A border dispute in 1998 ignited a deadly war between Ethiopia and Eritrea, which share a border of over 1,000km. The war started when Eritrean troops invaded Badme, a contested town in Tigray, the northernmost region of Ethiopia. At the time, Ethiopia was ruled under a four-party political coalition created and dominated by Tigray People’s Liberation Front. Eritrea’s ruling party was historically an ally of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front. Abiy Ahmed’s peace overtures to Eritrea in 2018 and the resulting peace agreement were lauded by many in the global community and locally.

Ethiopian President Taye Atske Selassie said Ethiopia “consistently supports the two-state solution, where Israelis and Palestinians live side by side in peace,” as he hosted Israeli President Isaac Herzog for talks in Addis Ababa on Wednesday, Anadolu reports. Herzog, who was welcomed with an honor guard at the Presidential Palace, met with Selassie and Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed during his official visit, with discussions focused on strengthening bilateral political and diplomatic relations. Prime Minister Abiy said on his official X account that he had welcomed Herzog for “productive discussions,” adding that the two sides explored ways to enhance cooperation in areas of mutual interest. Ethiopia’s foreign ministry said Herzog also held talks with senior officials, including Foreign Minister Gedion Timothewos. READ: Egypt denies claims of allowing Ethiopia Red Sea access for Nile dam concessions

President Donald Trump made numerous false or misleading claims in his State of the Union address on Tuesday night. From CNN’s Daniel DaleFact check: Trump’s claim that more Americans are working today than everTrump repeated his regular claim that there are more people working today in the US than ever before. From CNN’s Daniel DaleElections and crimeFact check: Trump’s multiple false claims about US electionsTrump made a rapid-fire series of false claims about US elections while calling on Congress to pass a bill requiring voter identification and proof of citizenship when registering to vote. The Observer published its own fact check on Tuesday night noting Trump’s claim was not true. From CNN’s Daniel DaleThe-CNN-Wire™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros.

An Egyptian official on Tuesday denied a report claiming Cairo offered to help Ethiopia secure access to the Red Sea in exchange for flexibility over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). Reports that Cairo could help the landlocked country access the sea are "entirely unfounded", and Egypt's position on the dispute remains unchanged, an unnamed official told Egypt's state news agency MENA. The report, citing unnamed Egyptian sources, claimed that Cairo had offered to negotiate with its allies to provide Ethiopia with commercial access to the sea if Ethiopia makes concessions over its use of the Nile's water and refrains from stationing its military in the Red Sea. Ethiopia has refused to slow the filling of the dam's reservoir or increase the volume of water it allows to flow downstream to Egypt. Sea access is a vital strategic interest to Ethiopia, which lost its Red Sea coastline after Eritrea declared independence more than three decades ago.

Kuwait and Ethiopia Discuss Strengthening Ties in Phone CallKuwait City, February 25 (QNA) – Kuwait’s foreign minister has held talks by phone with his Ethiopian counterpart to review bilateral relations and exchange views on regional and international developments. Sheikh Jarrah Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah spoke on Wednesday with Gedion Timothewos about ways to enhance co-operation between Kuwait and Ethiopia, according to a statement carried by Kuwait’s state news agency. The two ministers discussed avenues for strengthening ties across a range of areas, reflecting what officials described as the positive trajectory of relations between the two countries. They also exchanged perspectives on several regional and international issues of mutual interest, underscoring the importance of continued consultation and co-ordination in addressing shared challenges.

But much of this bluster has been based on misinformation, which he again fell back on during his State of the Union address. That's a stronger pace of growth than the 2.2% achieved last year during the start of Trump's second term. After-tax incomes, adjusted for inflation, rose just 0.9% in 2025, down from 2.2% in 2024, Biden's last year in office. The annual gain in Trump's first year is the smallest since 2022, when inflation soared and caused Americans' inflation-adjusted income to drop. THE FACTS: Trump has actually taken steps to restrict who can emigrate to the U.S., often in the name of protecting national security.

As part of his official state visit to Ethiopia, President Isaac Herzog met with the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Abiy Ahmed Ali, at the Prime Minister's Office in Addis Ababa. President Herzog thanked Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and said, "Ethiopia is a pivotal nation in Africa and an important center of growth on the continent. President Herzog then met with the leadership of the local Jewish community in Addis Ababa. President Herzog expressed his deep appreciation to the community for its dedication to Jewish heritage and its longstanding contribution to strengthening the bond between the State of Israel and Ethiopian Jewry. At the invitation of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, President Herzog also visited the Science Museum in Addis Ababa, and drove together with the Prime Minister through 'Friendship Park' in the Ethiopian capital.

