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Month: October 2026

Charles Leclerc storms to second at US Grand Prix

by: Cassandra Tanti
26/10/2026

Monaco’s Charles Leclerc delivered a strong late-race charge to finish second at the United States Grand Prix on Sunday, overtaking Lando Norris and Max Verstappen in the closing stages to secure another podium for Ferrari. But victory in Austin belonged to Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli, who moved to the brink of becoming Formula 1’s youngest-ever world champion.

Starting fourth on the grid at the Circuit of the Americas, Leclerc made an aggressive opening on Soft tyres, briefly challenging Verstappen before settling into third behind the Red Bull and race leader Antonelli.

Ferrari adopted a two-stop strategy for both Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, who started fifth, while Antonelli made a single stop and controlled the 56-lap race from the front.

The differing strategies created an exciting final phase, with Leclerc and Hamilton benefiting from fresher tyres as they chased down their rivals.

Leclerc fights his way onto the podium

Leclerc’s race included an early battle with Verstappen and an overtake on Mercedes’ George Russell before the pit-stop sequence reshuffled the field.

The Monegasque briefly inherited the lead when Verstappen made his second stop, but Antonelli soon reclaimed the position.

In the closing stages, Leclerc began making up ground, overtaking McLaren’s Lando Norris before passing Verstappen to secure second place.

He crossed the finish line 13.078 seconds behind Antonelli, with Verstappen completing the podium just over four seconds further back.

“It was a fun race and I really enjoyed it, particularly the start and the battle with Max on lap 1, and later on with Lando and Max again,” Leclerc said afterwards. “Our pace was quite strong, and our strategy was good, but it was not enough for the win today.”

The result marked Leclerc’s sixth podium of the season and the 56th of his Formula 1 career.

The Ferrari driver was nevertheless encouraged by the team’s recent developments.

“We brought good upgrades to the car and have been going in a direction that I quite like. It makes me feel confident with the car so I’m optimistic,” he said. “It’s all about optimising what we have for the upcoming races, with the target of converting our progress to a win.”

Antonelli on the verge of historic championship

While Leclerc celebrated another podium, the wider championship story belonged to 20-year-old Antonelli.

The Mercedes driver started from pole position and secured his ninth victory of the season, extending his Drivers’ Championship lead to 123 points over teammate George Russell, who finished eighth.

Hamilton’s fourth-place finish also kept his mathematical championship hopes alive, delaying Antonelli’s coronation for at least another week.

With five races remaining and 125 points still available, Antonelli needs only a ninth-place finish or better at the Mexico City Grand Prix to secure his first world championship and become the youngest champion in Formula 1 history.

Leclerc, meanwhile, sits fifth in the Drivers’ Championship on 233 points, just nine behind second-placed Russell, leaving him firmly in contention for a higher championship finish.

Formula 1 heads directly to Mexico City for the next race on Sunday 1st November, where Ferrari will look to turn its improving performance into another podium — and potentially a victory.

Monaco Life is written by qualified journalists, writing original content. Sign up for our free newsletter, listen to our podcasts on Spotify, and follow us across Facebook,  Instagram, LinkedIn, and Tik Tok.

Photo source: Scuderia Ferrari Media Centre

 

Herculis and Monaco Run organisers earn sustainability certification

by: Kayla Sauceda
26/10/2026

The Fédération Monégasque d’Athlétisme (FMA) has secured an international sustainability certification for its management of Herculis and Monaco Run, following nearly three years of work developing more responsible event organisation.

Announced on Thursday 22nd October, the ISO 20121:2024 certification was awarded by Bureau Veritas. The certification recognises the federation’s management system for the two events, covering how environmental, social, and economic considerations are involved in their planning and delivery.

The process began in winter 2023, with the help of Monaco-based consultancies and the government’s Mission for Energy Transition, with consultancy ARIMA providing the principal guidance.

A BROAD APPROACH TO SUSTAINABILITY

The international standard provides a framework for integrating sustainability into event organisation, from initial planning to delivery. Its revised 2024 edition strengthens the focus on governance, stakeholder involvement, and responsibility within the supply chain.

Environmental considerations include transport, energy consumption, waste management, resource use, and greenhouse gas emissions. The social considerations address working conditions, health and safety, accessibility, inclusion, and relationships with volunteers, participants, suppliers, and local communities.

The economic side of the framework is formed by responsible purchasing, sustainable financial management, and lasting collaboration with local businesses.

Organisations must also establish objectives, identify opportunities and risks, monitor performance, and demonstrate their commitment to continually making improvements.

TWO EVENTS AT THE CENTRE

Herculis and Monaco Run are the two events covered by the certification, bringing together athletes, spectators, volunteers, partners, and service providers every year.

