Swiss skier Franjo von Allmen secured the first gold medal of the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, while the opening ceremony, featuring performances by Mariah Carey and Andrea Bocelli, officially launched the games on Saturday. The 24-year-old von Allmen dominated the men's downhill competition at the Stelvio Ski Center in Bormio, finishing with a time of 1:51.61, according to Fox News. The opening ceremony, which took place across multiple locations, including Milan's San Siro stadium, was a success despite logistical challenges, BBC World reported.
Von Allmen, competing in his first Olympics, beat out Italian favorite Dominik Paris by fifty-hundredths of a second. He reached top speeds of 83.77 mph during the final stretch of his run, Fox News reported. The opening ceremony included the lighting of two Olympic cauldrons, one in Milan and the other in Cortina, with Andrea Bocelli's performance of "Nessun Dorma" as a highlight, according to BBC World.
In other news, Japan is preparing for a snap election on Sunday, with the country's first female prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, hoping to secure a clear public mandate for the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), BBC World reported. This election is a gamble, as her predecessor, Shigeru Ishiba, lost a similar election.
Meanwhile, police are investigating a new message related to the suspected abduction of the mother of US news presenter Savannah Guthrie, according to BBC World. Authorities are examining the information for accuracy, following public pleas from the Guthrie family for proof of her well-being.
In the financial sector, the price of Bitcoin fell to its lowest level in 16 months, despite former US President Donald Trump's support for cryptocurrency, BBC Technology reported. A single Bitcoin dropped to $60,000 (44,000), its lowest point since September 2024, before slightly recovering. "Those who bet too big, borrowed too much or assumed prices only go up are now finding out the hard way what real market volatility and risk management look like," Joshua Chu, co-chair of the Hong Kong Web3 Association, told Reuters, according to BBC Technology.
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