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Obradovic leads Roca team to overtime victory on his return

by: Luke Entwistle
16/12/2021

Sasa Obradovic’s first game back as coach ended in victory, as AS Monaco Basketball secured a dramatic overtime win in the Euroleague, beating Lithuanian side Zalgiris 98-107.
Wednesday night’s victory in the Euroleague brought two unwanted runs to an end, as the Roca secured their first win in six attempts in the competition, whilst also registering their first away win in any competition since late October.
The Roca side showed great character to secure the win, having conceded a demoralising, on-the-buzzer equaliser, which gave the Lithuanian side the momentum going into overtime. This mental fortitude greatly impressed the new coach, as Obradovic said after the game: “It is difficult mentally to come back and play well in overtime after having conceded the equaliser in the last second… They showed very good character.”
It was largely thanks to Mike James who was formidable throughout the night, scoring 20 points and getting Monaco off to the perfect start with an early field goal. Rob Gray and Dwayne Bacon then chipped-in with their own field goals to open-up a healthy, early lead, from which the Lithuanian side ultimately couldn’t recover.
Monaco’s 12-3 overtime victory followed the pattern of the second-half, in which both teams had dominant quarters. This was in stark contrast to a first-half that was tightly contested throughout and in which no side managed to open up a sizeable lead.
Coming into the second-half with a minor deficit to overturn, Zalgiris, with an exhibition in outside of the key finishing, not only overturned the deficit but also began to build a lead. Janis Strelnieks was pivotal to the comeback, the Latvian converting an impressive 5/7 3-pointers.
Having the lead going into the second-half, Monaco now had a nine-point deficit to overturn. Playmaker James, who was on fire following his return from injury, immediately set about pulling the Roca team back into the game, nailing a three-pointer early-on. A mixture of indiscipline on Zalgiris’ behalf, and the influential play-making efforts of James who was spraying decisive passes around the court, overturned the deficit and opened up an 81-87 lead with five minutes to go.
As the buzzer approached, Zalgiris came back into the game and, with only a second to spare, benefited from Gray’s missed free-throw to convert a field goal of their own to take it into overtime. But Zalgiris’ late rally was in vain, as Monaco’s new-found resilience was enough to take them over the line.
Giving his first post-match press conference since his return, Obradovic was pleased with the win regardless of how it was obtained, saying, “I am very happy with this victory. The way in which we won is secondary… We dominated in overtime and we deserved to win.”
Obradovic will now be looking forward to his return to the Salle Gaston Médecin on Friday night where he is certain to receive a warm welcome from the home fans as his side come up against a strong Zenit.
 

 
Photo source: AS Monaco Basketball 
 
 
 

Coral reef fund directs $10 million to Phillipines

by: Cassandra Tanti
14/12/2021

The Board of Directors of the Global Fund for Coral Reefs, co-founded by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, has just approved the allocation of over US $10 million for coral reef conservation.
Following the 26th UN Climate Change Conference, the Global Fund for Coral Reefs (GFCR) Executive Board reconvened on 23rd, 24th and 25th November to review Fund progress and proposed programmes. The meeting resulted in the issuing of two decisions totalling more than $10 million USD in new disbursements for coral conservation.
The first is the approval of the Fund’s programme for the Philippines, ‘Mamuhunan sa mga Marine Protected Areas’ (Responsible Investment in Marine Protected Areas). At the heart of the Coral Triangle, the Philippines supports extraordinary levels of biodiversity,including hundreds of species of corals, sea turtles, sharks and more than 2,000 species of fish.
The Philippine programme, led by Blue Finance, focuses on catalysing the blended finance approach of the GFCR to improve the management and financial sustainability of three high-biodiversity Marine Protected Area (MPA) networks: the Verde Island Passage MPA Network, the Calamian Island MPA Network, and the Tañon Strait Protected Seascape. The three networks include 80 MPAs with more than 30,000 hectares of coral reefs.
“In a context of budget restrictions and Covid-19 recovery, blended finance solutions to generate critical finance for MPAs are a vital step toward marine conservation and natural resource management,” said Nicolas Pascal, Executive Director, Blue Finance. “Through the ‘Mamuhunan sa mga Marine Protected Areas’ programme supported by the Global Fund for Coral Reefs, generated investment revenues will allow us to sustain the financing of our MPA teams and community rangers (Bantay Dagats) in their daily activities in community development and ecosystem protection.”
Through a Philippines-based coalition of local and international actors, the programme will work to facilitate management concessions for MPAs, develop tangible sustainable revenue models, and secure up-front finance by attracting blended finance capital. Initial revenue models include MPA nature fees, a visitor centre and sales of blue carbon credits. The programme will also unlock finance for reef-positive business models such as eco-lodges and coastal aquaculture, that will, in return, ensure synergies with conservation objectives and contribute to financing for MPA management costs.
As a second decision, the Fund’s Executive Board approved the GFCR Blue Bridge, a service provided by GFCR partner United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) that deploys grant capital in the form of concessional finance instruments such as concessional loans, and financial technical assistance when needed. The GFCR Blue Bridge will support Convening Agents of GFCR programmes to achieve transformative changes by assisting early-stage reef-positive businesses with concessional instruments. By enabling development and growth of reef-positive business models and establishing financial track-records, the GFCR Blue Bridge will catalyze private sector investment for scaling and replication of reef-positive solutions developed by local entrepreneurs.
Since the GFCR’s previous Executive Board meeting, the Fund has welcomed the Government of Canada and the Green Climate Fund to its expanding public-private coalition of partners, which also includes the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, the Prince Albert II Monaco Foundation, the governments of Germany, France and the UK, Pegasus Capital Advisors, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
 
