AS Monaco manager Philippe Clement confirmed on Saturday that a deal has been struck to sign Liverpool forward Takumi Minamino. The Japanese international is set to be the club’s first summer signing.
Having had their wallets lined by the sale of Aurélien Tchouaméni to Real Madrid for what RMC have reported to be a €100 million fee, Monaco have already set about reinforcing their existing squad ahead of the 2022/23 season.
Takumi Minamino was first linked to Monaco in January, and rumours surrounding his arrival at Le Rocher intensified following the sale of Tchouaméni. His imminent transfer was then confirmed on Saturday during an interview with AFP.
He said, “I am very happy. I have known him for a long time. He was very high on our list. Everyone here is convinced that he has the ability to bring something to the group.”
It’s not just Clement who is familiar with the Liverpool player, who joined the Merseyside club for €12.5 from Red Bull Salzburg in 2020. Although at different clubs, Minamino was part of the Red Bull franchise at the same time as AS Monaco sporting director Paul Mitchell was chief scout at German side Red Bull Leipzig.
According to Fabrizio Romano, he will join the Principality club for €15m plus €3m in add-ons. Minamino has reportedly chosen Monaco over Lyon due to his attraction to featuring in the Champions League next season.
The Japanese international, who has 17 goals in 42 appearances for his national side, is in the search for more game time. Since joining over two years ago, Minamino has only made 55 appearances for Liverpool, 34 of those from the bench, and has scored 14 goals.
The deal is yet to be made official by either club, but Minamino’s arrival now looks a question of when and not if, and he will bolster an already loaded attacking force ahead of their attempts to guide the club to the Champions League group stages.
Different year, same result. Lyon-Villeurbanne secured a nail-biting overtime victory against AS Monaco Basketball (84-82) at the Astroballe on Saturday to win their third consecutive French title.
Monaco were within just a second of avenging their 2019 defeat at the hands of Asvel, but despite a tighter series that went right down to the wire, Sasa Obradovic’s men once again fell agonisingly short.
Having gone 2-1 up in the series at the Salle Gaston Médecin last week, the Roca Team were within just one win of dethroning the kings of French basketball. The opportunity was missed last Wednesday, as they were played off the court by Asvel, who started quick out the blocks.
The same happened once again on Saturday, as a packed Astroballe roared on the home side to a 17pt advantage midway through the first-quarter (24-7). Slow starts have been a predictable feature in Monaco’s matches, not just in this series, but over the course of the entire season.
What is less predictable is their ability to fight back. Whereas Monaco had no reply for the irrepressible Asvel attack in mid-week, Obradovic’s men successfully weathered the storm to re-find their attacking fluidity and regain control of the game during the second-quarter.
Their comeback wasn’t bombastic, but incremental gains earned Monaco the right to dream of their first French title. By the fourth-quarter, they were within striking distance. Cometh the hour, cometh the man – back-to-back Mike James three-pointers reversed the deficit and gave his side a four-point lead.
A Dwayne Bacon two-pointer left Monaco on the edge of glory. With an eight-point lead, they only needed to hold out for four minutes to cause the upset and deny Asvel history of becoming only the second French side to win three consecutive league titles.
David Lighty halved the deficit with a three-pointer, but Asvel still had work to do, as Monaco resisted. One play away from the title, Élie Okobo picked the ball up, drove into the key and converted a two-pointer with just 1.8 seconds left in the series to level the scores and take it to overtime.
The momentum was with the home side and Okobo gave them a five-point advantage with just over two minutes to go. But Monaco found a second wind and fought back to retake the lead (80-81) thanks to a James two-pointer with less than a minute to go.
After the third match, Bacon told Monaco Life that “defences win games.” And so it proved. On the counter, Paris Lee charged down the court, and looked certain to give Monaco the advantage once more with just 15 seconds on the clock, but a sublime intervention denied the American.
By the skin of their teeth, Asvel clung on to claim their 21st French championship (84-82), and leave Monaco still searching for their first. “I am sad for the supporters and for Monaco, who have been waiting a long time for it,” said Monaco’s Léo Westermann.
A promising season that saw a European adventure, which defied expectations, and another Betclic Elite final ultimately ended trophyless. But there is an irrepressible feeling that this team are on the right track, and should they channel this year’s disappointment in a positive way next season, they could yet dethrone the French champions. But for now, the chance to pull off that feat feels a long way away.
