Young artists shine in Monaco’s Christmas drawing contest

20/12/2024

The Condamine Market came alive on Thursday as children, parents, and grandparents gathered for the prize-giving ceremony of the 2nd annual Mon plus beau dessin au Père Noël contest. Organised by Monaco’s City Hall, the event celebrated the creative talents of children aged up to eight years.

The winners were announced by Axelle Amalberti Verdino, Deputy Mayor in charge of Animations and Leisure, joined by fellow Council members Marjorie Crovetto, Jacques Pastor, Jean-Marc Deoriti-Castellini, Karyn Salopek Ardisson, and Nathalie Vaccarezza. Apolline (three years), Pierre (four years), Victoire (six years), Clément (eight years), and Lilly (eight years) emerged as winners for their heartwarming and imaginative creations.

Additionally, a special ‘grandparents’ prize’ was awarded to Arthur (five years), chosen by beneficiaries of the Seniors’ Unit.

The winning drawings will soon be printed on placemats to be distributed at the Condamine Market’s gourmet hall, blending festive art with community celebration. Each winner also received a gift voucher in recognition of their efforts.

To honor all participants, the event concluded with a snack party, bringing children and families together in the joyous atmosphere of the market.

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Photo source: Mairie de Monaco

F1’s 2025 grid is now complete: who’s in and who’s out for next season

by: Elsa Carpenter

20/12/2024

The chats have been had, the deals have been done, and the final, coveted places on Formula 1’s 2025 grid have been taken. Here’s a guide to who’s in and who’s out for the upcoming season.

The 2025 Formula 1 grid is complete, following two major shuffles and replacements within the Red Bull family. All of the drivers for the next season, which will begin in Melbourne, Australia, in mid-March, have now been confirmed, with six drivers set to make their full-season debuts. For half of the rookies, the 2025 season will mark their first time racing in the F1 arena.

Red Bull

Reigning World Champion Max Verstappen will be joined next season not by Mexico’s Sergio Pérez, but by New Zealand’s Liam Lawson. The 22-year-old is said to have impressed Red Bull bosses during his time standing in at sister team VCARB during the 2024 season.

Pérez had signed a deal with Red Bull that should have seen him stay until 2026, but the Mexican and the team parted ways with immediate effect earlier this month.

Ferrari

Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc, who famously won a historic victory on his home circuit at the Monaco Grand Prix this year, will be joined at Scuderia Ferrari by Lewis Hamilton. The British driver is a seven-time World Champion. It was revealed in a shock announcement back in 2023 that he would be replacing Leclerc’s longtime teammate, Carlos Sainz.

See more: F1: Lewis Hamilton will join Charles Leclerc at Ferrari in 2025

McLaren

There will be no changes at McLaren for the 2025 season. Briton Lando Norris will continue to race alongside his Australian teammate Oscar Piastri. The duo helped the team surge through the rankings to claim the Constructors’ title in 2024 and will both stay on at McLaren for the foreseeable future, with both having signed long-term contracts.

Mercedes

George Russell will be joined by newcomer Kimi Antonelli for his fourth season with the Silver Arrows. Antonelli, an 18-year-old Italian racer, has no F1 starts to his name but has been a protege of Mercedes for some years now. He was signed by the team as a junior in 2018, during his karting days, and later skipped F3 entirely, going into F2 with PREMA under Mercedes’ wing.

Aston Martin

The lineup remains the same at Aston Martin for 2025: Spaniard Fernando Alonso is set to continue alongside Canadian Lance Stroll, the son of the team’s owner-investor, Lawrence Stroll.

VCARB

Japan’s Yuki Tsunoda will be entering his fifth season with Red Bull’s sister team in 2025. He will be joined by rookie Isack Hadjar, a 20-year-old French-Algerian racer, who came second in the 2024 Formula 2 season. Hadjar’s appointment was the final piece of the puzzle, with the news that he would be stepping up to F1 coming on 20th December, days after it was revealed that the seat had been vacated by Lawson.

Haas

It will be a new outfit for Haas next year. The team is welcoming Oliver Bearman, who drove in Carlos Sainz’s stead during the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix at the start of 2024. The drive made Bearman the youngest driver to ever make his debut in Formula 1 at the wheel of a Ferrari. He is a product of the Scuderia Ferrari Academy.

The British driver will be joined by Frenchman Esteban Ocon, who departed his former team, Alpine, after the Qatar Grand Prix.

The two drivers replace Nico Hulkenberg, who has gone to Kick Sauber, and Denmark’s Kevin Magnussen, who has retired.

Alpine

Fellow Frenchman Pierre Gasly will be staying on at Alpine for 2025. He will be joined by the team’s reserve driver, Jack Doohan. The Australian is the son of former 500cc motorcycle world champion Mick Doohan and has been part of the Alpine Academy since 2022.

See more: Monaco Grand Prix guaranteed to stay on F1 calendar until 2031

Williams

Britain’s Alex Albon will continue with Williams but with a new teammate in the form of Spanish Carlos Sainz, who left Ferrari at the end of 2024. Franco Colapinto, who spent part of the season racing for Williams, is without a seat for 2025.