 
Photo by Francesco Ungaro on Unsplash
 
 

Monaco scientists behind international antibody standards study

by: Stephanie Horsman
13/12/2021

A joint study by scientists from Monaco and Singapore showing that more personalised vaccine schedules are possible in the fight against Covid and its variants has been published by The Lancet Microbe.
Vaccinations against the Covid virus are being pushed in every country around the planet as the best way to prevent serious illness and death. Whilst this is surely medically sound advice, it is also true that not every person has the same immune response reaction to the jabs.
As immune responses vary wildly from person to person, better vaccine targeting appears to be a crucial next step for programmes worldwide, particularly with regard to booster shots.
In response to this, Dr Thomas Althaus and Dr Eric Voiglio of Monaco’s Department of Health Action have co-authored a report with a team from the Scientific Centre of Monaco, the Health Action Department, and the Duke Global Health Institute of Singapore and its division specialising in emerging infectious diseases. It is entitled ‘WHO international standard for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies to determine markers of protection’, and it was recently published by respected medical journal The Lancet Microbe.
The study noted the crucial role of neutralising antibodies in the evaluation of vaccine protection, whilst establishing an international measurement scale the World Health Organisation (WHO) approves of.
The results were presented at the Global Virus Network and Monaco international conference, on the diagnosis of Covid-19. They demonstrate the benefit of measuring neutralising antibodies to identify individuals in need of vaccine boosting, but also of shifting the vaccine among those retaining strong immune activity. Little is known about vaccine efficacy and the protection conferred after infection with the virus causing Covid.
Such a measurement of these neutralising antibodies makes it possible to compare the levels of protection, and to inform those responsible for public health policies on the effective duration of vaccine protection.
The published article came out during the two-day Global Virus Network and Monaco Covid-19 Diagnostic Conference: Promises and Challenges event on 3rd December, which looked at the implementation of a cooperative global diagnostic programme using new technologies which detect and fight against burgeoning pandemics, primarily focusing on lower-to-middle income nations.
“The role of the various diagnostic and immunological monitoring tests to guide the vaccine policy were considered, as well as the overall strategy for the biological and genetic management of this type of epidemic,” said Prof. Patrick Rampal, President of the Scientific Center of Monaco (CSM). “The workshop represented a unique opportunity to examine different situations and responses in various countries. This will help to better understand how to deploy the global and collaborative diagnostic arsenal we urgently need.”
Omicron has thrown another curve ball at scientists in the fight against the virus, who are now looking at accurate and fast diagnostic methods as a vital way to contain transmission efficiently, thus saving lives.
President of the Mérieux Foundation, Alain Mérieux, whose aim is to strengthen local abilities in developing countries to reduce the impact of infectious diseases on vulnerable populations, said early diagnosis detection in industrialised countries is important, but more so in developing nations where epidemics often start.
“It is our duty to develop low-cost solutions accessible to all because the response can only be global for pathogens that know no borders,” said Mérieux. “Solutions that must be affordable and technically adapted to the difficult logistical constraints in the field.”
Click here to read the study.
 
 
 

Model Victoria Silvstedt collaborates on eco-friendly fashion line

by: Stephanie Horsman
13/12/2021

Sustainable luxury brand Marli Dresses has formed a partnership with former Guess model and Monaco socialite Victoria Silvstedt, creating a new line called the Wild Life Collection.

What happens when a fashion designer and a model who are both long-time animal rights activists and eco-warriors meet? A new line of environmentally friendly clothes is created, naturally.

This was exactly the case when Marli Dress co-founder Liliya Tippetts and model Victoria Silvstedt met. They found they had a tremendous amount in common and decided then and there to work together on a new collection which they have called the Wild Life Collection.

