All posts tagged: Côte

Côte Brasserie launches exclusive Father’s Day menu – with free drinks for dads | UK | News

Côte Brasserie launches exclusive Father’s Day menu – with free drinks for dads | UK | News

Published by Sam Flores

Côte launches exclusive menu for ‘truly special’ Father’s Day (Image: Côte Brasserie) Côte Brasserie has launched its Father’s Day menu with premium sharing dishes and free drinks for Dad – whether dining in one of its brasseries or enjoying a feast at home. There are now more than 60 Côte Brasserie restaurants across the UK, and this year the popular restaurant is going all out. Available on Sunday 21st June, Côte’s Father’s Day celebrations include free drinks for dads all day, alongside exclusive set menus and premium steak specials, designed for sharing. For those starting celebrations earlier in the day, Côte’s relaxed breakfast offering includes cooked breakfasts, eggs Benedict or lighter bites so every palate is catered for. From fluffy French toast to perfectly poached eggs, every dad dining for breakfast on Father’s Day will receive a free Bloody Mary or Virgin Mary. Dads will enjoy a free beer on the house (Image: Côte Brasserie) Later in the day, guests can enjoy Côte’s specially curated Father’s Day Set Menu, with two courses for £29.50 or …

The return of France’s train of marvels: from the Côte d’Azur to the Southern French Alps | France holidays

The return of France’s train of marvels: from the Côte d’Azur to the Southern French Alps | France holidays

Published by Sam Flores

Nine-thirty on a sunny Tuesday morning, and the platforms at Nice-Ville station are buzzing. Office workers nudge their way past backpackers, passengers clamber on to trains heading east to Monaco and Italy, or west to Antibes and Cannes. My husband and I, however, are heading away from the glittering coastline and boarding the Train des Merveilles (Train of Wonders) into the Alpes-Azur mountains. Back on track last December after a programme of major works closed the line for a year, it’s one of the most spectacular train routes in Europe, a two-hour journey that climbs 1,000 metres in 100km, linking Nice with the medieval town of Tende, surrounded by the soaring peaks of the Mercantour national park. Illustration: Guardian Graphics It’s barely 10 minutes before the suburbs of Nice begin to melt into low hills, scattered with auburn-roofed villas and copses of chestnut trees. Once the ascent begins, it’s easy to see why maintaining the line, begun in 1883, is a serious task. More than 100 bridges and viaducts – and almost as many tunnels and retaining …

France Returns Looted “Talking Drum” to the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire

France Returns Looted “Talking Drum” to the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire

Published by Jenni Sidey

In a ceremony held on Friday at the Musée Quai Branly in Paris, France officially returned a drum known as the “talking drum” or Djidji Ayôkwé, to the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire. The news was reported by French newspaper Le Monde. The ten-foot-long, 940-pound drum has a single-piece soundbox slit in half longitudinally. Extending out from the slit are two planks, one of which supports a carving of a jumping leopard. The box itself is decorated with carved faces and geometric patterns. Related Articles The drum was once used by Côte d’Ivoire’s Atchan/Ebrié people to transmit messages between villages many miles apart, including warnings of impending recruitment operations by French colonial troops. It was seized by French authorities in 1916 as a way of suppressing local resistance. Between 1916 and 1930, the drum was kept outside the French governor’s Ivorian home. It was transferred to France in 1929 and housed most recently at the Musée Quai Branly, where it recently underwent restoration. The drum topped a list of 148 objects that Côte d’Ivoire requested from …

Côte d’Ivoire’s divided opposition fights for survival in legislative elections

Côte d’Ivoire’s divided opposition fights for survival in legislative elections

Published by Sam Flores

Residents stand near posters of candidates from the Rassemblement des houphouëtistes pour la démocratie et la paix during the legislative elections in the Abobo district of Abidjan, December 20, 2025. SIA KAMBOU / AFP On Saturday, December 27, Ivorians are heading to the polls to elect their MPs, two months after re-electing incumbent President Alassane Ouattara to a fourth term in a vote that saw the opposition sidelined after its prominent leaders were excluded. The Assemblée Nationale is set to renew 255 seats, and the opposition – both weakened and divided – hopes to win a significant share. This is crucial for its political and financial survival, and for having influence in a chamber dominated by the ruling party, the Rally of Houphouëtists for Democracy and Peace, which holds 165 MPs, followed by the Democratic Party of Côte d’Ivoire (64 MPs) and the African People’s Party (18 MPs). The challenge appears daunting as Ouattara’s party aims to dominate the country’s political life. “The goal is an absolute majority,” said Mamadou Touré, minister for youth and …