Kick Sauber

Sauber ousted both of its 2024 drivers after a particularly poor season. Stepping into the shoes of the exiting Valtteri Bottas, who is joining Mercedes as a reserve driver in 2025, and Zhou Guanyu, the only Chinese driver in history to compete in Formula 1, will be Germany’s Nico Hulkenberg, coming from Haas, and newcomer Gabriel Bortoleto, the 20-year-old Brazilian who won the 2024 F2 series.

Read related:

F1: Podium finish in Abu Dhabi rounds out strong and consistent season for Monaco’s Charles Leclerc

Photo source: F1 Media

A snapshot of Monaco’s students: More than 6,500 currently enrolled

by: Stephanie Horsman

20/12/2024

Monaco’s schools, both public and private, are thriving, with just over 6,500 students enrolled in the Principality for the 2024/25 academic year. This slight but notable increase from the previous year reinforces Monaco’s image as a prosperous place for families from around the world to settle.

Monaco’s education system has experienced a moderate rise in student numbers this academic year, according to the latest data from IMSEE, the agency responsible for statistical analysis in the Principality. The total student population for 2024/25 stands at 6,565, marking an increase of 22 students compared to the previous year.

The Principality operates 16 primary and secondary schools, with 10 of them being public institutions. Public schools currently accommodate 65% of the student body, totaling 4,227 children. Private schools under contract teach 21% of Monaco’s pupils, while private schools not under contract welcome the remaining 14%.

See more: Inside the new state-of-the-art International School of Monaco campus

Four of Monaco’s primary schools account for 57% of all primary students, with François d’Assise-Nicolas Barré (FANB), a private Catholic school, and École St. Charles, a public school, leading the way. In secondary education, three schools host 75% of students: Collège Charles III, Lycée Albert 1er, and FANB. The split between primary and secondary level pupils is relatively equal, with these segments representing 46% and 54% of students, respectively.

Special education programmes cater to just 1% of the student population, equaling 84 pupils.

Demographic insights reveal a fairly balanced gender distribution, with boys making up 52% and girls making up 48% of the student body. In terms of nationality, French students form the largest group at 38% (2,528 pupils), while Monegasques account for 19% (1,320 children).

Just over two-thirds of the student body resides within the Principality, while a quarter come from neighbouring municipalities and 8% commute from towns and cities further afield in the Alpes-Maritimes region.

Photo source: Element5 Digital, Unsplash

40 years of Princess Grace Irish Library honoured in commemorative book

by: Stephanie Horsman

20/12/2024

The Princess Grace Irish Library celebrated its 40th anniversary on 20th November with the launch of a special commemorative book that highlights Princess Grace’s deep connection to Ireland, the land of her forebears, and her enduring influence in the arts. Prince Albert II of Monaco and Princess Caroline, the late Princess’ eldest children, attended the event to pay tribute to the legacy of their actress mother.

The Princess Grace Irish Library (PGIL) marked the major milestone by unveiling the book on the exact date of the establishment’s 1984 inauguration. Published by the Archives du Palais de Monaco, the book honours Princess Grace’s Irish heritage and her lifelong love of music and literature.

Illustrated with archival photographs, it chronicles key moments, from Princess Grace and Prince Rainier III’s first State visit to Ireland in 1961 through to the modern connections fostered by their son, Prince Albert, and his family.

Central to the book’s narrative is a unique musical collaboration that underscores Princess Grace’s passion for the arts. In a partnership led by Helen Lawlor of the Technological University Dublin and Jade Sapolin, the director of Monaco’s Académie Rainier III, students and musicians from Ireland and Monaco performed an array of pieces from Princess Grace’s song sheet collection. The recordings of these performances are featured in the book via QR codes, offering readers an immersive experience.

Renowned Irish dancer Michael Flatley also contributed to the celebrations by composing a special Princess Grace Set, further enriching the book’s musical offerings.

The commemorative book provides additional insights through a film produced by the Institut Audiovisuel de Monaco. Using archival footage, it captures the PGIL’s grand opening day and includes an interview with writer Anthony Burgess, who reflects on the library’s cultural significance.

A digital version of the book is available on the PGIL website, making its treasures accessible to a global audience. For Francophone readers, a French translation of the book’s historical section will be released in January.

Looking ahead, the PGIL’s 40th anniversary celebrations will continue into 2025 through a cultural programme themed ‘The Reach and Impact of the Irish Diaspora’. The programme will feature Irish writers, including Cónal Creedon, the recipient of The Ireland Funds Monaco Spring 2025 bursary. Among other events, Professor Malgorzata D’Aughton from University College Cork will deliver a lecture on an exceptional silver-gilt Irish chalice dating from the 1480s.

For more on the book and details about upcoming 2025 events, visit the PGIL website by clicking here.

