The leader of Sudan’s rebel militia the Rapid Support Forces, Gen Mohamed Dagalo, landed in Addis Ababa on Thursday for talks on ending the civil war at home, the Ethiopian Foreign Ministry said. In his first appearance outside Sudan since the start of the civil war, Gen Dagalo had met Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni earlier on Thursday, the military leader said in a statement. Today, I had the pleasure of visiting our sister country of Uganda and participating in a fruitful meeting with H.E. During the meeting, we discussed developments in Sudan and how to best address the hardships faced by our people. The RSF has in recent weeks gained the upper hand after capturing Wad Madani in central Sudan this month.

Diplomatic efforts, including Saudi and U.S.-led talks in Jeddah, have made little visible progress towards halting the conflict in Sudan. Ethiopian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Demeke Mekonnen earlier met Dagalo, commonly known as Hemedti, at Ethiopia's Bole International Airport. Last month, a top Sudanese general accused the UAE of backing the RSF's war effort, funnelling supplies through countries including Uganda. The UAE said in response that it supported diplomatic dialogue and de-escalation in Sudan, while Uganda said the accusations were false. Survivors have identified commanders from the RSF and allied Arab militias as playing a key role in directing the violence in Darfur.

The Ministry of Trade and Regional Integration revealed that the African Trade Ministerial Council has accepted Ethiopia's proposal to trade 5,700 goods, constituting 90% of products, within the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). According to the AfCFTA plan, Ethiopia will include these items in the non-tariff scheme after seven years, with negotiations planned for the remaining 10% of goods. The goal is to initiate a bilaterally guided trade initiative with AfCFTA member countries to enhance the competitiveness of Ethiopian products in the African market. Bilateral trade efforts are underway, involving steps such as preparation, item identification, and engagement with the private sector. Future negotiations will continue for goods excluded from the current list.

It received its name Reykjavik by Mrs. fiórdís Lóa fiórhallsdóttir, Deputy Mayor of Reykjavik City and chairperson of the council’s executive committee. Our Reykjavik is now an ambassador for the city, the island and the TUI Group – right across Europe. “It is a great pleasure to be the godmother of this TUI Boeing 737-8 named after our beautiful city, the northernmost capital in the world. TUI guests from other European markets are also flocking to Iceland, mostly using flights of partner airlines. TUI Iceland holidays cover both go-at-your-own pace getaways, and adventures that come with experiences included.

It is always tempting to time a trip to Milan when there is a glamorous event going on. Photo: John BruntonMilan’s other cool, under-the-radar neighbourhood is Porta Venezia, the buzzing multi-ethnic quarter around one of the arched city gates. Lifelike stuffed animals adorn the Museo di Storia Naturale in the Porta Venezia neigbourhood. The menu at Trattoria Milanese dal 1933 has barely changed in 90 years. Here, at the old-fashioned Trattoria Milanese dal 1933, they serve a menu that has barely changed in 90 years.

Van Aert was gradually being gained on by Van der Haar and Nieuwenhuis, who were still in 3rd and 4th positions. Pidcock would have to chase 3rd place, because Van Aert was safe with his 2nd place, while Van der Poel was not going to give away the victory. In the fight for 3rd place between Pidcock, Nieuwenhuis and Van der Haar, it was Van der Haar who was the first to be dropped. I have already been on the podium here with Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert, so I have good memories.”Telenet Superprestige – Heusden-Zolder Men Result:1. Heusden-Zolder’23Telenet Superprestige – Heusden-Zolder Women 2023Fem van Empel suffered her first defeat of the cross season on Tuesday, but was back on top on Wednesday, although Van Empel wasn’t given the win on a plate.

Fitch has issued another downgrade to Ethiopia’s credit rating, putting it squarely in junk territory with a ‘Restricted Default’ or RD status. The credit rating agency has issued what it calls a “Long Term Issuer Default Rating” after the Ethiopian government failed to pay the first coupon on its outstanding USD one billion Eurobond due in full by December next year. The USD 33 million coupon payment was due December 11, 2023, with a two-week graceperiod. The Eurobond was secured in 2014 and used to fund the construction of industrial parks,including the flagship Hawassa Industrial Park. - Advertisement -The default rating is the latest in a series of four consecutive credit downgrades issued by Fitch Ratings since December 2022.

Puzzle Huddle was created by Matthew Goins. Frustrated with the lack of diverse images shown on commercially-produced puzzles. Matthew began by printing images from the internet and hand-cutting puzzles at home with a pair of scissors. Puzzle Huddle offers children’s jigsaw puzzles that feature aspirational and affirming images. Visit the website to shop and subscribe.