Photo source: AS Monaco Basketball
Amy Taylor: “This film exposes the truth, but also solutions”
Monaco Life speaks to Amy Taylor, director and producer of the documentary film ‘Milked’, a controversial exposé of the detrimental effects the dairy industry is having on the environment, human health, and animal welfare.
Milked, Directed and Produced by Amy Taylor alongside Executive Producer Suzy Amis Cameron, won Best Documentary at this year’s Monaco Streaming Film Festival Gala. The film includes interviews with world famous Primatologist and Anthropologist Dame Jane Goodall as well as Cowspiracy Co-Director Keegan Kuhn. The project is also supported by Academy Award-winning Director James Cameron who called the film a “powerful wake-up call that the world is getting Milked.”
While the film focuses on the dairy industry in New Zealand, it is also a global story that addresses climate change and sustainable solutions for a better planet. As Amy Taylor told Monaco Life, being the mother of an eight-year-old son, she felt it was important to teach younger generations about eating healthy plant-based food that is ethical and sustainable.
MonacoLife: What inspired you to create the film Milked?
I have a background in marine biology and environmental science, and I shifted into wildlife filmmaking with a focus on whales and dolphins. As I became more aware of the horrific impacts of animal agriculture around the world, I decided to start creating films with a plant-based theme to try and encourage positive change.
I used to take people swimming with whales and dolphins – humpback whales in Tonga and dolphins in New Zealand. I also made a feature documentary about a friendly wild dolphin (Soul in the Sea), which was nominated for a prestigious Jackson Wild award. Somehow, I shifted from filming marine mammals to filming cows.
How is New Zealand positioned compared to other countries with regards to dairy industry greenhouse gas emissions?
We’re quite unique in that the dairy industry creates nearly a quarter of our emissions. But we aren’t the only country with high emissions from animal agriculture – there is an international report called ‘Emissions Impossible’ that shows that the top five meat and dairy companies around the world produce more greenhouse gases than oil and gas companies like BP, Exxon Mobil or Shell.
Milked Presenter and Co-Producer Chris Huriwai, Executive Producer Suzy Amis Cameron, and Director and Producer Amy Taylor
How did people in New Zealand react to your film and what has been their response?
It’s mostly been very positive, especially from people who have actually seen it instead of judging it without watching. We had screenings around the country as part of the New Zealand International Film Festival, and Milked was the most popular local film.
What do you hope to achieve from your film?
I hope that people will make the decision to at least go a little bit more plant-based. And I also would love to see governments helping farmers transition out of animal agriculture. That’s what needs to happen, and because there’s a huge agricultural disruption on the way, we need to help them out sooner rather than later.
How did you get Suzy Amis Cameron involved in this film project?
I was aware that Suzy and James Cameron had bought a dairy farm in New Zealand, and they were transitioning into growing organic vegetables. So, I contacted Suzy and asked for an interview and was lucky that she accepted. When she saw a rough cut of the film she was hooked and decided to come on board as executive producer. They both love the fact that, as well as being an authentic story that exposes the truth, it’s also solution-focused.
What needs to happen next?
People around the world need to shift towards a plant-based diet, and we need to support farmers to transition to regenerative plan-based agriculture. We can then rewild some of the freed-up land which would help with the climate and biodiversity crisis we currently have. People would be a lot healthier (especially eating a wholefood plant-based diet), and animals and the planet would benefit hugely also.
You must be proud to have won the Best Documentary award at this year’s Monaco Streaming Film Festival. Can you tell me your thoughts about the festival?
I’m so grateful to receive the award and to have been part of the festival, it was a fantastic event run by some incredible people.
How long have you been eating plant-based?
I’ve been plant-based for around 30 years, long before it was even called plant-based.
What inspired you to stop eating meat and dairy?
Originally, it was for ethical reasons and then I discovered the environmental and health impacts. So, it’s a combination of all of those things that make it easy for me not to want to consume animal products.
It’s always interesting to hear how vegan adults get children involved in eating plant-based. Can you tell us if and how you are raising your son on a plant-based diet?
He is plant-based and he’s chosen that himself to some extent – he basically decided to consume no animal products at the age of four (he had previously eaten eggs and fish occasionally). I tried to lead by example, but I didn’t want to be too staunch with it, knowing that it would be better for him to choose that himself if I provided the information and delicious plant-based food.
A scene from Milked
What’s a good way for teenagers to discover plant-based diets and incorporate that into their way of eating?