Read related:

Commemorative stamp to celebrate the Princess Grace Irish Library’s 40th anniversary

Pictured: The 40th anniversary commemorative book is presented to Princess of Hanover, the president of the Princess Grace Foundation, and Prince Albert II by Peter K. Murphy, Trustee of the Princess Grace Irish Library, and Paula Farquharson, its Director

Photo credit: Axel Bastello / Palais Princier de Monaco

Centre Scientifique de Monaco decodes red coral genome in conservation breakthrough

by: Stephanie Horsman

20/12/2024

The genome of the Mediterranean red coral, Corallium rubrum, a species long revered for its historical and ecological significance while being highly prized for its beauty, has been successfully sequenced by researchers at the Centre Scientifique de Monaco (CSM).

Precious to people as far back as the Neolithic Era, Mediterranean red coral, or Corallium rubrum, is an endangered species.

Now, however, thanks to developments made by the CSM, where its genome has been sequenced, there is hope for finding ways to preserve this marine treasure.

Known as the first coral species to lend its name to all others, “Precious Coral” has been used symbolically in jewellery-making and traditional medicine for millennia. Beyond its human value, C. rubrum plays a foundational role in the Mediterranean’s coralligenous ecosystem, a complex underwater habitat found in the Mediterranean that is rich in biodiversity and productivity. Overfishing and the impacts of climate change have dramatically reduced red coral populations, prompting the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to classify it as an endangered species.

To support conservation efforts, a team from the CSM-Chanel Precious Coral Biology Research Unit collected a colony of red coral near Banyuls-sur-Mer. The team of scientists and researchers then sequenced its genome with support from Chanel and the Paul Hamel Foundation. The project involved collaboration with the European Molecular Biology Laboratory’s Genecore team in Germany and the Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering Division at the Red Sea Research Centre in Saudi Arabia.

Decoding the genetic blueprint of red coral is a crucial step toward understanding its unique biological traits, including the formation of its vibrant skeleton and its genetic diversity. This information provides insights into the species’ ecological and evolutionary history, aiding the development of effective conservation strategies to safeguard this marine organism against further environmental threats.

This effort complements other pioneering initiatives led by the CSM, including a groundbreaking project that successfully facilitated the birth of 250 juvenile red corals in Monaco’s waters.

These achievements mark significant progress in preserving C. rubrum, as it faces ongoing challenges from global warming and over-exploitation.

Read related:

A wave of hope as 250 baby red corals are born in Monaco’s waters

Photo source: CSM

Basketball: Roca Team struggle against a stronger Real Madrid

by: Elsa Carpenter

20/12/2024

AS Monaco Basketball suffered a disappointing defeat at the hands of Real Madrid in the final game of the 2024/25 EuroLeague’s first leg. The away game, which ended 94-72, saw the Monaco side come unstuck against the more coordinated and cohesive Spanish team, who topped the league rankings in the 2023/24 season.

Despite a strong start, the Roca Team struggled to keep pace with Madrid’s depth and intensity, leaving Coach Vassilis Spanoulis with plenty to reflect on ahead of their return to domestic competition on Saturday 21st December.

“It’s clear that Real Madrid was better than us tonight and deserved the win,” admitted Spanoulis after the game. “We started too relaxed, and at this level, that’s unacceptable. With that mindset, it’s impossible to expect a positive outcome.”

The game at the WiZink Center in Madrid was always going to be a significant challenge for Monaco. The team came into the matchup missing key players, including Elie Okobo, sidelined due to illness, and Alpha Diallo, who is still recovering from injury. Nick Calathes was also unavailable, though he is expected to return next week.

Despite these absences, Monaco started with energy, with Terry Tarpey showcasing his defensive prowess and Mike James leading the offense.

The two teams were neck-and-neck early on, but Madrid’s physicality and depth soon took over, with Campazzo and Hezonja spearheading a charge that saw the home side pull ahead 29-22 by the end of the first quarter.

The second quarter proved to be Monaco’s undoing. Their offensive efforts stalled, and Madrid’s 10-0 run widened the gap significantly. Monaco entered halftime trailing 53-35.

“Offensively, we couldn’t find the right solutions, and it hurt us,” said Spanoulis. “Without Elie [Okobo], the game was too centered around Mike James, and that made us predictable.”

The second half saw little improvement, and Real Madrid extended their lead to 30 points by the end of the third quarter. Although Monaco outscored Madrid in the final period (25-17), the damage was already done.

James, who finished as Monaco’s top scorer with 19 points, acknowledged the team’s difficulties but remained optimistic: “It was a tough game for us. We’re missing key pieces, and we need to do better collectively. This doesn’t change our goals for the season.”

“This defeat doesn’t change who we are or what we’re building,” echoed Spanoulis. “We’ll learn from this and come back stronger.”

Monaco will next face CSP Limoges on Saturday 21st December, before resuming their EuroLeague campaign at home against Anadolu Efes Istanbul on Boxing Day.

Read related:

Major victory against Bayern Munich puts AS Monaco Basketball atop EuroLeague standings

Photo source: AS Monaco Basketball

Day: 20 December 2024

Young artists shine in Monaco’s Christmas drawing contest