Authorities warn of new email scam doing rounds

Monaco residents are being warned about a surge in email scams flooding their inboxes. The emails, originating from various sources and often slipping past spam filters, are part of a sophisticated phishing campaign aimed at deceiving unsuspecting victims.

According to authorities, the malicious emails are clumsily composed, claiming recipients are implicated in legal proceedings and urging them to open attached PDF documents. The fraudulent summons alleges involvement in “criminal charges related to sexual misconduct,” adding a sense of urgency and intimidation to the message.

Monaco’s government has issued a series of guidelines to help residents identify and avoid falling victim to these scams. Recipients are advised against responding to the sender, refraining from opening any attached documents, and promptly reporting suspicious emails to cyber@gouv.mc. Additionally, citizens are encouraged to mark such emails as spam and delete them permanently to prevent any further interaction.

Officials emphasise that no legitimate institution in Monaco communicates such matters via email. Government services exclusively use email addresses ending with @gouv.mc and recipients should verify the sender’s email address carefully for authenticity.

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Photo source: Monaco Government 

 

 

New initiative partners Maserati MSG Racing with local youths to push urgency of change

Monaco-based Maserati MSG Racing has launched an initiative called Seventeen, which combines the status of Formula E with the passion of today’s young leaders who want to put sustainability on their local agenda and make a real impact.

“Aligning with the United Nation’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals, Seventeen unites a global vision for sustainable progress with Maserati MSG Racing’s own commitment to improving equality, diversity, and inclusion in World Championship motorsport,” said the company in a press release.

As part of Seventeen, Maserati MSG Racing will connect with local teenagers impacted by climate change and innovation projects at race locations throughout the season to highlight local issues and worthy causes, while educating motorsport’s global audience about the urgency of change.

“As a team, we’re committed to advancing sustainable human progress, and as part of racing in Formula E, we have a responsibility to leave a positive legacy in each location we race,” said Scott Swid, Chairman and Managing Partner, Maserati MSG Racing. “From our perspective, it’s clear that our audience feels the same way – we’ve seen how passionate they are about the environment, our sport, and our vision, and Seventeen is another step forward in our mission to leave the world in a better state that we found it.”

It’s not the first Maserati MSG Racing, one of Formula E’s founding teams, has shown a commitment to the pursuit of a better tomorrow. In 2020, it became the first team to show support for the FIA’s Purpose Driven inclusivity campaign before breaking new ground in 2021 by becoming the first team in the series to raise awareness around LGBTQ+ inclusion in motorsport.

Season opener sees launch of Seventeen

Seventeen kicked off at Formula E’s season-opening Mexico City E-Prix, and the initiative can be followed across the Maserati MSG Racing’s website and social media channels, as the team takes the next step in its mission to generate positive, lasting change through the platform of motorsport.

“Part of our mission as a Championship is to drive action for the series to lead by example on sustainability and embark its ecosystem as well as its audiences on this race with no finish line,” said Julia Pallé, Vice President of Sustainability, Formula E. “Maserati MSG Racing has had strong form over the past five years for breaking new ground when it comes to raising awareness around social causes and human rights issues. Its new initiative Seventeen is a fantastic natural extension of this progressive work for them and one that will have real impact. We’re delighted to see a team use its unique platform and visibility to promote the UNs Sustainability Development Goals and can’t wait to support them and see the programme develop throughout the season – together we can make an even greater impact for good.”

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Formula E: Maserati MSG Racing take fourth place in season opener in Mexico City

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Photo source: Maserati MSG Racing 

 

Dangerous ‘scarf game’ incident sparks concerns about pupils’ safety in Monaco school

Following reports of a distressing incident linked to the viral ‘scarf game’ that has become infamous on TikTok, Monaco’s teachers’ union has called for more support to be given to the Collège Charles-III on the Avenue de l’Annonciade. 

On 26th January, a 14-year-old student was reportedly found unconscious on the fifth floor of the Collège Charles-III. According to the Monaco Matin, the student has been attempting to recreate the dangerous ‘scarf game’ stunt, in which a person strangles themself until the point of passing out, that has been circulated widely on TikTok and was the cause of the death of a 16-year-old in France last year. The student was swiftly taken to the Centre Hospitalier Princesse Grace, reports the newspaper, adding that an investigation has been launched by the Monaco Police Department. 

In the days after the worrying incident, Monaco’s teachers’ union is believed to have asked the Department of National Education, Youth and Sports (DENJS) for assistance in bringing in more staff so as to ensure the better supervision of pupils at the school.  

According to the Monaco Matin, there are just 23 qualified “supervisors” working at the school, where there are more than 1,100 students enrolled. The newspaper also reports that the union had already contacted the DENJS regarding concerns about the school’s “security lapses” a year before the recent incident.  

“We are facing an increase in physical and verbal threats in colleges,” a representative for the union is quoted as saying in the newspaper, before stressing further worries about the growing issue of inadequate student safety at the school and the normalisation of violence among peers. “Teenagers insult and hit each other gratuitously, push each other, push each other down the stairs… For them, it’s a game and they absolutely do not realise the scope of their actions.”

No official comment has yet been made by the DENJS or the Monaco Government.