For the FMA, the process involved establishing a structured approach to identifying, managing, and reducing the events’ impacts while maintaining their sporting and organisational quality.

The certification confirms that the federation’s management system meets the standard’s requirements for the organisation of these two events. It recognises an ongoing organisational approach rather than individual measures.

The initiative also reflects the direction encouraged by European Athletics and World Athletics towards more sustainable competitions, alongside Monaco’s energy transition ambitions.

CONTINUED COMMITMENT

The certification marks a milestone for the federation, but the work continues through regular monitoring of objectives, evaluating results, and making further changes to organisational practices.

The FMA intends to build on existing measures and strengthen the involvement of its partners, embedding sustainability into the long-term management of both events.

Monaco Life is written by qualified journalists, writing original content. Sign up for our free newsletter, listen to our podcasts on Spotify, and follow us across Facebook,  Instagram, LinkedIn, and Tik Tok.

Photo credit: Frédéric Nebinger / Palais princier

Thousands defy Nice protest ban as far-right militants target marchers

by: Cassandra Tanti
26/10/2026

Around 2,300 people marched through central Nice on Saturday 24th October in defiance of a prefectural ban on demonstrations, and while the shop looting of a week earlier was not repeated, the day ended with masked far-right militants attacking protesters near Vieux-Nice and 63 people under arrest.

The second Saturday of France’s mobilisation against the rising cost of living drew around 2,300 people in Nice at its peak, according to the Alpes-Maritimes prefecture, while the City of Nice put the figure at 2,500. Prosecutors have since opened an investigation into the far-right group involved, and protest organisers are already calling for further action.

A ban requested by the mayor

The ban was issued by the Alpes-Maritimes prefect, Jean-Marie Girier, at the request of Nice Mayor Éric Ciotti. The order prohibited protest gatherings and marches from 8am to midnight across a wide perimeter stretching from Boulevard Gambetta to Port Lympia, including Place Masséna, Vieux-Nice and the central seafront along the Promenade des Anglais, as reported by Monaco Life on Friday. An attempt by the MRAP Nice Grasse and France Palestine Solidarité associations to have the ban suspended was rejected by the administrative court on Friday.

Stores were boarded up in preparation for potential violence during Saturday’s protests. Photo credit: Marc Lapolla

The measures followed the violence of Saturday 17th October, when around 3,800 people marched from Place Masséna and shops on Avenue Jean-Médecin were looted. Ciotti had blamed the State for that day’s disorder, saying the ban would come with “a much larger police presence than last weekend when, I say this very clearly, the government failed in maintaining order and in anticipating the event.”

Around 450 national police officers and gendarmes were deployed in Nice, alongside more than 300 municipal police officers, CRS riot units, a water cannon and a RAID vehicle. Shopkeepers boarded up their windows, and a 9pm curfew for unaccompanied minors remained in force in several districts.

From Place Masséna to the Promenade

Protesters began gathering around Place Masséna at about 2.30pm, but were quickly pushed back by riot police. Shortly before 3pm, an unplanned procession broke away towards the Promenade des Anglais, itself inside the banned zone, where CRS officers warned the crowd that force would be used.

From there, the protest splintered into several groups that moved through Rue de France, Boulevard Victor-Hugo, Avenue Jean-Médecin and Vieux-Nice, with some attempting to approach the town hall. A separate march of around 500 people set off from Boulevard Victor-Hugo.

National police were deployed to control crowds on Nice’s main strip of Jean Medecin. Photo credit: Marc Lapolla

The afternoon began without damage to businesses, but tensions rose from around 4pm, when police began using tear gas regularly. The water cannon was deployed several times to disperse groups in the city centre.

Far-right militants confront protesters

The day took a different turn in the late afternoon. At around 4.30pm, a group of far-right activists was filmed by ICI Azur near the port, applauding police and singing La Marseillaise and Nissa la Bella before heading towards the city centre.

According to the prefecture, around 100 masked far-right militants converged on the centre with the aim of physically confronting the protesters. Police manoeuvred throughout the afternoon to keep the two sides apart, but fights broke out in the early evening near Vieux-Nice, around the Hôtel des Postes and Rue Alberti. Three people were lightly injured and treated by firefighters, and the prefecture reported two police officers injured during the day.

Ciotti, who leads the right-wing UDR party, had earlier said police were “targeted today with shocking violence and a clear intent to kill”, adding that anyone who harmed officers “must sleep a long time in prison”. By evening, he also condemned “in the strongest possible terms the attacks carried out today in Nice by far-right militants against participants in a peaceful demonstration.”