I think watching documentaries like The Game Changers is a great way for teenagers to learn about the benefits of a plant-based diet. It’s really about watching anything that inspires you to make that change, I think that’s really key. It’s not actually hard to make the change but you need to know your ‘why?’. The other films I would recommend on Netflix are Cowspiracy and What the Health. I’d also suggest reading books like Suzy’s OMD book. It’s easy to just switch out one meal a day to start with if people find it daunting to go 100% straight away.
What is your next film and when can we expect to see it?
I’m developing a documentary at the moment about a dairy farm transitioning out of dairy; it seems like a natural sequel to Milked and is much needed also. There are some great people involved and I’m excited about the “how-to” nature of the story. It’s still early days so I’m not sure when that will be out in the world yet.
A national tribute was made on Friday to Sergeant Thierry Pérard, the brave firefighter who tragically lost his life in an apartment blaze on Avenue Princesse Grace on 19th June. “We miss him already”, said Fire Chief Maxime Yvrard at the emotional ceremony.
It was an emotional day, but one also filled with celebration of the life of a man well-loved by family and friends and well-respected by his team.
Firefighter Thierry Pérard, aged 51, died in the line of duty on Father’s Day, as a fire raged at 21 Avenue Princesse Grace on 19th June.
“Two occupants are trapped,” said Fire Chief Lieutenant-Colonel Maxime Yvrard during the eulogy for his fallen co-worker. “The rescues are ordered. Sergeant Pérard engages, listening only to his courage and this despite the extreme danger. Two people will be saved. He will not come out.”
According to a report by Monaco Matin, fellow firefighters in dress uniform, alongside family, friends, and the civil, religious and military authorities of Monaco, gathered to pay tribute to this brave man.
“You, family and friends. We, brothers in arms. We have just lost too soon, too violently, a loved one. Unquestionably, we will miss him. We miss him already,” the Fire Chief reportedly said.
Photo by Manuel Vitali, Government Communication Department
The Chief went on to speak about Pérard the man, a native of the Rhône Valley, who saw first-hand the difference firefighters make watching his father go out on calls as a volunteer fireman. He started with the fire brigade in 1985 in Saint-Martin-de-Crau before joining the French Navy to do his military service as a marine firefighter based in Brest. In 1995, he made the move to Monaco and quickly became a standout. “As soon as he joined Monaco, he quickly distinguished himself by his excellent results, his desire to serve, his desire to succeed,” said the Fire Chief of Pérard’s work ethics.
He rose through the ranks and “showed us great human qualities and an extraordinary sense of duty. He was a man of action, thoughtful, reassuring in all circumstances and calm in the face of danger, which characterizes experienced firefighters.”
Pérard was awarded for his interventions in other violent apartment fires around the Principality. In May 2012, for example, at 20 Boulevard d’Italie, then at 56 Avenue du Trois-Septembre in Cap-d’Ail in December 2016, he went above and beyond showing how seriously he took the job. “His life was to give himself for others, to give himself to help, rescue and serve, to give of himself out of love for his family, for his daughter Mathilde.”
The Chief ended by addressing his men saying, “At each intervention, you will remember and bring to life the courage of this fire fighter for whom only the mission counted. His last exemplary commitment, which led him to leave his life for others, will remain engraved in the memories of the Corps and obliges us to remain ever more faithful to it.”
Unable to attend the ceremony because of prior commitments confirmed in Norway, Prince Albert was represented by his sister, Caroline, Princess of Hanover. In a statement released by the Palace on Friday it was revealed that Sergeant Thierry Perard will be posthumously risen to the rank of staff-sergent and appointed Chevalier in the Order of Saint-Charles.
Photo by Manuel Vitali, Government Communication Department
The scientific conclusions that came out of Monaco’s first polar symposium in February are being presented to polar scientists and advocates at the UN Ocean Conference in Lisbon, where Prince Albert II of Monaco and his Foundation are calling for immediate action to preserve our poles and our planet.
The Ocean Conference kicked off on Monday 27th June, co-hosted by the governments of Kenya and Portugal. Taking place in Lisbon, the United Nations-led conference comes at a critical time as the world is seeking to address many of the deep-rooted problems of the world’s societies laid bare by the Covid-19 pandemic. To mobilise action, the conference aims to propel much needed science-based innovative solutions to start a new chapter of global ocean action.
