
Children worldwide are celebrating the fifth anniversary of Kids' Athletics Day, a month-long campaign in May 2026 designed to encourage young people to be more active. The initiative, which started in 2022, has already reached 1.3 million children through schools, clubs, and communities, and aims to reach a total of two million this year. The 2026 theme, "The Power of FIVE," emphasizes celebration and connection, promoting local creativity while working towards the global goal of increasing children's participation in athletics. The campaign launched with Olympic 200m champion Letsile Tebogo joining 50 children in Botswana for an event ahead of the Debswana World Athletics Relays Gaborone 26. The Botswana Athletics Association also hosted over 400 children at a festival, providing them with tickets to watch the World Relays and the opportunity for some to serve as baton kids, interacting with athletes on the track. Uganda has seen significant participation early in the campaign, with over 37,000 children in 22 activations, while Benin, Brazil, Kenya, and Venezuela have each engaged around 5,000 children.
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This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by The Reporter Ethiopia.
Must ReadOver 4,000 participants have gathered in Addis Ababa for the final conference of Ethiopia's National Dialogue, which began today at the Addis International Convention Center and will continue for several weeks. The conference will address eight main agendas established by the Dialogue Commission NDC after years of nationwide input. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed PhD indicated in his opening remarks that the resolutions could result in constitutional amendments. Mesfin Araya PhD, commissioner of the NDC, urged participants to let their dialogue be guided by wisdom, public interest, and a vision for future generations, emphasizing that their decisions will be crucial for Ethiopia's peace, democratization, and consensus.
Must ReadUS Ambassador to Ethiopia Ervin Massinga is in Mekelle for discussions with regional leaders and aid organizations. This visit occurs as the Tigray People’s Liberation Front TPLF stated the Pretoria Agreement, which concluded the two-year conflict in November 2022, is “effectively dead.” The TPLF also announced that Tigray’s self-reinstated political leaders would not attend the National Dialogue conference that began today in Addis Ababa. The US embassy indicated that Ambassador Massinga's visit aims to emphasize the critical need for open dialogue and the full implementation of the peace deal to avoid a return to conflict. The embassy statement highlighted that peace and stability enable communities to develop local capacity and move from emergency aid to long-term self-reliance. Last month, the US State Department imposed visa restrictions on hardline TPLF members and their immediate families due to increasing tensions in northern Ethiopia.
Must ReadThe National Bank of Ethiopia NBE plans to cease premium payments to gold suppliers by the end of 2026, according to a recent IMF document. This decision is part of a broader strategy to phase out direct involvement in the gold market, with a longer-term exit plan to be developed by December 2026. The NBE currently pays 5–15 percent above international prices for gold, which the IMF suggests contributes to the parallel market exchange rate. The IMF document also highlights that illicit gold trade fuels the parallel market, hindering efforts to unify official and parallel forex rates. Other factors contributing to persistent parallel market spreads include restrictions on forex access for current account transactions, high bank transaction costs, and the central bank’s forex commission. The IMF projects Ethiopia's strong export performance to continue into 2026/27, with coffee export revenues potentially reaching USD three billion despite a predicted 35 percent decline in international coffee prices since November 2025. The goods trade deficit is expected to narrow slightly to USD 12.6 billion, supported by high gold prices. However, the IMF warns that high fuel prices due to the US-Iran conflict and potential drops in international gold and coffee prices could strain reserves, complicating the goal of achieving 3.5 months of import coverage by the program's end in 2028. Current reserves cover an estimated 2.1 months of imports.