Ethiopia on Tuesday revoked the licence of independent online outlet Addis Standard saying it harmed national interests, in the latest curb on press freedom. According to a statement posted on Facebook by the Ethiopian Media Authority (EMA), whose director is appointed by the lower house of parliament, Addis Standard "has been repeatedly disseminating reports that violate media ethics, Ethiopian laws, and endanger the national interests of the country and its people". It said Addis Standard had ignored several warnings "to correct its course and refrain from its detrimental practices". "Therefore... the registration certificate of Addis Standard online media has been revoked effective from today, February 24, 2026," it added. Addis Standard is one of the country’s few independent media outlets, with nearly one million followers on X.

President Isaac Herzog met with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali in Addis Ababa. Herzog thanked Ali: 'Ethiopia is a central country in Africa and an important axis for the growth of the entire continent. I want to say clearly: There may be elements, here and abroad, trying to undermine our relationship with Africa. But our relationship is strong and our mutual interests are stronger than any such attempt.' The president later met with the leadership of the local Jewish community in Addis Ababa.

They are waiting for Haimanot, who is supposed to celebrate her bat mitzvah in about two months. ‘We do not lose hope’At noon Wednesday, exactly two years later, members of the Kassau family will march from Jerusalem’s Chords Bridge to the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration. “We do not let thoughts of losing hope enter our minds,” Tesfaye Kassau said. Police examined whether the man, who was acquainted with the Kassau family, was connected to Haimanot’s disappearance, but found no evidence. In October, the Kassau family watched live broadcasts of Israeli hostages returning from Hamas tunnels in Gaza.

Egypt on Tuesday evening denied reports claiming it was prepared to grant Ethiopia maritime access to the Red Sea in return for flexibility from Addis Ababa over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), a long-running source of tension between the two countries. According to Egypt’s state news agency, Middle East News Agency, an official source categorically rejected circulating “reports that Egypt is ready to grant Ethiopia maritime access to the Red Sea in exchange for Ethiopian flexibility regarding the dam”. “No other states have the right to participate in any arrangements or understandings concerning the Red Sea,”, he added— in an apparent reference to Ethiopia, which is landlocked and does not border the sea. Officials in Addis Ababa have repeatedly spoken of Ethiopia’s need for access to the Red Sea, while Egypt has consistently rejected the presence of any non-littoral state in Red Sea arrangements. READ: Trump says he believes progress possible between Egypt, Ethiopia on Nile dam

Tax season can bring anxiety for some as they wonder if they will owe even more taxes by April 15. However, some of that anxiety can be alleviated early as taxpayers learn which credits and deductions they can take advantage of to keep more of their earnings.

Two full years have passed since the mysterious disappearance of the young Ethiopian girl Haymanut Kasau from Safed, with little progress made in the case. Kasau, nine at the time, has been missing since February 25, 2024. Kasau’s family has long argued that all signs pointed to an abduction. Over a dozen committee meetings in the Knesset on her disappearance have taken place with the attendance of Kasau’s family, police, and lawmakers. Tesfaye Kasau: 'I am ashamed of the state'Tesfaye, her father, told a panel in December, “I am ashamed of the state.

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday (Feb 24) reiterated the claim of ending eight wars in the first 10 months of his presidency during his address at the State of the Union of his second term to a joint session of Congress in the House Chamber of the United States Capitol. However, not all of the conflicts happened in the first year of his term. Moreover, not all of those nations have credited him for reaching a peace agreement, and some of those conflicts are not even considered wars.

Where Innovation Meets ScaleIsrael has earned its reputation as a global innovation hub, in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, water management, irrigation, agricultural science, and advanced engineering. The Red Sea DimensionThere is also a quieter strategic layer to this visit. Ethiopia’s pursuit of peaceful and mutually beneficial access to the Red Sea is not framed as expansionism but as economic realism. The southern Red Sea corridor has grown increasingly complex in recent years, marked by overlapping interests and heightened security concerns. For Israel, itself a Red Sea actor, stability in the Horn of Africa is not an abstract calculation.