MIRRA ANDREEVA WINS FRENCH OPEN AT 19, BECOMES YOUNGEST WOMEN’S CHAMPION SINCE MONICA SELES . (PHOTO).

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 Mirra Andreeva wins French Open at 19, becomes youngest women’s champion since Monica Seles   Russian tennis star Mirra Andreeva completed a breakout run at the French Open on Saturday, defeating Polish qualifier Maja Chwalinska 6-3, 6-2 to capture her first Grand Slam title at age 19. Andreeva, who was already regarded as a prodigy after emerging on the WTA Tour as a teenager, became the youngest women’s singles champion since Monica Seles, who was 18 when she won her third straight French Open in 1992. Ranked eighth in the world, she controlled the final in Paris, taking command after dropping just a few early games. The match shifted decisively when Andreeva won nine consecutive games to seize control, eventually closing out the victory with a backhand winner on match point before falling to her knees in celebration on the clay. She finished with 25 winners compared to Chwalinska’s 10 and committed fewer unforced errors in a match played under windy conditions at Cour...

RWANDA BLASTS U. S SANCTIONS ON ITS MINISTER OVER DRC FIGHTING. (PHOTO).


 Rwanda blasts US sanctions on its minister over DRC fighting


Rwanda late on Thursday condemned the US decision to impose sanctions on its minister over M23 rebels fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, describing it as “unjustified and unfounded.”


The US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced the economic sanctions against Rwanda's Minister of State for Regional Integration James Kabarebe, a former army commander, saying that he was central to his country's support for the M23 rebels, Anadolu Agency reported.


The US also imposed sanctions on Lawrence Kanyuka, the M23 rebel spokesman, along with two companies he controls — Kingston Fresh, a UK-registered food services company, and Kingston Holding, a French-based mining consultancy.


In a statement, Rwanda's Foreign Ministry said the sanctions were not a solution to the ongoing conflict in Congo.


'Unwarranted interference'


“If sanctions could resolve conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, we would have had peace in the region decades ago,” it said.


“Punitive measures including sanctions make no contribution toward long term security, peace, and stability for all the countries of the Great Lakes region. Such measures can only be construed as unwarranted external interference in the Africa-led process which risks prolonging the resolution of the conflict.”


The sanctions came after the M23 group intensified its territorial control in eastern Congo since December, seizing the provincial capitals of Goma and Bukavu.


Washington called on Rwanda to withdraw its forces from Congo and engage in diplomatic efforts under the Angola-led Luanda Process.


Since January 26, the conflict has resulted in over 3,000 deaths, nearly 3,000 injuries and more than 500,000 new displacements, adding to the already 6.4 million displaced, according to the UN.

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