Over three million British citizens living in France and abroad have regained their right to vote in British General Elections and referendums.
As of Tuesday 16th January, the arbitrary 15-year limit on voting rights has been scrapped and British citizens worldwide will be able to register to vote online regardless of how long they have been overseas.
It follows the implementation of the Elections Act 2022.
It means that Britons overseas have enough time to register for a vote in the general election if it happens in autumn 2024, as some media have hinted.
The move brings to an end an almost 20-year battle by the late Harry Shindler, who challenged the former 15-year limit on voting rights in the high court in 2016. When successive governments failed to deliver on their manifesto promises he brought the case to the European court of justice.
Shindler, who died in February 2023 aged 101, had argued the UK “was a democracy but not a complete democracy” until all Britons were enfranchised.
A new hotline service, reachable 24 hours a day, seven days a week, is now operational in Monaco, as the government takes a major step to end bullying in schools.
On Monday 15th January, the government confirmed in a press statement that the hotline was now up and running.
It means that students who are being harassed at school can call 98 98 96 96, at any time or day, and report all forms of violence in schools, from physical violence and intimidation, to threats and online harassment.
Even witnesses, parents and school staff can use the hotline to report incidences of concern.
A team of professionals from the Department of National Education, Youth and Sports and the Association for Assistance to Victims of Criminal Offenses will support callers “so that all measures can be taken to support the victim, as well as all measures intended to put an end to the situation in question”, says the government.
The hotline compliments a law which came into effect in September 2022 that allows educators to deal with harassment or bullying, and also allows for an “appropriate and dissuasive criminal response” if this method does not produce results.
For more information on the hotline service, click here.
Monaco’s only Michelin-starred Italian chef Antonio Salvatore talks to Monaco Life about taking the Principality’s iconic restaurant Rampoldi to New York.
Antonio originates from Basilicata in Southern Italy. He enjoyed hanging out in his parents’ kitchen, enrolling in hotelier school in Potenza as a teenager and graduating in catering services. He worked in various local restaurants, and while still an adolescent he decided to travel the world to gain experience cooking alongside known chefs. He perfected the art of cooking, and learned how to run restaurants, becoming a seasoned chef, and at the same time learning several languages.
La Table d’Antonio Salvatore
In 2016, Antonio became the head chef at the legendary Rampoldi in Monte-Carlo that had been in business since 1946. During summer 2020, he opened La Table d’Antonio Salvatore, an intimate gastronomic dining room just a flight of stairs below the main restaurant, that gained him a Michelin Star.
Since then, he has been working with the MC Hospitality Group (MCHG ) to expand their presence on both sides of the ocean, opening Casa Limone and refurbishing the Atlantic Grill in New York City.
Casa Limone, NY
Antonio hits the ground running, and the recent addition to his collection of restaurants is Rampoldi New York, set within Lincoln Square, a fine dining establishment blending French cuisine with the aromas of his beloved Italy.
Monaco Life was lucky to have secured an interview with Antonio Salvatore, a busy chef who is constantly on the go, commuting back and forth between Monaco and the USA.
It was almost inevitable that Antonio Salvatore would end up in a kitchen. His passion and inspiration for cooking is written in his DNA. “I come from a very large Italian family where the kitchen was the centre of our lives,” he says. “I grew up admiring my mother and my grandmother, and they continue to inspire me today.”
Living in Southern Italy he learned the importance of tradition and strong family values, and developed a taste for the local products and their specific aromas. “I love my country, its history, its culture, its poetic language. Italian cooking is an art and brings together all that is dear to me,” the chef tells Monaco Life.
A plate by Antonio Salvatore at his Michelin starred La Table d’Antonio Salvatore in Monaco
Apart from excellence in cooking, to be a chef requires other qualities, including leadership, sensitivity, being well-travelled, but above all knowing how to manage a team while remaining humble, and to be perseverant and never, ever, give up.
He explains how he manages to run five restaurants in two different continents: “First, it is important to mention I could not do it without the help of the 200 people in my team. I have their trust and support, and in turn I keep motivating them to grow, become accountable, proactive, and passionate about their work and aware of the group mission. I travel continuously, so I am very organised leaving nothing to chance. I am strong willed, have a great fighting spirit, and a sense of sacrifice.”
Antonio was crowned with a Michelin star in 2021 for his gourmet restaurant La Table d’Antonio Salvatore, a luxurious environment serving refined Mediterranean cuisine, combining Italian and French dishes with a Monegasque style. This recognition revealed his creativity and the high level of his cuisine. Antonio says he is incredibly proud, because “being the only Italian starred chef in Monaco is to make history!”
Atlantic Grill, NYC
In June 2021, Antonio and MCHG also opened Casa Limone in Midtown Manhattan, at the edge of the mythical Rockefeller Center. It is an authentic Southern Italian restaurant, with typical dishes such as pasta, pizza and more. He affirmed: “You feel transported to Sicily, maybe Sorrento.”
Late summer 2022, they brought back to life the Atlantic Grill on 65th street, in Lincoln Square, NY, your typical all-American restaurant with an international twist, serving fresh grilled fish, sushi and meat dishes.
Rampoldi New York
But his opera prima up to this date was certainly bringing Rampoldi to the Big Apple, inaugurated on 28th September 2023. It is superbly located in the Upper West Side, 49W 64th street, in Manhattan, steps from the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.