Credit: Lubo Ivanko/ ShutterstockEthiopian Airlines, said to be Africa’s largest carrier, has secured a loan worth $450m from banking giant Citi Group to finance five new aircraft. The airline will purchase all five jets from Boeing: three passenger 737-8 jets and two 777F planes for freight operations. Citi was also keen to point to the US-Ethiopia business ties the deal will create, with the aircraft built at Boeing’s facilities in Washington, US, before handover to the airline. Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO Mesfin Tasew said: “We are pleased to announce that we have reached an agreement with Citi to secure a USD $450 million loan. This financing will allow us to expand our fleet size by adding five new aircraft, three B737-8 MAXs and two 777 Freighter.

Witnesses at the scene told first responders that the incident started as an altercation that escalated to gunfire, police said. GARLAND, Texas — A 34-year-old man is dead, and a 24-year-old man has been arrested and charged with murder, following an altercation that escalated to gunfire outside of an Ethiopian restaurant and hookah lounge in Garland on Christmas Day, police said. Witnesses at the scene told first responders that the incident started as an altercation that escalated to gunfire, police said. Police have since arrested 24-year-old Johnny Lewis III and charged him with Baranja's murder. Lewis is currently being detained at the Garland Detention Center, and no bond has yet been set in his case.

Addis Ababa, — The Ethiopian Tourism Pavilion at the Karachi Feast received an overwhelming response through attracting an impressive influx of more than 25,000 visitors over the three-day extravaganza. The Ethiopian Embassy in Islamabad said that the spectacle which concluded on Sunday was graced by Pakistan's Minister for Youth Affairs, Sports, Culture and Tourism, Junaid Shah. The minister lauded the Embassy of Ethiopia for introducing tourism and culture of Ethiopia in Pakistan. The Ethiopian Tourism Pavilion gave a captivating display of Ethiopia's multifaceted culture, rich heritage, and unparalleled tourism offerings. The cultural performances by the Ethiopian Embassy elicited immense applause, further enhancing the impressive experience for the Karachi audience.

American Affair is the sister company of award-winning North America travel specialist Canadian Affair. American Affair, the sister operator to Canadian Affair, today (27th December, 2023) launches its spectacular Ultimate Sale for Agents (USA), with incentives for travel agents and major savings for their customers. Every booking made with American Affair during the sale counts as one entry to win a place. Stuart Rogers, Head of Product and Commercial at American Affair, says: “January is always an exciting time for us. This sale extends an invitation to customers to start planning their next holiday adventure to the USA through American Affair.

The World Travel & Tourism Council‘s most recent analysis highlights that Ethiopia’s travel and tourism sector has undergone marked volatility from 2019 to 2022, largely as a result of the worldwide COVID-19 health crisis and ongoing internal strife. The employment scenario within Ethiopia’s travel and tourism sector also experienced a decline in 2022 when contrasted with 2019 figures. “Peace is the missing polish for Ethiopia’s tourism crown,” lamented Nahom, who observed that tourists stay away, leaving not just empty streets but empty coffers. The most recent analysis from the World Travel & Tourism Council suggests that Ethiopia’s travel and tourism sector has demonstrated notable resilience amidst global adversities, with an encouraging pattern of recovery becoming apparent by the year 2022. According to the report, a pivotal element of Ethiopia’s travel and tourism revenue, visitors’ spending, reached ETB193.1 billion (equivalent to $3.7 billion) in 2022.

Ethiopia on Tuesday became Africa's third default in as many years after it failed to meet a $33 million "coupon" payment on its sole international government bond. Africa's second most populous country announced earlier this month that it intended to formally go into default, having been under severe financial strain in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and a two-year civil war that ended in November 2022. It had been supposed to make the payment on Dec. 11, but technically had up until Tuesday to provide the money due to a 14-day "grace period" clause written into the $1 billion bond. The East African country first requested debt relief under the G-20-led initiative in early 2021. Credit ratings agency S&P Global then downgraded the bond, to "Default" on Dec. 15 on the assumption that the coupon payment would not be made.

Egypt’s black market exchange rate for the US dollar reached a record high of 53 Egyptian pounds amid calls for the cash-strapped North African country to devalue its currency. Increased demand for US dollars in late November resulted in a drop of dollars on the market, he said. However, analysts have warned that the Egyptian pound is severely overvalued, which has made dollar holders sell on the black market instead. The government itself is one of the biggest black market clients for US dollars in Egypt,” the analyst added. Egypt's government has devalued its currency three times since March 2022 and its inflation rate has continued to rise steadily since then.