Roca Team strengthens position in EuroLeague Top 4 with victory against Zalgiris Kaunas

roca team Zalgiris Kaunas

In a crucial EuroLeague clash on home turf, AS Monaco’s Roca Team edged past Zalgiris Kaunas to secure a narrow won victory on Thursday 4th April.

The tightly contested game, which ended 69-66 in Monaco’s favour, has propelled the team to second in the EuroLeague standings, making a finish in the Top 4 ever more likely.

Missing key player Terry Tarpey due to surgery, the Rocas still fielded a strong lineup, with Donatas Motiejunas and Mike James making important contributions to the overall score.

From the outset, AS Monaco demonstrated a dominant defensive strategy, aggressively halting Zalgiris Kaunas’s attempts to establish their game. Motiejunas’s scoring and James’s strategic plays quickly gave AS Monaco an early lead, which influenced the rest of the game.

Coach Sasa Obradovic commented on the significance of the victory, saying, “This match and the fact that we played like this is very important for the team going forward. It’s too early to congratulate the team, but it’s one more win towards securing our place in the Top 4. Home-field advantage is important, we know that”

This victory sets the stage for Monaco’s final EuroLeague game against Bayern on 11th April at Salle Gaston Médecin, where a win would solidify their position and secure a considerable home advantage for the ensuing playoffs.

 

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Photo credit: AS Monaco Basket Facebook

Past achievements and future successes toasted at the General Assembly of the Monaco Economic Board

Monaco Economic Board

320 business leaders and local officials turned out for the Monaco Economic Board’s General Assembly meeting at the Hôtel Hermitage on 28th March, which championed the “better and better, and more and more” successes achieved by the Principality’s business scene over the last year. 

The meeting is the 48th such event to have been held by the MEB since its inception in 1999 and while it provided a platform to congratulate the businesses present on their achievements, the focus was clearly on the future.  

MEB Chair Michel Dotta opened the meeting with words of praise for the MEB and those gathered before introducing Monaco’s new Minister of Finance, Pierre-André Chiappori. 

See more: Pierre-André Chiappori becomes Monaco’s new finance minister

So far in 2024, representatives of the MEB have embarked on a trade mission to the Saudi capital of Riyadh and another similar venture in Morocco will be taking place between 15th and 18th April.  

The MEB’s agenda is also packed with a range of upcoming local events on topics such as macroeconomic forecasts, sport business, artificial intelligence and intellectual property in conjunction with the group’s sponsors and partners, which include the likes of Banque Populaire Méditerranée, BNP Paribas Wealth Management, Gramaglia, Jutheau Husson, Monaco Asset Management and, new in 2024, CFM Indosuez Wealth Management, the Monterra Wealth Management Investment Fund and the Ordre des Experts Comptables de Monaco. 

From left to right: Guillaume Rose, Executive General Director of the MEB; Pierre Dartout, Minister of State; Michel Dotta, President of the MEB; Pierre-André Chiappori, Government Advisor and Minister of Finance and the Economy. Photo credit: Monaco Economic Board

Collaborations, notably with Monaco’s diplomatic and consular corps and the Attractiveness Unit headed up by Frédéric Genta, will continue throughout 2024 as part of an economic development strategy aimed at attracting ever more investors and wealthy residents to the Principality.  

Additionally, Team Monaco, the entity responsible for uniting the efforts of public and private sector companies in the international promotion of Monaco, will be very busy over the next few months with various missions and projects in the works.  

Minister Chiappori closed the meeting with a speech on Moneyval progress and praised the Principality’s reactiveness, saying he was “dazzled to see the strength and speed with which we have been able to respond to these new imperatives”. 

Read related:

Economy: Revenues exceed €20 billion for the first time in Monaco 

 

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Photo credit: Monaco Economic Board

Coming soon: Unlimited monthly train pass for France’s under 27s that costs just €49

under 27s train pass

By the summer, under 27s in France will be able to enjoy unlimited rail travel on the nation’s TER and Intercités lines, outside of the Île-de-France area, thanks to a new train pass.

Back in September, French President Emmanuel Macron proposed the creation of a discounted rail pass for the country’s youth at the Congress of Regions of France in Saint-Malo.  

Although not all of France’s regions were initially convinced by the idea, the concept will soon become a reality, with plans to roll out the €49 per month pass for those under the age of 27 by the start of the summer. 

See more: Trenitalia announces plans for two new train lines through the south of France

Minister for Transport Patrice Vergriete is leading the charge in favour of the new pass, which will allow unlimited travel on all TER and Intercités lines outside of the Île-de-France region, home to the capital of Paris.  

The pass is currently be trialled in certain parts of the country and the authorities have pledged to reconsider the exemptive status of the Île-de-France by 2025.  

For more information on the pass, click here

Read related:

Renewed Paris-Berlin night train hailed as “greener” alternative to air travel

 

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Photo source: Nabih el Boustani, Unsplash

“My body won’t allow me”: Injured Rafael Nadal pulls out of Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters

rafael nadal

Rafael Nadal, the five-time world men’s tennis champion, has announced that he will not play at the upcoming Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters tournament due to a muscle injury sustained at the Australian Open in January.  

The 37-year-old tennis star has had a spate of injuries that have forced him to withdraw from tournaments over the past few years, the latest of which being the 2024 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters.  

See more: Monaco to run free shuttle service during Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters

Nadal’s frustration was palpable in his social media post on X: “These are difficult times for me sportingly speaking. Unfortunately, I inform you that I am not going to play in Monte-Carlo. My body just won’t let me… And even if I am working hard and making the maximum effort every day with all the will to play and compete again at tournaments that have been very important for me, the truth is that I can’t play today. You have no idea how hard this is for me to not be able to play these events.” 

His indomitable spirit was evident in the post, as was his disappointment, with the legendary player sharing, “The only thing I can do is to accept the situation and try to look at the immediate future, keeping the excitement and will to play in order to give me a chance for things to get better. Thanks again to all, as always, for all the support and best wishes!” 

A perennial crowd-favourite, Nadal has won the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters tournament a stunning 11 times.  

The Monte-Carlo Masters, now in its 117th year, will take place at the Monte-Carlo Country Club from 6th to 14th April. 

Read related:

Tennis: the 2024 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters line-up is revealed

 

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Photo source: Rafael Nadal, X

Marché de la Condamine to host authentic British-themed party

british party

On the back of the success of the recent Saint Patrick’s Day event and a special Moules et Frites celebration commemorating the 60th anniversary of the twinning of Monaco with Ostend in Belgium, the next big occasion to take place at the Marché de la Condamine will be a British-themed party.  

Set to take place on Tuesday 16th April, the British soirée will feature an array of Great Britain’s cultural quirks, from music to traditional dishes.  

The event, which is being organised by the Mairie de Monaco, will get going at 7.15pm and last well into the evening.

To reserve a seat in the covered market’s communal seating area, speak with one of the shopkeepers or traders working in the Marché de la Condamine.  

For more information on the upcoming British Party, click here.  

Read related:

Getting to know Monaco: The lively La Condamine, a favourite with locals

 

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Photo source: Unsplash