Antonio sounds fulfilled when telling Monaco Life: “It was our dream come true to make Rampoldi, that is the beating heart of the group, a Monaco ambassador, an international brand, a true institution, located in quintessential Manhattan. We serve the same Franco-Italian gourmet-style Monaco experience in the same atmosphere.”
So what are Antonio’s career goals now? “The plan for the next few years is above all to expand the MC Hospitality Group around the world and earn my second Michelin Star.”
It was an eventful weekend for mainstream Monaco sports, with a victory for the Roca Team against Paris in the Betclic Elite, but a disheartening defeat in the Stade Louis II for AS Monaco, who lost 3-1 to Stade de Reims.
In a tightly contested Betclic Elite pitting on 13th January in the French capital, AS Monaco Basket secured a hard-earned victory over Paris with a final score of 92-85.
The game, marked by intense back-and-forth action, saw both teams put up a strong fight, but the Roca Team demonstrated a slight edge in shooting accuracy and overall performance, as reflected in their slightly higher evaluation score of 101 compared to Paris’ 96.
Key players for AS Monaco included Mike James, who led the team with 19 points and seven assists, and Donta Hall, who contributed significantly with an evaluation score of 22. AS Monaco’s balanced approach played a crucial role in their victory.
The recent win against Paris puts AS Monaco Basket firmly atop the table in the Betclic Elite standings. Photo credit: AS Monaco Basket
Meanwhile, back in the Principality, Saturday’s Ligue 1 match against Stade de Reims ended in utter disappointment for the home fans of AS Monaco, who concluded the match two goals down: 3-1.
Despite the high expectations and the tactical strategies laid out by coach Adi Hütter, AS Monaco simply couldn’t capitalise on their chances and the match saw Reims taking the lead with a goal from Teddy Teuma in the 35th minute.
AS Monaco’s hope was briefly reignited by a goal from Wissam Ben Yedder early in the second half, but Reims quickly regained control with goals from Réda Khadra and Azor Matusiwa.
AS Monaco’s efforts, including a late tactical shift by Hütter, failed to turn the tide, leaving them to reflect on a missed opportunity in their home stadium.
Upcoming dates
The next two games for the Roca team will take place at home. The basketball side will face Real Madrid in a Euroleague season game on 19th January, followed by a Betclic Elite game scheduled for 21st January against Le Mans.
On the football front, AS Monaco’s next challenge comes on 20th January when the Rouges et Blancs go against Rodez AF at the Stade Paul-Lignon in a Coupe de France match.
Season 10 of the FIA Formula E World Championship got off to a competitive start in Mexico City over the weekend, with a race that was ultimately claimed by TAG Heuer Porsche’s Pascal Wehrlein.
Maserati MSG Racing might not have made the podium in the season opener, but the Monaco-based team nonetheless marked the start of their campaign with a “solid, clean race with perfect execution and no mistakes”, as per the words of Cyril Blais, the team’s Chief Engineer.
The more experienced Maserati MSG Racing driver Maximilian Günther started the race in P3, advancing up two places from his initial P5 thanks to grid penalties for Jaguar’s Mitch Evans and Nick Cassidy, but ended just outside of the Top Three in P4.
“I think we showed some good pace here,” he said post-race. “Mexico was very difficult for us last year, so to start the season with such a strong result now is very promising. I’m super happy for the whole team, and they did a great job. The car felt amazing in qualifying, and it’s a shame that we lost the podium with the second Attack Mode, but we gave it our very best. I’m really happy with fourth today.”
Günther’s 12 points puts the team in fourth place in the Teams’ Standings. Photo credit: mcusercontent.com
New-to-the-team Jehan Daruvala, who is also the only rookie on the grid this season, faced a challenging start in P17, but was able to gain a place during the course of the race.
“I’m very happy to have completed my first weekend in Formula E,” he shared in the aftermath. “Today was my first time in full race conditions, and it was a very positive experience. My main goal was to have a clean race and to take the chequered flag so I could learn as much as possible. Using everything I’ve learned this weekend, I’ll be able to build on my performance and continue my progression in Diriyah.”
The grid will now be looking ahead to the next stage in Saudi Arabia, which will take place from 26th to 27th January.
By the light of 3,000 candles, the London-based Tenebrae Choir will be performing a special concert accompanied by the choral students of the Académie Rainier III at the Notre-Dame-Immaculée Cathedral in Monaco on Saturday 27th January.
A full programme of events featuring the Tenebrae Choir and its legendary conductor, Nigel Short, has been organised for the occasion, which coincides with the Principality’s celebrations of its patron saint: Sainte Dévote.
In the morning, Short is expected to lead a masterclass for the students of the Académie Rainier III before the traditional Sainte Dévote mass, which will be presided over by Archbishop Dominique-Marie David in the presence of Prince Albert II of Monaco, takes place at 10am.
Then, at 6pm, the Tenebrae Choir will assemble in the cathedral for a formal concert accompanied by the choir of the Académie Rainier III, which will be directed by the establishment’s Bruno Habert and conducted by Short.
According to the Sacrée Musique Festival, a co-organiser of the event alongside Monaco’s Direction des Affaires Culturelles, the Diocese of Monaco, the Centenaire Rainier III Committee and the Académie Rainier III, 3,000 candles will be lit for the concert in tribute to both Sainte Dévote and the parents of current sovereign Prince Albert, the late Prince Rainier III and Princess Grace.
