obtain the participatory stamp.

 

 

Photo by Michael Alesi, Government Communications Department

 

 

 

Belarus in line of fire, Russia condemned for bombing children’s hospital

by: Stephanie Horsman
11/03/2022

The European Commission is slapping a raft of sanctions on Russian ally Belarus, as well as publicly condemning the Russians for what appears to have been a deliberate attack on a children’s and maternity hospital in Mariupol on Thursday.

Hopes of a quick resolution to the conflict in Ukraine are slipping away with each passing day.

The Russian attack on civilians and infrastructure hit an ugly milestone Thursday when they bombed a children’s and maternity hospital in the besieged south-eastern border city of Mariupol, injuring 17 people, including children and heavily pregnant women, and killing three.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has called it the “ultimate evidence of genocide” and “beyond atrocity” in an address, sharing footage of the attack online where the hospital’s windows are being blown out and part of the building collapses.

The European Commission came out with strong words condemning the attacks, saying in a statement on 10th March, “We remind Russia that even wars have rules, and these rules are not optional. Stop targeting civilians. Stop targeting their infrastructure. Stop bombing schools and childcare facilities. Children should not pay for this war with their lives. International humanitarian law must be upheld, the universal rights of the child be respected and safeguarded.”

The EC went on to demand that “Genuine humanitarian corridors must be established to evacuate the most vulnerable, including children trapped in the besieged cities.”

The children’s hospital in Mariupol is not the only one that has been targeted, with reports that two more, one for children in Zhytomyr, west of Kyiv, had windows blown out by airstrikes on Wednesday. The World health Organisation has said there have been a total of 24 verified attacks on medical facilities in Ukraine so far.

Meanwhile, the EC has turned its attention to the alliance between the Russian Federation and Belarus, adopting sanctions not unlike those imposed on the Russians.

Banking has been hit, as SWIFT prohibitions have been set up and an expansion of other financial restrictions have been put in place such as forbidding transactions with the Central Bank of Belarus related to management of asset reserves, prohibiting the listing and provision of services in relation to shares of Belarus state-owned entities on EU trading venues as of 12th April, significantly limiting the financial inflows from Belarus to the EU by prohibiting the acceptance of deposits exceeding €100,000 from Belarusian nationals or residents, holding the accounts of Belarusian clients by the EU central securities depositories, as well as the selling of euro-denominated securities to Belarusian clients, and prohibiting the provision of euro denominated banknotes to Belarus.

Russian restrictions were also expanded with new restrictions on the export of maritime navigation and radio communication technology, adding Russian Maritime Register of Shipping to the list of state-owned enterprises subject to financing limitations and introducing a prior information sharing provision for exports of maritime safety equipment.

In addition, it also extends the exemption relating to the acceptance of deposits exceeding €100,000 in EU banks to Swiss and EEA nationals.

Finally, the European Commission confirmed the “common understanding that loans and credit can be provided by any means, including crypto assets, as well as further clarified the notion of ‘transferable securities’, to clearly include crypto-assets, and thus ensure the proper implementation of the restrictions in place.”

An additional 160 individuals have been placed on the black list, including 14 oligarchs and businesspeople and146 members of the Russian Federation Council, bringing the total number of people sanctioned to 862 as well as 53 entities.

 

 

 

 

Monaco’s Europa League progression hanging by a thread

by: Luke Entwistle
11/03/2022

A largely dominant AS Monaco performance was bookended by two harsh blows as Braga took the upper-hand in the Europa League tie on which the hopes of Philippe Clement side’s season rest (2-0).

In spite of the trip to Portugal, Le Rocher side found themselves in familiar surroundings on Thursday, the Estadio Municipal de Braga set against a dramatic cliff face, much like the Principality’s surrounding scenery.

An all too familiar narrative played out on the field as well, as Monaco failed to construct momentum and build upon Sunday’s strong showing against Marseille. It has been a largely stop-start season for Monaco as, under Clement and ex-coach Niko Kovac, they have failed to find consistency.

All is not lost however, and if this Monaco season has taught us anything, it is that they are capable of pulling out big performances against the big sides. They will need to next Thursday if they are to overturn the two goal deficit and continue their European adventure.

Out of the Coupe de France and with the prospect of Champions League qualification a distant possibility, the hopes of Monaco’s season seemingly rest on a decisive week of football in which they face Strasbourg, Braga and PSG.

Post-match, Clement said that he believed his players “became nervous”. Few on the field had a shakier start than Alexander Nubel. A nervy save from a Braga corner kick parried the ball back into the danger area, and although Monaco eventually cleared, the ball came straight back. Abel Ruiz kept his composure to slot past Nubel after the ball had fallen at his feet thanks to an Axel Disasi deflection.

Another nervy moment from the German keeper almost allowed the Portuguese side to double the lead, as he made a meal of a relatively simple save, and he was thankful for the post which spared his blushes.

Monaco, having gone a goal behind early, did however largely dominate proceedings and had chances of their own. The Principality side’s recent nemesis, the offside flag, saved Braga on two occasions as smart finishes by Gelson Martins and Wissam Ben Yedder were correctly – but cruelly – ruled out for very marginal offsides.

Monaco’s dominance continued throughout the second-half, although clear-cut chances were very much at a premium. In fitting with how the match had gone for Monaco, there was to be one final cruel turn as Braga, who hadn’t troubled the Monaco goal all half, grabbed a late second.

Fabiano’s cross was turned in by Vitor Oliveira, to seal the victory (2-0), and leave Monaco tinkering on the edge of exiting the competition.

Monaco now have a quick turnaround to prepare for another crucial clash against Strasbourg on Sunday, but Clement believes the lack of preparation time may be a positive. “After a defeat, it’s always better to play again quickly, to prevent doubts.”

He added, “We need to bounce back quickly at Strasbourg and take points down there before really preparing for the return leg.” Failure to do so will leave Monaco with little to play for in the all important run-in between now and May.

 

 

Photo source: AS Monaco