Right-wing supporters clashed with left-wing protesters in the centre of the city. Photo credit: Marc Lapolla

Arrests and an investigation

Of the 63 people arrested, 59 were placed in police custody, according to Nice public prosecutor Damien Martinelli. They comprised 49 men and 10 women, nine of them minors, most of them unknown to police. Most were held on suspicion of taking part in a group intending to commit violence or damage, as well as participating in a banned protest. Two were held for violence against police officers.

Eleven of those detained are suspected of belonging to the far-right movement. They were arrested in two vehicles before the violence took place, carrying masks, gloves, gas sprays and batons, and five were already known to police.

Unlike the previous weekend, the prefecture and the City of Nice confirmed that no shops or public property were damaged.

Protesters defied the ban and marched along Nice’s promenade in defiance. Photo credit: Marc Lapolla

A national pattern

Nice was not alone. Nationally, at least 410,000 people took part in protests on Saturday, according to Franceinfo, with the Interior Ministry reporting more than 1,300 arrests and 53 members of the security forces injured. Far-right attacks on protesters were also reported in Montpellier, Rouen and Nancy, among other cities, and Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez has asked prefects to refer such incidents to the courts.

What comes next

The gilets jaunes coordination has called for a new day of action on Saturday 31st October, this time in defence of the right to protest, which it says is under threat from what it calls the government’s authoritarian drift. Organisers are calling for rallies and sit-ins outside the National Assembly and town halls across France. Separately, trade unions have called a national mobilisation for Thursday 5th November.

No details of a Nice gathering for 31st October, or of any new prefectural restrictions, had been announced at the time of writing.

See also: 

17 October protest in Nice: violence, looting and questions over how the city lost control

Monaco Life is written by qualified journalists, writing original content. Sign up for our free newsletter, listen to our podcasts on Spotify, and follow us across Facebook,  Instagram, LinkedIn, and Tik Tok.

Main photo credit: Marc Lapolla

 

Monaco is changing how young women access sexual health care

by: Virginia D’Umas
26/10/2026

The Prince’s Government has announced a comprehensive sexual health roadmap designed to expand public information, prevention, and support services across the Principality. 

Coordinated by the Centre Monégasque de Dépistage (CMD) and the Centre de Coordination Prénatale et de Soutien Familial (CCP), the strategy centres on four key pillars: youth information, STI prevention, reproductive health support, and enhanced assistance during antenatal diagnosis.

Anonymous care for young women

A central element of the initiative is a new, completely free and anonymous gynaecological consultation service for girls and young women under 21 who live or attend school in Monaco. Operational since September 2026 at the CMD, the service addresses urgent risk situations, sexual health queries, and emergency contraception under medical supervision. 

The government highlighted that this service is intended for anonymous or urgent queries rather than replacing routine community gynecological care or managing pre-diagnosed conditions.

Comprehensive outreach and STI screening

To ensure young people have access to reliable, age-appropriate information, the government began rolling out a multi-channel communication plan in spring 2026, which will continue to expand over the coming months. This includes in-person sessions targeting both students and school nurses across Monegasque educational institutions, alongside digital content published on the Monaco Santé platform such as the ‘Questions d’ados’ booklet, social media campaigns via CMD’s Instagram, and video guides covering consent, contraception, and STI protection. 

Sexually transmitted infection testing will also be integrated into a broader, holistic sexual health framework.

Expanded antenatal support for couples

Beyond youth services, the roadmap strengthens care and guidance for couples undergoing antenatal diagnosis, specifically offering enhanced support in instances of medical termination of pregnancy and stillbirth. 

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Photo credit: Stéphane Danna – Direction de la Communication

Unlocking prehistoric secrets: Prince Albert II awards Global Palaeontology Grants in Paris

by: Virginia D’Umas
26/10/2026

Centuries of human history collided with cutting-edge science in Paris on Thursday 8th October, as Prince Albert II awarded the prestigious Rainier III Research Grants to four pioneering prehistorians. 

The young researchers gathered at the historic Institute of Human Palaeontology (IPH), founded in 1910 by Prince Albert I, to share discoveries ranging from Iberian glacial caves to ancient settlements in Central Asia. Selected from 67 applications spanning 17 nationalities, the recipients received their awards directly from the Prince during a high-level scientific symposium.

Global research focuses on human origins

The four winning projects span regions from the Mediterranean to Central Asia, focusing on key moments in early human history.

Spanish researchers Diego Lombao and José Rabunal secured funding to dig inside limestone caves in Galicia, studying how early humans adapted to harsh Ice Age conditions. French researcher Leïla Hoareau received support to examine prehistoric beads and jewellery, shedding light on ancient trading networks and social identities around the Mediterranean.

