During a conversation with former President Bill Clinton, Pope Francis urged stronger action on climate change, called for diplomacy instead of war, promoted greater health care access for children, and highlighted the crises facing migrants and refugees. “It is important to spread a culture of encounter, a culture of dialogue, a culture of listening and of understanding,” Pope Francis said on Monday morning, appearing virtually at the Clinton Foundation’s 2023 Clinton Global Initiative meeting. Pope Francis was the first of several guests to address the audience at the event in New York City, which was focused on various humanitarian efforts taken up by the nonprofit. Pope Francis also lamented the “wind of war that blows around the world,” adding that “we are in need of a great and shared assumption of responsibility.”“It is time for weapons to cease and for us to return to dialogue, to diplomacy,” the pope stressed. “Difficulties are part of life, and the best way to deal with them is to always seek the common good: never alone, always together,” Pope Francis said.

In other words, Ethiopia’s internal chaos and civil war is a boon for terrorist Al-Shabab and others. Ethiopia’s borders have become more vulnerable today than when Abiy’s army invaded the Amhara region. The UN Security Council is reported to have held its third session on Ethiopia. Atrocities against the Amhara reinforce the UN call for accountability cornering similar atrocities during the war with TPLF. This heightened awareness has led the UN system to conclude that Ethiopian government policy of dealing with the civil war through military means will not work.

At least 30 civilians were killed in drone strikes in the Amhara region, BBC Amharic reported citing residents. The drone attacks were carried out on two locations in Quarit on Sunday, September 17, the report said. The attack took place far from areas of active conflict and where there was no recent militant activity, a resident told BBC. At least 18 civilians were also killed in another drone strike in Dembecha tow of Western Gojam, the report added. Federal government authorities did not comment on the alleged attacks in Quarit and Dembecha, the report said.

The violence has left at least 10,000 people affected by rape and other sexual violence — mostly women and girls, they found. The violence erupted in November 2020, centering largely — though not exclusively — on the northern Tigray region, which for months was shut off from the outside world. Citing consolidated estimates from seven health centers in Tigray alone, the commission said more than 10,000 survivors of sexual violence sought care between the start of the conflict and July this year. The commission said it knows of only 13 completed and 16 pending military court cases addressing sexual violence committed during the conflict. The figures in the report offer a sweeping look at a conflict that was known to be rife with cases of sexual violence, even after the signing of the peace deal.

AME Trade Ltd, one of the top Africa-focused business event organizer, announced the launch of its inaugural event, CSR and Sustainability Summit Mozambique 2023 (CSR MOZ 2023), in Maputo, Mozambique. It is indicated that the conference aims to unite policymakers, procuring authorities, development financial institutions, infra investors, private sector players, and other stakeholders committed to ethical business and sustainable social and environmental impact. CSR MOZ 2023 intends to unite key institutional partners and industry representatives to assess the evolution of corporate and social responsibility in Mozambique and to explore CSR best practices and initiatives. Key topics under discussion over the two days include:– What Constitutes an Effective CSR Life Cycle? – Maintaining Sustainability Investments During Economic Uncertainty: What can the Private Sector, NGOs, and Government Learn from Each Other regarding CSR projects?

ADDIS ABABA, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Filippo Grandi has commended Ethiopia for its open-door policy and hospitality toward refugees. The high commissioner, in particular, praised the East African country for receiving and hosting the Sudanese refugees "in a very human manner," according to the ministry. Commending Ethiopia for its open-door policy toward refugees, Grandi also appealed to donors to scale up their support for refugees in Ethiopia. Ethiopia, Africa's second most populous country, hosts more than 823,000 refugees and asylum seekers, mostly from South Sudan, Somalia and Eritrea. According to the UNHCR, the majority of refugees and asylum seekers in Ethiopia live in 24 refugee camps established in five regional states across the country.

The build up to the 2023/24 BetKing Ethiopia Premier League is taking shape with seven of the clubs in action at the 17th Addis Ababa City Cup at the Abebe Bikila Stadium in the capital. The participating clubs include Ethiopia Coffee, newly promoted Shashemene City, Hadiya Hossaina, new boys Ethiopia Commercial Bank as well as Saint George, Ethiopia Insurance and Adama City. Early results from the tournament saw wins for Hadiya Hossana and Ethiopia Coffee, with both winning their games.

