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Month: February 2023

Monaco beat Dominican Republic in Davis Cup

by: Luke Entwistle
05/02/2023

The Monaco Davis Cup team lost just one set on their way to an imperious 4-0 victory against the Dominican Republic at the Monte-Carlo Country Club (MCCC) over the weekend.

The Principality’s tennis players were fighting to remain in the Davis Cup group two following their narrow defeat to Lebanon back in September. However, despite a mild scare in Valentin Vacherot’s opener, Monaco were untroubled by their Caribbean opponents, who couldn’t muster a win across the three ties.

Vacherot sets the tone

The Dominican Republic got closest to Monaco in the first match between Vacherot and Roberto Cid Subervi. Both players were strong on their serve in the opening game until the sixth game, where Vacherot had three chances to break, taking the last of his opportunities.

However, Vacherot lacked the killer touch, and despite winning the first set, couldn’t take his chances in the second. Instead, it was Cis Subervi who broke the Monégasque towards the end of the set to forge a path back into the match.

Photo of Valentin Vacherot by Monaco Life

In such moments, the home-court advantage comes into play. “When the game starts to get away from you, having the public here is great. I think they are a big reason behind my win today, and I thank them for being here,” Vacherot told Monaco Life. 

With the help of the crowd, and his vocal teammates, who roused the stands of the MCCC through their mega speaker, Vacherot overcame the nerves, reversed the trend and won the set, after breaking his Dominican opponent in the fifth game.

“Winning the first game certainly gives us the momentum. In just four matches, they now need to win three,” Vacherot told Monaco Life post-match.

Irreversible momentum

Monaco’s momentum was not halted. Lucas Catarina wrapped up the second game in straight sets  (6-3, 6-4) against Nick Hardt to give the Principality a comfortable cushion heading into Sunday.

The objective of remaining the Davis Cup Group two was achieved early on Sunday. Romain Arneodo and Hugo Nys, off the back of his defeat in the Australian Open final, made light work of Hardt and Cid Subervi (7-6, 6-3) to seal the result. Vacherot, in his second match, and ultimately a dead rubber, completed the rout in three sets (6-7, 6-4, 10-8) in the fourth and final match of the one-sided tie.

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Photo by Monaco Life

 

New restaurant to open in Monaco: Les Ambassadeurs by Christophe Cussac

by: Cassandra Tanti
05/02/2023

The Hôtel Metropole Monte-Carlo will this spring unveil a new fine dining restaurant headed by its Michelin starred chef. It will be called Les Ambassadeurs by Christophe Cussac, in homage to the hotel’s rich past.

The 137-year-old Hôtel Metropole Monte-Carlo is in the midst of its biggest renovation to date. Every corner of this iconic institution is getting a revamp, including its kitchens – which have already completed, and its trademark fine dining restaurant, which is soon to be completed.

The hotel opened in 1886 and, with its palace façade in the flamboyant neoclassical style typical of the Belle Epoque, the Metropole Monte-Carlo quickly became a favourite among international visitors to the Principality.

In the 1920’s, the hotel opened Les Ambassadeurs, a French gastronomic restaurant serving the who’s-who of aristocracy, diplomacy, royalty and celebrity the world over. It was also a hit with the local Monegasque clientele.

It is a story that inspired Executive Chef Christophe Cussac to pay homage to this bygone era, in the naming of his new restaurant. The chef, who has been awarded numerous Michelin stars throughout his career, will offer a gourmet contemporary Mediterranean cuisine, inspired by his own gastronomic heritage, called Les Ambassadeurs by Christophe Cussac.

Rendering of the new Les Ambassadeurs by Christophe Cussac

Cussac comes from a family of restaurateurs. His grandmother ran an establishment in an 11th century abbey, which was transformed by his father into a Relais Châteaux and gained a Michelin star. Working with legendary Chef Joël Robuchon, whom he considers his “spiritual father”, Cussac has headed many gastronomic restaurants in France, before running the kitchens of the two-starred Joël Robuchon restaurant in Monaco. Now, he is responsible for all of the Hôtel Metropole Monte-Carlo’s restaurants: Yoshi, the only Japanese restaurant on the Riviera to have a Michelin star, Odyssey, a poolside restaurant designed by Karl Lagerfeld, and the Lobby Bar, popular among locals and guests of the hotel.

The new restaurant, Les Ambassadeurs by Christope Cussac, will be an elegant, warm and welcoming space designed by Jacques Garcia, in the same ambience as the hotel itself. Garcia is also charged with renewing 125 rooms and suites, a major task that will require the hotel to suspend its accommodation offerings for eight months from this September.

The good news is that this new restaurant, Les Ambassadeurs by Christope Cussac, and all the hotel’s restaurants, will remain open throughout the final stages of renovation, much to the delight of locals and visitors who have come to expect nothing less than perfection from Chef Christophe Cussac and his team.

SEE ALSO:

The story behind the closure of the Hôtel Métropole

Monaco Experiences: Spa Metropole by Givenchy

 

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Photo: Chef Christophe Cussac, credit: Aline Gerard

 

 

Monaco establishes financial crime task force in wake of Moneyval report

by: Elsa Carpenter
05/02/2023
financial crime in monaco

As promised, Monaco has created a new task force in an effort to “step up” financial crime investigations just weeks after a Moneyval assessment called upon the Principality to “intensify efforts”.

