Each year, Ivrea becomes the stage for a ritualised street battle as the Battle of the Oranges takes over the town. Residents form foot teams, facing off against masked cart riders in a coordinated volley of citrus. The contest, both chaotic and carefully organised, anchors the Carnival of Ivrea and signals the start of its busiest days. The ritual retells the story of Violetta, the miller’s daughter who kills a tyrant and sparks a revolt. Today, the fruit stands in for stones and anger. The Carnival of Ivrea runs for three days ahead of Lent, combining noise, physical effort and…
Author: Montage Africa
In front of several hundred people, contestants in feathered costumes take turns screeching into a banana-shaped mic. Some come from nearby towns, others from much farther away. Everyone invents a character. This year’s shield went to Laurie Duhaudt, aka “Maître Mouette et Chandon”, dressed in pearls, heart-shaped sunglasses and full gull plumage. The jury, made up of past winners and carnival regulars, rewarded timing, tone and commitment. YouTuber Raphaël Carlier joined in too, while his partner David Coscas watched from the crowd. It is silly, noisy and oddly precise, and it now ranks among Dunkirk’s key carnival moments.
By Rédaction Africanews and Agencies Muslims across Egypt are preparing for the start of the holy month of Ramadan on Tuesday. But at the Sayyida Zeinab market in Cairo’s Old Islamic neighborhood, rising “Prices are definitely high and increase every year compared to the previous year, so demand is low,” says Cairo resident Hossam Mohamed Sobhi. “For example, a lantern that we used to buy last year for between 50-60 pounds ($1.1-1.3) costs now 150-200 pounds ($3.2-4.2) pounds, which is double.” Traders are doing what they can to provide for customers with different budgets, sayd vendor Mohamed El Sayyed: “Sales…
By Africanews with AFP Kenya said Tuesday its foreign minister would go to Moscow next month after condemning recruiters luring Kenyans to Russia with promises of lucrative jobs, only to end up fighting alongside its forces. Mounting reports in recent weeks indicate that Kenyans, deceived into travelling for high-paying work in Russia, are dying on the battlefield or suffering serious wounds. An AFP investigation published this week revealed the web of deception into which four men with no military background fell — forced to sign contracts with the Russian army and swiftly sent to the front lines in Ukraine. “We…
By Rédaction Africanews with agencies The foreign ministers of Senegal and Egypt met outside Cairo on Tuesday to discuss strengthening bilateral relations and enhancing political coordination between the two countries. Badr Abdelatty and his Senegalese counterpart, Cheikh Niang, also spoke about harmonising their positions on regional and international issues ahead of the upcoming African Union summit. This included the ongoing civil war in Sudan, with Abdelatty saying they spoke about the importance of preserving “the sovereignty, unity, and independence of Sudanese lands”. He went to say they rejected “any parallel entities or governments” and would not accept the “secession of…
By Rédaction Africanews with AP A shooting at a school in British Columbia left seven people dead, while two more were found dead at a nearby home, Canadian authorities said Tuesday. A woman who police believe to be the shooter also was killed. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said more than 25 people are injured, including two who were airlifted to hospital with life-threatening injuries, after the shooting at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School. School shootings are rare in Canada. The town of Tumbler Ridge in the Canadian Rockies is more than 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) north of Vancouver, near the…
By Rédaction Africanews The United States is set to deploy around 200 troops to Nigeria to assist in training the country’s military to combat Islamist militant groups, according to a U.S. official on Tuesday. This move comes weeks after President Donald Trump authorized airstrikes targeting what he described as Islamic State positions in the region. Last week, the U.S. military confirmed the presence of a small team in Nigeria, though it did not disclose the size of the deployment. The announcement represents the first official acknowledgment of American forces on the ground following Washington’s Christmas Day air raids. The additional…
By Rédaction Africanews The Chinese community in Nigeria’s capital city of Abuja staged a temple fair on Saturday along with Nigerian partners to celebrate the Spring Festival and 55 years of bilateral diplomatic relations. The Spring Festival, which falls on Feb 17 this year, marks the start of the Chinese New Year, the most important holiday in China. This year ushers in the Year of the Horse, the seventh animal in the 12-year Chinese zodiac cycle. Held at the China Cultural Center in Abuja, the temple fair featured a diverse range of activities, including cultural performances and picture exhibition, attracting…
By Rédaction Africanews The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, on Tuesday called on both Ethiopia and Eritrea to take urgent steps towards de-escalation, amid the precarious situation in the Tigray region,” the UN Human Rights Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani told the bi-weekly press conference in Geneva today (10 Feb). This comes after Ethiopia accused Eritrea of a massacre in Tigray and further called on its military to exit its territory. “Recent fighting between the Ethiopian army and regional forces has highlighted the risk of a deepening human rights crisis in the north of the country.” “The situation remains…
Zimbabwe has officially announced the launch of Zimbabwe Mining Week, a new annual international conference and exhibition designed to position the country as a purposeful and competitive participant in the global critical minerals economy. Hosted by the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development, Zimbabwe, and organised by VUKA Group, in partnership with founding partner Nzuri Communications, Zimbabwe Mining Week will take place from 17–19 November 2026 at Rainbow Towers Hotel&Conference Venue, Harare. The platform is established as the official national meeting place for government, mining companies, investors, financiers and solution providers committed to unlocking Zimbabwe’s mineral wealth through processing, industrialisation,…