 

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Photo source: Solen Feyissa, Unsplash 

‘Un Prince, Un Musée’ commemorates Prince Rainier’s passions for archaeology and Monaco’s history

Until 31st March, the Musée d’Anthropologie Préhistorique de Monaco is hosting an exhibition in honour of Prince Rainier III’s contributions to the museum as well as the support he gave to development of the study of the Principality’s history. 

‘Un Prince, Un Musée’ is the latest in a long line of exhibitions organised by the Prince Rainier III Commemorative Committee in the context of the centenary year of his birth in 1923, but is the first to be held at the Museum of Prehistoric Anthropology, which has close ties to the late sovereign. 

Although the museum was formally established by Prince Albert I in 1902, it found a home in the protected enclave of the Jardin Exotique, close to the Grotte de l’Observatoire, in 1959 thanks to Prince Rainier III. 

The exhibition honouring his role in the history of the museum and the support he gave to the study of Monaco’s fascinating history was opened in a special ceremony in the presence of Prince Rainier’s son, Prince Albert II, on 10th January and will remain open to the public until the end of March.  

It recounts the late Prince’s role in spearheading excavations and the personal contributions he and his wife, Princess Grace, made. The display also touches on their shared promotion of the Monegasque language as well as projects managed by Louis Barral, the museum’s former director. 

Entry to the museum and the exhibit is just €1, with free admission for Monegasque nationals, ICOM card holders and children under the age of five. 

It is open daily from 9am to 6pm. For a guided tour, contact mediationMAP@gouv.mc or visit the website here for more information.  

 

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Photo credit: Monaco Communications Department / Frédéric Nebinger 

The February schedule of home games for AS Monaco and the Roca Team

2024 is looking promising for Monaco’s top mainstream sports teams of AS Monaco FC and AS Monaco Basket. The Principality’s football side is currently fourth in the hotly contested French Ligue 1 standings while the Roca Team is holding on tightly to its Number 1 ranking in the Betclic Elite and simultaneously matching challenge for challenge in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague. 

Here are all the dates and times local football and basketball fans need to know about with regards to home games out on the pitch of the Stade Louis II and on the court of the Salle Gaston Médecin.

Football: Ligue 1 

Just two home turf matches are on the cards for AS Monaco in February and both are in the top-flight French league, which is being led at the moment by Paris Saint Germain. 

The first, against Le Havre AC, will take place on Sunday 4th February at 1pm and tickets start at €8 for AS Monaco supporters. Click here to see the seats still available. 

The second game will welcome Toulouse FC to the Stade Louis II on Sunday 18th February at 3pm. Click here to explore the range of seats, including a VIP box, that are still up for grabs. 

A full guide to accessing the stadium and the various car parking options can be found here

Basketball: Betclic Elite and French league games

The first Betclic Elite game of the month will see the Roca Team go head-to-head with Lyon’s ASVEL Basket on Tuesday 6th February at 8pm. The Monaco side will play the same team again a week later in the Coupe de France at 8pm on Tuesday 13th February. 

In-between these matches, AS Monaco Basket will play Boulogne-Levallois Metropolitans 92 on Sunday 11th February at 2.30pm.  

On Friday 16th February at 6.30pm, the Roca Team will take on Le Mans in the LNB Pro A Leaders Cup, the national league cup for top-tied French teams.  

Basketball: International ties 

There is still one EuroLeague game to be played in January: a home fixture against Serbia’s Partizan Mozzart Bet on Wednesday 31st January at 7pm. Click here for tickets. 

February is looking considerably calmer for the Roca Team than January and there is just one home game on the books. On Friday 2nd February at 8.30pm, the home side will welcome Fenerbahce Istanbul to the Principality.  

To reserve tickets for any of the upcoming basketball games scheduled for next month, click here.  

 

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Photo source: Mat Helot, Unsplash

Monaco marks the ‘Year of the Dragon’

Monaco has nurtured relations with China through a festive Chinese New Year celebration held in the Principality, which brought together a number of dignitaries from both nations.

In celebration of the Chinese New Year, which will begin on 10th February, the Monaco-China Association, with the support of the Monaco Embassy in China, organised a ‘Dragon Evening’ on 29th January at the Fairmont Hotel.

Symbolising strength and fortune in Chinese astrology, the legends connected to the Wood Dragon predict that 2024 will be a dynamic year of abundance, success and prosperity.

Monday evening blended Chinese culture with Mediterranean gastronomy and brought together guests from Monaco and China’s diplomatic, economic and cultural spheres. Among the dignitaries present were Christophe Steiner, Director of the Office of Prince Albert II, Ambassador of Monaco to China Marie-Pascale Boisson, and Dong Guangli, Consul General of China in Marseille.

The Tianjin Theater and Opera Troupe showcased an ancient and multidisciplinary Chinese art performance at the event, incorporating storytelling, dance, music and acrobatics in stunning traditional costumes.

Various aspects of Chinese culture also adorned the evening, including the Lion Dance, tai chi demonstrations, Chinese calligraphy, a guzheng concert of traditional Chinese music and contemporary Chinese pop songs.

 

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Photo: Marie-Pascale Boisson, Ambassador of Monaco to China, source: Government Communication Department