Nikola Karabatic to receive 2024 Lifetime Sport Achievement Award at Sportel

Handball legend Nikola Karabatic will be honoured with the 2024 Lifetime Sport Achievement Award at the Sportel Awards ceremony on 28th October at the Grimaldi Forum in Monte-Carlo.

Widely regarded as the greatest handball player of all time, Karabatic recently retired after competing in his sixth Olympic Games in Paris. His illustrious career spans 23 professional seasons, with 61 club titles, including three Champions League victories, and 22 national championships.

Internationally, Karabatic is a three-time Olympic Champion, four-time World Champion, and four-time European Champion, making him the most decorated handball player in history. He has been named Best Player of the World three times by the International Handball Federation.

Marine Picoulet, Head of the Sportel Awards, praised his exceptional talent and contributions to the sport, calling him “a complete and versatile player.”

The award ceremony will celebrate Karabatic’s extraordinary career, adding him to the ranks of past honourees like Didier Deschamps and Alain Prost.

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See also:

Tickets available for Monaco’s 2024 Sportel Convention and Awards

Photo of Nikola Karabatic provided

EU aims for global leadership with launch of new AI Factory initiative

The European Union has launched a call for proposals to develop AI Factories throughout the bloc to ensure that Europe remains a leader in “trustworthy” artificial intelligence. The initiative aims to create a network of supercomputers available to researchers, start-ups and a range of industries.  

An AI Factory is a data centre that creates and trains artificial intelligence (AI) models and produces actionable AI. It can also refer to the product of inferencing, which involves making predictions by running data through an AI model. 

These vibrant ecosystems nurture AI collaboration, innovation and development to create state-of-the-art generative AI models. They can help drive advancements across various fields, from healthcare and energy to transport, defence, aerospace, robotics and manufacturing, as well as agri-tech. 

CALL FOR PROPOSALS 

The EU is now seeking proposals to establish a network of AI Factories on the continent, with the goal of creating a world-class infrastructure. 

“Europe is already leading the way with the EU AI Act, ensuring AI is safer and more trustworthy,” says Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission. “Earlier this year, we fulfilled our promise by opening our high-performance computers to European AI start-ups. Now, Europe must also become a global leader in AI innovation. AI Factories will help secure our position at the forefront of this transformative technology.” 

According to the EU, these factories will bring together vast computing power, data and talent. They will assist AI developers in building large generative models by utilising European High-Performance Computing (EuroHPC) supercomputers and providing data, storage and computing access. 

“By tapping into the extraordinary potential of our homegrown supercomputers, the factories will allow European SMEs, scientists and start-ups to develop as AI innovators, and set the pace for EU’s leadership in this domain,” adds Margrethe Vestager, Executive Vice-President for a Europe Fit for the Digital Age.

The call for proposals is open until 31st December 2025, with an initial deadline of 4th November 2024. The initiative is supported with €1 billion from the Digital Europe Programme and Horizon Europe. For more information, click here.

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Dworld launches beta version of Monaco Metaverse

 

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Photo source: Igor Omilaev, Unsplash

Moretti Fine Art presents ‘Rhapsodie en bleu’ in support of Monaco Disease Power

Brazilian artist David Elia has extended his support to this year’s ‘Regards d’ailleurs: Rhapsodie en bleu’ exhibition at the Moretti Fine Art gallery, offering guidance and artistic insight to the young members of the Monaco Disease Power association who created the nature-inspired display of cyanotype works. All of the proceeds from the sales of the artworks will go to the association.

Under the patronage of Prince Albert II of Monaco, the Moretti Fine Art gallery on Avenue de la Costa will be hosting the fourth edition of the ‘Regards d’ailleurs’ exhibition from 13th to 25th September. A vernissage of the exhibit will be held at 6pm on 12th September.

The exhibition presents works created by young Association Monaco Disease Power members in collaboration with Brazilian artist David Elia. All of the pieces are available to buy, and the proceeds of these sales will support the projects and missions carried out by the Monaco Disease Power association.

The chosen concept for this year’s display is ‘Rhapsodie en bleu’, a theme played out in Elia’s decision to introduce his young students to the 19th century photographic technique of cyanotype, which renders images in hues of blue, over the past year.

“Each student demonstrated an innate ability to grasp the cyanotype technique with extraordinary originality of expression,” he shared with Monaco Life. “The team was always enthusiastic and highly motivated to complete the project.”

From left to right: Moretti Fabrizio, the founder of Moretti Fine Art; Giada Forte, the Monaco gallery manager; Muriel Natali-Laure, the president of Monaco Disease Power; and artist David Elia. Photo by Monaco Life

 

Muriel Natali-Laure, the president of Monaco Disease Power, said, “I warmly thank David Elia, who accompanied these young adults on this wonderful artistic journey with pedagogy and sensitivity. My thanks also go to Fabrizio Moretti and his team [at Moretti Fine Art] for their commitment to our cause.”

The Moretti Fine Art gallery is open Monday to Friday from 10am to 6pm. Click here for more information.

For a taster of what to expect from the exhibition, watch the Monaco Life reel below:

 

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Photos by Monaco Life

Basketball: Roca Team lose out to EuroLeague titans Real Madrid

Despite a valiant effort, AS Monaco Basket were defeated by EuroLeague 2023/24 runners-up Real Madrid in their pre-season friendly. Elie Okobo was on top form, scoring an impressive 21 points. 