In Central Asia, Evgenyia Osipova was awarded for her excavation work in southwest Kazakhstan, uncovering some of the earliest human traces near the Aral Sea. Meanwhile, Iranian researcher Sepehr Zarei was recognised for his study of ancient stone tools in the Persian Gulf hinterland, tracing how early human species migrated across the region.

A century of discovery meets modern science

Running alongside the award ceremony, the scientific symposium, entitled ‘Our Origins in Question: Latest Advances in Human Palaeontology’, brought together four leading international scientists to evaluate how modern technology is reshaping the discipline. The speakers detailed how artificial intelligence, big data, and non-invasive imaging are transforming classical prehistory, allowing researchers to extract new insights from fossil records and genetic data.

University of Toulouse Professor José Braga addressed humanity’s earliest ancestors, focusing on australopithecines and paranthropes, while Professor Lluis Quintana-Murci of the Collège de France detailed the role of genetics in environmental adaptation. CNRS research director Dr. Marie-Hélène Moncel presented findings on the Eurasian dispersal of Palaeolithic cultures, and Complutense University of Madrid Professor Juan Luis Arsuaga illustrated how Neanderthal morphology adapted to extreme climate shifts.

As the world’s first foundation exclusively dedicated to prehistory and human palaeontology, the IPH continues to draw international scientists to study its fossil collections, bridging traditional field archaeology with cutting-edge analytical tools.

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Prince Albert II with the Global Palaeontology Grants winners in Paris. Photo Credit: Hugo Lopez CDG, Institut de Paléontologie Humaine

Who fills Monaco’s classrooms? Fewer locals than you might think

by: Cassandra Tanti
26/10/2026

Monaco’s schools have welcomed 6,592 pupils for the 2026-2027 academic year, just 26 more than last year, yet beneath that stable figure the gradual shift away from public education has continued, with state schools losing 50 pupils while the private sector gained 76.

The latest figures from Monaco Statistics (IMSEE), compiled from Department of Education, Youth and Sport data, also show how much the Principality’s classrooms depend on its neighbours. Almost a third of pupils live outside Monaco, and French nationals now outnumber Monegasques almost two to one.

Public share slips to 62%

Public schools still educate the majority of children in Monaco, with 4,089 pupils, or 62% of the total, spread across 10 of the Principality’s 16 primary and secondary schools. A year ago, the public sector taught 4,139 pupils and accounted for 63% of enrollments, as reported by Monaco Life in December.

The private sector now educates 2,503 pupils. Of these, 1,402 attend private schools under contract with the State, representing 21% of enrollments, while 1,101 are enrolled in private schools outside the contract system, or 17%. That second group has grown steadily: two years ago, it accounted for 14% of Monaco’s pupils.

The growth of the private sector in recent years has been driven largely by the arrival of the British School of Monaco, which opened in Fontvieille in 2022 and added secondary classes in 2024, and by the International School of Monaco’s move to its larger Testimonio II campus that same year.

Almost a third of pupils live outside Monaco

Of the 6,592 pupils enrolled, 4,473, or 68%, live in the Principality. Almost a quarter (24%) live in one of the French municipalities bordering Monaco, while a further 7% travel in from elsewhere in the Alpes-Maritimes, meaning roughly 2,000 children cross the border each school day.

The figures do not show how these pupils are distributed between schools. However, last year’s data indicated that Monaco residents were more inclined towards private education than families commuting from France, with 74.6% of private-school pupils living in the Principality, compared with 65.7% of those in public schools.

French pupils outnumber Monegasques

French nationals form the largest group in Monaco’s schools, with 2,576 pupils, or 39% of the total, up from 38% last year. Monegasque pupils number 1,343, holding steady at 20%.

Together, the two nationalities account for around 59% of enrolments, with the remaining 41% made up of other nationalities. Last year, Italians were the third-largest group at 12.7%, with 92 nationalities represented in all, although this year’s summary does not break down nationalities beyond French and Monegasque.

Boys and girls are almost evenly split, at 3,317 and 3,275 respectively.

A handful of schools dominate

At primary level, three schools educate 44% of pupils, with FANB the largest, followed by École Saint-Charles and the International School of Monaco. Secondary education is far more concentrated, with Collège Charles III, Lycée Albert Ier and FANB together teaching 74% of all secondary pupils.

More children in special needs education

The number of pupils receiving special needs education has risen to 71, eight more than last year, an increase of 13%. They represent around 1% of all pupils in primary and secondary education.

The figures, published by IMSEE in October, exclude nursery and higher education but include pupils at the Princess Grace Dance Academy and the AS Monaco Academy.

Monaco Life is written by qualified journalists, writing original content. Sign up for our free newsletter, listen to our podcasts on Spotify, and follow us across Facebook,  Instagram, LinkedIn, and Tik Tok.

Photo of International School of Monaco, credit: Cassandra Tanti