opening

CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy — An 11-year-old boy who was left stranded in the snow after a local bus fare was hiked ahead of the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics will take part in Friday’s opening ceremony in a symbolic role, a spokesperson said. The boy, identified as Riccardo, boarded a bus home from school last week in the Cortina d’Ampezzo area with a 2.50-euro ticket, the usual fare. But the operating company had raised the cost to 10 euros ahead of the Games, which run from Feb. 6-22, and he was told to get off when he could…

U.S. eases some Venezuela oil sanctions, opening trade for American firms WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has lifted some sanctions on Venezuela’s oil industry to make it easier for U.S. companies to move and process the country’s crude, even as broader restrictions on production remain in place, according to the Treasury Department. The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control issued a general license authorizing U.S. entities to buy, sell, transport, store and refine Venezuelan-origin oil. The measure is intended…

Somalia’s Parliament Opening Postponed as Electoral Battle Deepens MOGADISHU — What began as a procedural delay has rippled into a broader political crisis in Somalia, revealing the frictions inside a fragile federal system trying to move from clan-based power sharing to direct elections. Lawmakers were told at the last minute that the Federal Parliament would not open as scheduled on Saturday — a pause President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s office has tied to changes in his travel plans — and the leadership said the 7th session…

Kenya’s president travels to Addis Ababa as Ethiopia opens contested Grand Renaissance Dam ADDIS ABABA — Kenya’s President William Ruto arrived in Ethiopia on Sunday to attend the inauguration of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), a sweeping hydroelectric project on the Blue Nile that has long been a flashpoint with downstream neighbours Egypt and Sudan. State House in Nairobi cast the visit as a milestone for continental cooperation. “This inauguration symbolizes Africa’s self-reliance and a major step in…

This past week was a rollercoaster for Manchester United, culminating in a 1-1 stalemate with Chelsea and the grim announcement that the club has experienced its worst league beginning in nearly four decades. Moises Caicedo’s sensational long-range volley salvaged a point for Chelsea, leaving United stranded on a mere 12 points — the lowest tally after ten games since the infamous 1986-87 season, according to Opta, the Premier League’s data supplier. Interesting enough, this was the same year when Alex Ferguson took charge,…

The pre-dialogue between the authorities and the Chadian political-military groups began this morning, Sunday, March 13, in Doha. The purpose of these discussions is to enable the participation of all Chadian rebel groups in the inclusive national dialogue…

The draw for the Africa Cup of Nations 2021 (postponed until 2022) took place on Tuesday 17 August at the Palais des Congrès in Yaoundé, Cameroon. The host country meets BurkinaFaso in the opening match on January 9. Title holder Algeria must challenge the Ivory Coast. The 24 qualified selections are fixed. They know their…

Emmanuel Macron is on an official visit to Rwanda on Thursday 27 May. This rapprochement with Kigali is made possible in particular by the Ducler Commission's report on France's responsibility for the 1994 genocide. It was drawn up on the basis of easy access to the official archives of the time. Despite the promise of greater transparency, access to classified documents is still boring for researchers.…

In Kinshasa before the High Military Court, the trial against the Yumbi massacres opened in December 2018 yesterday, Tuesday 25 May. As soon as the first hearing began, the civilian parties and the defense lawyers requested the postponement. What the court approved. with our correspondent in Kinshasa, Kamanda wa Kamanda…

Kalev Mutondo, is scheduled to appear on Monday before the Gombe tribunal de grande instans in Kinshasa. The former director general of the National Intelligence Agency (ANR) is being prosecuted by three of his victims: SCODE party president Jean-Claude Muyambo, Cyrille Doe Mupampa and Joseph Kapula Mulumba. The complainants are suing Kalev Mutondo for human rights violations.…