The Roca Team knew that they were going to have a fight on their hands when it was announced that their fourth pre-season friendly would be against last season’s second-placed Real Madrid at an away game in Pontevedra, Spain on 11th September. Nevertheless, the players came prepared and gave it their all in the fast-paced fixture.  

The teams were well-matched, with little between them in terms of scores for most of the game. Whenever Real Madrid pulled ahead, an AS Monaco Basket player responded, ready to parry any major advance.  

See more: Preparations for the 2024/25 EuroLeague season well underway for AS Monaco Basket

At halftime, the Roca Team were five points behind, but they returned to the court revived and quickly took the lead. This rapid-fire exchanging of blows would be the theme of the game as Real Madrid soon countered to move four points ahead. Obradovic called a timeout to try to halt their momentum. 

Elie Okobo was in exceptional form, scoring 21 points in total, and the team relied heavily on him in the latter stages of the game. With just three minutes to go, Okobo brought the scores to a tie (69-69) before Real Madrid again took the lead after a questionable call against Jaron Blossomgame. 

As the clock began its countdown, Okobo equalised again (75-75), but Gabriel Deck’s buzzer-beater for Read Madrid brought the game to a dramatic finish. It was a victory for the Spanish side: 77-75. 

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What’s it like to be a VIP member of AS Monaco basketball? A courtside experience inside look

 

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Photo credit: AS Monaco Basket

 

France: Huissiers now authorised to mediate and negotiate real estate transactions

New powers have been granted to France’s justice commissioners, also known as huissiers, who can now add assistance in real estate dealings to their roster of services. 

As of 1st September, huissiers in France have been granted new privileges, enabling them to offer real estate mediation and negotiation services alongside their traditional duties.

This development builds on the existing skills of qualified justice commissioners in the realm of rental management. Since 2011, huissiers have been able to include ancillary property administrators as part of their remit, with their responsibilities extending to locally and regionally owned properties in 2015. 

“Already an expert in rental management, the Commissioner of Justice can, with real estate intermediation, meet the growing expectations of clients in terms of advice and legal security in real estate transactions, for individuals and companies,” affirms the French government.  

WHAT CAN THEY DO 

Under a decree published on 3rd July, justice commissioners are permitted to act as property administrators, real estate brokers for the sale of property they already administer, as well as negotiate the terms of real estate transactions, act as insurance agents, judicial or treaty mediators, and serve as qualified professionals responsible for the verification and approval of management accounts for protected adults.

This means there will be an overlap in several functions that were previously the sole domain of notaires and lawyers, but there are some restrictions. Commissioners can only mediate sales of properties they have previously administered. The decree also stipulates the need for “specific and continuous” training to ensure that huissiers stay up-to-date with legal changes and developments affecting the real estate sector. 

This expanded role positions justice commissioners as versatile legal professionals, meeting the increasing demand for real estate expertise and legal security in property transactions. 

For more information about the changes, click here. 

Read related:

Real estate: essential insights for navigating the property market in Monaco

 

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Photo source: Scott Graham, Unsplash

Les Voiles Blanches’ White Pirate makes land in Monaco for charity collection

After almost two weeks at sea, Les Voiles Blanches’ White Pirate made landfall in the Principality of Monaco earlier this month to collect the booty donated by the public over the summer. The two brimming treasure chests of toys and games have now been given to the children cared for by the Fondation Lenval.

Since 28th August, the White Pirate, portrayed by La Gazette’s Editor-in-Chief Georges-Olivier Kalifa, has been visiting ports up and down the Côte d’Azur in a bid to raise awareness of the plight of the children looked after by the Fondation Lenval.

He was also tasked with collecting the many hundreds of toys and games gifted to the foundation by members of the public, which were duly shared out among the young patients in hospital on 9th September.

One of the two treasure chests of toys and games that were donated to Les Voiles Blanches’ charity mission by members of the public in Monaco. Photo credit: Mairie de Monaco

The White Pirate arrived in Monaco on 7th September, following stops in ports between Cassis and Menton, and headed straight for the Mairie de Monaco to pick up the two treasure chests’ worth of goodies that had been dropped off in the Marché de la Condamine and the town hall lobby over the summer.

See more: Mairie de Monaco pledges support for Les Voiles Blanches

He was met there by Georges Marsan, Monaco’s long-serving mayor, who led the White Pirate to the booty and thanked him for his efforts in aid of the foundation.

The White Pirate (La Gazette’s Editor-in-Chief Georges-Olivier Kalifa) with Monaco Mayor Georges Marsan. Photo credit: Mairie de Monaco

“This year, the operation was a huge success,” shared a spokesperson for the Mairie de Monaco on social media. “Thank you all for your generosity!”

Founded in 1888, the Fondation Lenval provides healthcare and social services to children throughout the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region. Its flagship facility, Lenval Hospital in Nice, offers full paediatric care to children and mothers in the area.

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Setting sail for joy: White Pirate and Michel Pastor Group unite for Lenval Foundation

 

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Photo credit: Mairie de Monaco