After the Council of Europe’s anti-money-laundering body Moneyval encouraged Monaco to “further strengthen measures to combat money laundering and financing of terrorism, in particular when it comes to investigating and prosecuting money laundering, confiscating and recovering proceeds of crime as well as strengthening its supervisory system”, as reported by Monaco Life, the Principality has responded with the founding of a new supervisory committee that will oversee the implementation of Moneyval’s advice.

The concept of such a committee has been in the works since December 2021, but it was formally acted upon on 1st February of this year with the signing of the Sovereign Ordinance No. 9.729.

How will the new committee target financial crime in Monaco?

The committee’s primary mission is to “serve as a coordination and monitoring mechanism for all matters relating to the fight against money laundering, the fight against the financing of terrorism and the fight against the financing of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction”.

In an effort to target the areas in which Moneyval viewed Monaco as underperforming, the committee will also:

  • Develop and monitor the implementation of a national strategy and action plan to combat the crimes listed;
  • Request, collect and analyse statistics and all relevant information from the competent authorities to continuously assess the effectiveness of the Principality’s financial crime system;
  • Study international treaties and conventions on combating the afore mentioned crimes, and make recommendations to the government regarding their signature and ratification;
  • Coordinate with the Advisory Committee on the Freezing of Funds and Economic Resources, which is responsible for the implementation of economic sanctions decreed by the United Nations, the European Union and the French Republic, and implement such sanctions;
  • And submit an Annual Activity Report on financial crime in Monaco to the government and the Directorate of Judicial Services.

While all seems to be moving in a positive – and promising – direction, the speed at which the Monegasque government has acted on the recommendations set out by Moneyval and its near-overnight creation of the new committee has come as a surprise for some.

National Council reacts

The National Council has responded with “astonishment” in a communiqué released on 3rd February, in which it lamented the government’s alleged failure to “sufficiently inform” the council of the developments. The council has also bemoaned the decision not to include it within the first tier of influence, or First College, of the new structure. The National Council sits in the Second College alongside Monaco’s Order of Chartered Accountants, Association of Financial Activities, Real Estate Board, Chamber of Watchmaking and Jewellery, and other similar “professional organisations”.

Despite its displeasure with the ranking, the National Council has affirmed its dedication to the committee’s overall mission of fighting financial crime in Monaco, saying it “intends to play its full role within the framework of working towards the Moneyval recommendations”.

 

READ MORE:

Monaco to “step up” financial crime action after damning Moneyval report

 

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Photo source: Mihxi Ax for Unsplash

Another cold snap is heading to the Mediterranean

by: Cassandra Tanti
04/02/2023

Temperatures are set to drop significantly again from Monday in the French Riviera and Monaco with snow expected to fall at low altitude.

According to Météo France, a cold high-altitude air will glide along the eastern borders from Sunday 5th to Monday 6th February, positioning itself on the south-east and bringing rain to the Mediterranean rim. Snow is expected at very low altitude in the Provence Alpes Côte d’Azur region in the morning, then between Hérault and Pyrenees later in the day. Temperatures are dropping to below seasonal averages.

Cold and dry weather ahead

Conditions will remain very wintery for the rest of the week, with sub-zero lows expected over much of the country. But, overall, the weather will be sunny with cloud developing later in the week in the Mediterranean, where some rain is possible.

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Photo by Monaco Life

PODCAST: This Week in Monaco 4th February

by: Cassandra Tanti
04/02/2023

Listen to ‘This Week in Monaco’, our new Podcast where we talk to the journalists behind the biggest headlines of the week.

This week, we talk Monaco’s record property prices, the best places to brunch, new tax form for home owners, hot new exhibitions in Monaco, grand slam debut for Monaco’s Huge Nys, and the ASM transfer window slams shut

 

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Roca Team run Real Madrid close in Euroleague

by: Luke Entwistle
04/02/2023

AS Monaco Basketball suffered an agonising narrow defeat against Euroleague giants Real Madrid (91-95) on Friday, but maintain their position in the playoff places. 

The Salle Gaston Médecin was packed to the brim like never before for the arrival of the European giants to witness what Roca Team coach Sasa Obradovic said: “couldn’t be a better advertisement for basketball.” 

A game full of tension, drama and personal and collective brilliance reached its climax with 30 seconds on the clock. When Mike James, who usually assumes the mantle of responsibility, received the ball in space on the edge of the key. Uncharacteristically, however, the American point guard, to the surprise of the crowd, as well as Jaron Blossomgame, opted to pass rather than take the T3 shot that could have ensured the victory. James’ compatriot, not anticipating the pass, couldn’t collect the ball, the game literally and metaphorically slipping out of reach. 

Prior to that James (23 points) had been responsible for keeping his team in the tie. Real Madrid, joint top of the Euroleague standings, tried to make the break early on and silence the 4,500-strong crowd. 

However, a definitive break could never be made, and the Roca Team, through James and Élie Okobo (16 points), kept up the chase with their offensive and creative efforts. 

The third quarter has often been Monaco’s Achilles heel this season, but not on Friday, as the Principality side overturned the narrow deficit to go into the final 10 with a one-point lead. 

“Mike James is human”

Through James, the Roca Team had the chance to win it, and go level with Real Madrid, but the opportunity missed, the Spanish side saw out the result to go two wins ahead of Monaco and level with Olympiacos. Obradovic’s side remain fifth. 

The Serbian coach accounted for James’ uncharacteristic error post-match. “He is human after all. Without Mike we wouldn’t have had the opportunity to come back into the match. We can’t come out of this match disappointed. We had the chance to win it,” said Obradovic. 

Monaco next host domestic rivals Asvel at the Salle Gaston Médecin on Friday with pride and points on the line. 

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Photo by AS Monaco Basket