Serious, ongoing human rights abuses and the unfolding crisis in the Amhara region show that Ethiopia is at a dangerous precipice. African states that are members of the Human Rights Council should support ICHREE’s mandate” added Tigere Chagutah. Amnesty International’s own findings indicate that serious human rights violations have persisted even after the signing of a peace agreement for the region. Amnesty International is also alarmed by reports of gross human rights violations in the context of ongoing crisis in the Amhara region. “Grave human rights violations are no longer restricted only to the Tigray region.

The commission called on all parties to respect human rights and international law after gathering information from victims, witnesses and local residents. The testimonies corroborated reports on an escalating armed conflict in numerous districts, endangering the civilian population. “Farmers working in the fields, as well as those seeking refuge in their homes, have been caught in the crossfire with heavy weapons,” the report said. The Commission recommended the proper execution of the emergency decree and strict adherence to legal protocols as an effective means to solve the crisis. This independent federal state agency is established by the Constitution and reports to the representatives of the House of Peoples (Parliament) as a national institute for the promotion and protection of human rights.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Tuesday disclosed a hacking incident, a breach at one of the world’s most high-profile international institutions. “Immediate measures were adopted to respond to this cybersecurity incident and to mitigate its impact,” the ICC said in a short statement. The ICC is the permanent war crimes tribunal in The Hague, established in 2002 to try war crimes and crimes against humanity. The Dutch intelligence agency (AIVD) said in its 2022 annual report that the ICC is “of interest to Russia because it is investigating possible Russian war crimes in Georgia and Ukraine”. In August 2023, ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan said that cyber attacks could be part of future war crimes investigations and warned that the ICC itself could be vulnerable and should strengthen its defences.

Ethiopian runner Gudaf Tsegay broke the women’s 5,000-meter world record set by Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon in Paris at the Eugene Diamond League final. Kenyan sprinter Beatrice Chebet finished second in 14 minutes, 05.92 seconds, the third-fastest time ever, and Ethiopian Ejgayehu Taye finished third in 14 minutes, 21.52 seconds. After her victory, she revealed her future goals to complete in under 14 minutes. The Eugene Diamond League finale is traditionally part of the Prefontaine Classic. According to Africa News, this year’s Prefontaine Classic, which usually takes place in late May, was the last stop on the worldwide Diamond League circuit.

Leaders from across the global tourism sector are set to unite in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for this year’s UNWTO World Tourism Day (WTD), which will be celebrated from 27th – 28th September. The global tourism sector is forecast to reach $9.5 trillion in GDP contribution in 2023, according to the WTTC. “World Tourism Day 2023 is an important platform for the world to celebrate the sector’s successes and explore solutions to its challenges. Event participants will also attend a gala dinner in Riyadh’s UNESCO Heritage site, Diriyah, to celebrate World Tourism Day and its global significance. Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Tourism was founded in 2020, following the opening of Saudi Arabia to international tourists in 2019.

ADDIS ABABA, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopian Health Minister Lia Tadesse has warned that the malaria epidemic continues to be the leading cause of death in Africa, with a particular impact on children. The spread of malaria and related diseases in Africa poses significant public health challenges for the continent, Tadese was quoted as saying by the state-run Ethiopian News Agency during the opening event on Monday. She mentioned that Ethiopia has been implementing a national malaria strategic plan, which was initiated in 2021 with the objective of eliminating malaria from the country. However, the Ethiopian health minister said that despite significant progress in controlling malaria and associated diseases in Africa, conflicts, displacement, floods and droughts have caused a resurgence of the disease. The five-day conference, running until Friday, has brought together more than 1,000 participants from Africa and beyond to discuss ways to combat malaria on the continent.

Bloomberg Daybreak AsiaLive market coverage co-anchored from Hong Kong and New York. Overnight on Wall Street is daytime in Asia. Markets never sleep, and neither does Bloomberg. Track your investments 24 hours a day, around the clock from around the world.

In the last few moments, a Delta Air Lines Airbus A330-900neo from London Heathrow to Los Angeles has declared an emergency over Scotland. UPDATE #1 @ 1820 UK time – Delta Air Lines flight DL187 between London and Los Angeles has made a u-turn over Scotland and looks to be heading back to Heathrow. UPDATE #3 @ 1827 UK time – This is the second Los Angeles-based flight to declare an emergency over Scotland in two days, with yesterday’s being a Virgin Boeing 787. UPDATE #4 @ 1829 UK time – Bit blustery over at London Heathrow, with the winds being 260@16 at the time of writing, which will favour the 27s for approach. UPDATE #12 @ 1904 UK time – Delta Air Lines flight DL187, originally bound for Los Angeles is on final into London Heathrow after a 7700 emergency broadcast call over Scotland prompting a return.