Top 10 stories of the week about Monaco
Sport and tourism, health and innovations… this week had it all. And HelloMonaco selected for you the most interesting news of the past week.
Autumn Activities in the Oceanographic Museum
A lively autumn lies ahead, as you can see from this programme of activities scheduled from 21st October to 5th November 2017.
To counter Halloween spells, the Oceanographic Museum takes you into the fascinating and colourful realm of the marine world: let yourself be guided by Professor Tentaculus for an unusual visit, enjoy a 360° dive with sperm whales, view gorgeous fluorescent coral and spark your imagination in front of the giant works of Philippe Pasqua… real and virtual fun awaits you and your family!
Campaign for “A Month without Tobacco”
Smokers, could you go a month without tobacco? Launched in 2016, the operation “Moi(s) sans tabac” (translating as ‘me without tobacco/a month without tobacco’), aimed at collectively stopping smoking during the month of November, is being renewed in 2017.
9th Forum for European Athletes’ Commission Monaco IOC announced adjourned
Several meetings and workshops punctuated the 9th Forum for European Athletes, including: organizing the 2nd European Games in Minsk, Belarus for 2019; protecting clean athletes and continuing the fight against doping; IOC presentation about support programs for athletes.
New updates on TEDxMonteCarlo: second edition speakers
This article provides some details from the second edition of the TEDxMonteCarlo on 11th November at the Grimaldi Forum Monaco. 18 committed speakers from around the world will explore a wide range of ideas related to science, business and global issues. With the “License to Know”, speakers will explore topics including prevention, security, transparency, artificial intelligence and entrepreneurship. In these talks and in order to share their passions, speakers at both local and international level come up with innovative ideas, create new conversations and inspire other ways of doing things.
The “Destination Monaco” Evening in Munich is a Great Success
On 11 October, an event was held in Munich, Germany, to promote “Destination Monaco.” This event was organised by Monaco Tourist and Convention Authority (DTC), and brought together more than a hundred tourism professionals from the Bavarian capital.
Monaco’s Rowing victory at the 14th Sanremo-Monaco
The Nautical Society of Monaco won an important gold medal at the 14th San Remo-Monaco. Up against eleven other teams, the Monegasque men’s team, composed of William Ader, Maxime Maillet, Mathias Raymond, Gaëtan Delhon and their helmsman Solène Gobbi, won the regatta by a landslide! 32kilometres in 2h20, they set the new record for the competition (the previous record was 2h30).
The four-woman team led by Mélanie Delval, Kristina Fortuna, Clara Stefanelli, Carla Maillet and Samantha Gobbi, finished in fourth place (2h57m38s), just 19 seconds short of third place. Amazing accomplishments for both teams.
Results: 1st place: Monaco Men’s (2h20); 2nd place: Gruenau Men’s (2h50); 3rd place: Sanremo Men’s(2h57m19s); 4th place: Monaco Women (2h57m38s); 5th place: Carqueïranne Men’s (3h12m24s)
Winter Uniforms for the Prince’s Carabinieri
The Prince’s carabinieri, firefighters and police officers of Monaco have transitioned into their winter uniforms. Every day, the same ritual takes place on the square of the Prince’s Palace. At 11:55 sharp, bells ring to announce the changing of the guards. This military ceremony is one of Monaco’s major tourist attractions. Monday 23 October was the uniform transition date decided upon by Prince Albert II, with advice from Colonel Luc Fringant, superior commander of the Monegasque Public Force. Hundreds of tourists gathered on the Palace Square to watch the carabinieri dressed in white leave their guard duty to colleagues dressed in dark uniforms, made of a thicker fabric. A welcome new outfit for soldiers who monitor the Palace 24 hours a day.
Prince Albert II attends ASM Athletes Award Ceremony
More than 300 athletes gathered at the Rainier-Ill Auditorium on Monday night to be awarded for their excellent season, under the eyes of Prince Albert II. Dozens of star athletes were awarded throughout the evening. Téo Andant, master of the 400-metre, was crowned Athlete of the Year. The event was a beautiful way of rewarding Monaco’s talented athletes for their very successful season.
Banning Plastic Bottles to Reduce the Principality’s Carbon Footprint
Since 1 July, the Monegasque administration has been leading by example: no more water bottles on meeting tables and no plastic cups near the Ministry of State’s water fountains. After banning plastic bags (replaced by recyclable shopping bags) plastic bottles and cups will soon be banned from public spaces. Although plastic represents 11.6% of waste, it creates a whopping 83% of greenhouse gas emissions after incineration.
Sparkling water fountains rejected by the Principality
In order to ease the transition, Marie-Pierre Gramaglia from Environment and Urban Planning suggests highlighting public water fountains. 47 fountains already dot the Principality, but a smartphone app or better signage could help tourists and locals locate the fountains.
Cities like Nice and San Francisco have been providing free sparkling water fountains for almost 10 years. An option rejected by the Principality because sparkling water fountains are not environmentally friendly, are too large for Monaco’s dense infrastructure and are not aesthetically pleasing.
Large-scale Cyberattack in Monaco
On Wednesday at around 16:30, part of the Principality lost its internet connection due to a hacking attempt targeted at several IP addresses in Monaco. Because the attack was quite severe, Monaco Telecom had to shut down the internet to protect the rest of the Monegasque network and to set up a device to block the attack. Cyber attacks are common in Monaco and in many places and are usually dealt with by Monaco Telecom engineers without users even noticing. But this attack was stronger than usual. A crisis unit was set up, mobilizing a dozen engineers and cutting service for 30 to 40 minutes in order to block the attack and restart the Internet. The origin of the attack remains unknown.