“I strongly believe in women empowering women,” says Liliya Tippetts. “Victoria has been a close colleague of mine and I highly admire everything that she has done from acting and modelling to being a businesswoman. Much of this resonates with myself as the founder of a fashion brand and I thought it was a must to work together.”

But the process didn’t happen overnight. It took months for the duo to find the right fabrics and colours that reflected their mutual desire to be flattering as well and reflective of nature.

“Collaborating with a fashion icon like Victoria, we wanted to evoke strong femininity in our new collection. Femininity is much more than being soft. It is powerful and unapologetic,” adds Tippetts. “This is what I wanted to show through our collection together. By combining sheer, flowing fabric with bold prints like cheetah, we were able to achieve this.”

The line includes delicate beach coverups with bold animal prints and high-waisted wrapped miniskirts in several eye-catching hues. The line was made to be versatile, with the ability to seamlessly go from beach to bar. They say they created the line for all body types, accentuating feminine curves, resulting in gorgeous silhouettes, whilst remaining elegant.

“A lot of my vacation time is spent going to St. Barts, it’s a breath-taking island,” says Victoria Silvstedt. “Aside from the star-studded crowd and amazing restaurants, the island is known for its stunning beaches. Going there, it is almost impossible not to reconnect with nature, and where we come from, The Wild Life Collection is inspired by just this. The colours we’ve used for our skirts are inspired by the crystal blue waters and tan sand beaches. Bold prints are inspired by the nature around us.”

 
SEE ALSO 

Interview: Victoria Silvstedt

 
 
 

Voxan Wattman breaks world-record speeds, again

by: Luke Entwistle
10/12/2021

Voxan’s latest Wattman model was put to the test at the iconic Kennedy Space Center, Florida, breaking 21 new world speed records and officially becoming the fastest under 300kg electric bike in the world.
The tests took place over six days between 18th and 23rd November, and the results were phenomenal as records tumbled in the Sunshine State. The Voxan bike, owned by Monaco-based electric vehicle specialist Venturi, registered a world-record speed of 456km/h (283 M/ph), in the much-coveted category ‘partially streamlined electric motorcycle under 300kg’.
Prior to breaking this record on 22nd November, the bike, driven by Italian rider Max Biaggi, also broke the record for ‘non-streamlined electric motorcycle under 300kg’ with a time of 370 km/h (230 M/ph).
Voxan and the Venturi group, working in tandem, continue to redefine excellence within the field of electric motorcycles. The earlier Voxan model had already set records in the ‘over 300kg’ category in November 2020, but thanks to the Wattman’s new lighter, cutting-edge battery, the constructor could this year set their sights on breaking the ‘under 300kg’ records.
Having achieved the records, Gildo Pastor, President of the Venturi group, expressed a great deal of both national pride, and pride in the project, saying, “These 21 new records are another magnificent achievement for the Venturi group… I am pleased to think that the experience gained from this project will contribute to improving eco-mobility. I share these records with my country, Monaco, which does so much to promote sustainable development.”
Voxan, as forerunners in their field, will be hoping that these latest technological strides will provide the inspiration to continue to propel the industry to become even quicker, safer and greener as the world looks to shift towards more sustainable mobility.
 
 

Finally… an opening date for eco-friendly Ikea

by: Stephanie Horsman
10/12/2021

After years of waiting, Ikea has revealed exactly when the doors of its new superstore in Nice Saint-Isidore will swing open to the public.  

The project has been in the works for what seems like forever, but now there is a firm opening date set.

During a site visit on 9th December, Walter Kadnar, CEO of Ikea France, revealed that 11th May 2022 will mark the opening day of the first Alpes-Maritimes branch of the popular Swedish superstore.

Ikea is said to be hiring no less than 400 staff members and are specifically looking to take on people in the fields of logistics, sales, customer relations, catering, interior design, finance and administration, and human resources.

Kadnar promises the new IKEA will have “special atmospheres” and “special product lines” to attract customers, but the location alone will be a draw. After making the long trek to Toulon in the Var to reach the nearest store, this location on the outskirts of Nice is sure to bring in clientele from Monaco, the Alpes-Maritimes and Italy.

The company chose the eco-district of Saint-Isadore in Nice as the ideal spot. It sits next to the Allianz Riviera Stadium and will be 24,000m2 in size.

Surrounded by housing, offices and shops, the store will stand out from other Ikea shops in France by its blue enamelled glass facade, its roof developed as a fifth facade, 7,000m² of green solar panels and its green spaces.

 

 
 
Illustration by Willmotte et Associés