Some of those solutions were identified in late February when the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation co-organised its first scientific symposium on polar change, titled ‘The cold is getting hot! Polar symposium: from the Artic to Antarctic’, in partnership with the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR), the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC), the Oceanographic Institute of Monaco, and the Prince Albert I of Monaco foundation. More than a hundred leading scientists convened at the Oceanographic Museum in Monaco to discuss polar changes, impacts on people and the economy, governance and solutions.
The symposium highlighted the undeniable scientific facts that poles are warming two to three times quicker than the rest of the world, and that ice in the Arctic is being lost at a pace of 13% per decade. It means that an ice-free Arctic ocean summer could be seen as early as 2030.
Additionally, the Thwaites glacier, a critical hot spot in the Antarctic, is rapidly retreating and may be at a tipping point – a point beyond which effects are amplified and change is irreversible.
The symposium also emphasised that a 35cm sea level rise by 2050 is already locked in, even if CO2 emissions are brought to zero today.
But while some of this future change is inevitable, due to past and current emissions, experts say we can still halt some of the adverse impacts, adapt to the change and preserve key functions of the ecosystems, even if the window to act is quickly closing.
The ‘The cold is getting hot! Polar symposium: from the Artic to Antarctic’, photo source: Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation
The overarching theme of this week’s Ocean Conference is ‘Scaling up ocean action based on science and innovation for the implementation of Goal 14: stocktaking, partnerships and solutions’.
For participants of the Monaco symposium, that means addressing climate change as a matter of urgency – rapidly reducing carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions and keeping warming well below 2°C as per the Paris Agreement. This will, say experts, help prevent the worst effects in the poles and the catalytic effects throughout the world in terms of sea level rise, disruption of ocean and atmospheric currents, and increased warming.
They are also calling for a “critical” increase in investment in polar research, encouraging cross-sector science-society-industry collaboration; building on success stories and lessons learned from flagship projects such as MOSAIC and EPICA; and recognising that Indigenous peoples and traditional knowledge have a crucial part to play. “Urgent research also needs to prioritise a better understanding of ocean-ice interactions and ocean heat absorption,” experts say in the report.
Among the other conclusions of the symposium are creating new marine protected areas to provide the space and time necessary to discover and protect polar life before it is lost and strengthen resilience in the face of accelerating climate change; greater sharing and joint work between the Arctic and the Antarctic science communities; and giving the polar regions a bigger voice so that it becomes a focus during international conferences but also in the media.
During a UN Ocean Conference side event on Tuesday 24th June, Monaco’s Polar Initiative will gather around Prince Albert polar scientists and advocates for a discussion on ‘Polar oceans, the engine of the global ocean’, and ‘Voices for the poles – bringing the issues to the wider public’.
People are invited to watch the live stream of the UN Ocean Conference by clicking here: https://media.un.org/en/webtv
Stars’n’Bars co-proprietor Kate Powers, who sadly passed away from cancer last August, is being immortalised through the efforts of the Kate Powers Foundation, which is being “created to carry on Kate’s purpose”, namely community service and environmental issues.
Monaco lost a bright light last year with the passing of long-time resident and Stars’n’Bars co-owner Kate Powers. In honour of her service to the community and to her general sense of fun, her friends and family have formed the Kate Powers Foundation, and will be launching it with a special event on 16th July, her birthday, at Stars’n’Bars from 4pm to 10pm.
The Foundation’s inaugural event will be a fund raiser for her two favourite causes, the environment and community wellbeing, and will feature a bouncy castle, face painting, a dunk tank, a silent disco, a three-legged race, a wellness corner, a sound bath, music and a special tombola.
Kate was American-born but lived most of her life in Monaco. Her mother, Jeanne Kelly, was a great friend of Princess Grace, prompting the move to the Principality in the late 1950s. In the 1980s, she and her brother Mike opened Le Texan restaurant followed later by Stars’n’Bars. She was granted citizenship to Monaco in 2009 for her dedication and contributions to the country.
Kate loved her American roots and celebrated 4th July, American Independence Day, each year with a big bash at the restaurant. This year, that tradition will be carried on with a BBQ Mixed Grill party, featuring American picnic favourites such as burgers, pulled pork, coleslaw and corn on the cob, as well as music and dance.
For a bit of Americana outside the Principality, Villefranche-sur-Mer is also hosting a 4th July celebration featuring a 1940s theme replete with army jeeps and pin-up girls, culminating in a So Nice Pin-Up Show and the naming of Miss Pin-Up Villefranche. There will be music and dancing to the beats of Boogie Cherry. The fun runs from 2:30pm to 11pm.
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