There were some big upsets in the first leg of the second round qualifiers of the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup on Sunday. Tunisian giants Club Africain were beaten 2-0 away by Ethiopian minnows Bahir Dar Kenema, putting them on the brink of elimination. They will need to win the second leg in Tunisia by three clear goals to progress directly without any complications after the setback. In Brazzaville, Diables Noirs of Congo earned an impressive 1-2 victory away to Zambian club Muza. The second leg matches take place in two weeks to determine which clubs book their places in the group stage of the Confederation Cup.

For many people, their morning routine might involve a run, yoga or a strong coffee, but the writer Lemn Sissay has written a daily poem at dawn for more than a decade. A selection will feature in a new book ‘Let the Light Pour In.’ He was brought up first in a foster home and then care homes in the north of England: Krishnan Guru Murthy spoke to him about the care system, politics and his latest collection of poems.

ADDIS ABABA, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has registered Ethiopia's Gedeo cultural landscape as a world heritage. According to the ministry, following the entry of Gedeo cultural landscape' entry into UNESCO's heritage site, the number of UNESCO-inscribed cultural and natural heritages in Ethiopia has reached 10, the 100th in Africa. Highlighting that the inscription of the Gedeo cultural landscape by UNESCO will enable the heritage to get sustainable protection, members of UNESCO heritages committee affirmed that the registration will also help it become a great tourism attraction. The Gedeo cultural landscape lies along the eastern edge of the Main Ethiopian Rift, on the steep escarpments of the Ethiopian highlands. The World Heritage Committee meets once a year, and consists of representatives from 21 of the States Parties to the World Heritage Convention elected by their General Assembly for a four-year term.

Many of us departed Ethiopia seeking better opportunities and freedoms denied to us at home. Those remaining in Ethiopia look to us in the diaspora with longing and expectation. For too long, ethnicity has been intentionally weaponized for political gain in Ethiopia, creating an atmosphere of distrust and resentment. The inspirations for a better Ethiopia are all around, waiting to be sculpted into reality with engaged civic participation. But we can and must lend our voices, resources, experience and optimism to the grassroots movement already growing within Ethiopia.

Local residents heard large explosions about 9am on Sunday followed by heavy gunfire near the town of Rab Dhuure in Bakool region, about 20km from the Ethiopia border. Al-Shabab claimed to have ambushed a large convoy of Ethiopian troops, who are operating in the area as part of regional efforts to wipe out the militant group. "We heard about three huge explosions and then an exchange of heavy guns followed," local resident Hassan Abdulle said. "It was a fierce fighting with shells and other weapons but we don't know the details," said Fatuma Ali, who lives in Rab Dhuure. In February Djibouti, Ethiopia and Kenya agreed to begin what they described as "search and destroy" operations against al-Shabab, in addition to the African Union-mandated peacekeeping force, which is expected to leave Somalia by the end of next year.

MOGADISHU (Reuters) – Ethiopian forces engaged in fierce clashes with al Shabaab fighters near the town of Rab Dhuure in western Somalia on Sunday morning, local residents said. At around 9 a.m. (0600 GMT) local residents heard large explosions followed by a heavy near the town of Rab Dhuure in Bakool region, around 20 km (12 miles) from the Ethiopia border. Al Shabaab claimed to have ambushed a large convoy of Ethiopian troops, who are operating in the area as part of regional efforts to wipe out the al Qaeda-affiliated group. “We heard about three huge explosions and then an exchange of heavy guns followed,” said local resident Hassan Abdulle. In February Djibouti, Ethiopia and Kenya agreed to begin what they described as “search and destroy” operations against al Shabaab, in addition to the African Union-mandated peacekeeping force, which is expected to leave Somalia by the end of next year.

Al-Shabab militants attacked convoys carrying Ethiopian soldiers in Somalia’s southwestern Bakool region early Sunday, Somali officials said. Ethiopian troops have bases in Wajid and Huddur. The mayor of Huddur, Omar Abdullahi Mohamud, told VOA Somali that the fighting started after the al-Shabab ambushes. A senior Somali regional official who asked not to be identified told VOA Somali that the more intense ambush targeted Ethiopian troops escorting military supplies to Ethiopian soldiers in Wajid. Al-Shabab in a statement claimed it killed 167 Ethiopian soldiers, destroyed military vehicles, and seized a cache of weapons and ammunition.

Air Peace, West Africa’s largest airline has placed an order for five Embraer E175 aircraft as part of its fleet renewal and expansion program. This is seen as a strategic move by the Nigerian airline as it captures the upward momentum of commercial air traffic in Nigeria and West Africa. Air Peace fleet modernizationThis also means that Air Peace is modernizing its fleet, alleviating Nigeria’s often-flawed image of commercial aviation. This new acquisition round of aircraft will make Air Peace one of the youngest airlines in terms of fleet year aircraft in Africa. This becomes the first of the type to be operated by Overland Airways, who are also going through a fleet renewal process.

Yet, the ‘Nine Saints’ are credited as the missionaries who spread the word more than any other. The most outstanding figures among the Nine Saints were Za-Mikael Aregawi, Pantalewon, Afse, and Garima. The Nine Saints also contributed greatly to the development of Ge’ez worship and literature. The Nine Saints also translated a number of basic religious works, both doctrinal and literary, in content into Ge’ez. For decades the Ethiopian Church has been known as the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church.

Ethiopian prime minister Abiy Ahmed announced that the fourth and final filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) was complete in a move that was immediately denounced by Egypt as a violation of international law. The two countries have been engaged in a long-running dispute over the dam, which Ethiopia says is vital for its power needs but Egypt fears could limit its access to Nile waters. The Nile contributes 90% of Egypt’s fresh water and underpins its irrigation and power generation. The latest friction comes despite hopes of a diplomatic breakthrough sparked in July when Abiy Ahmed and Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said they planned to resume negotiations over the dam and complete them within four months. AFRICAN BUSINESS

(@ChaudhryMAli88)Madinah, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 17th Sep, 2023 ) :President of the Ethiopian Islamic Affairs Supreme Council Haji Ibrahim Tofa and an accompanying delegation visited on Sunday the King Fahd Quran Printing Complex in Madinah. The visitors toured the facilities and were briefed on the work at the complex, as well as on its most prominent achievements.

SYDNEY (AP) — Moroccan Othmane El Goumri and Kenyan-born American Betsy Saina have won the men’s and women’s races at an unseasonably warm Sydney Marathon on Sunday. The 31-year-old El Goumri finished the hilly 42m kilometer (26-mile) course around prominent Sydney landmarks in 2:08:20 to win his first marathon title since winning the Dublin Marathon in 2019. Saina, who attended Iowa State University and now represents the United States, finished in 2:26:47 and held off a late challenge from Ethiopian Rahma Tusa Chota to win the women’s race by six seconds. Canada’s Joshua Cassidy won the men’s wheelchair event, with Australia’s Madison de Rozario winning the women’s race. The Sydney Marathon is in the second year of a three-year candidacy in its attempt to become the seventh World Marathon Major, alongside races in New York, Boston, Chicago, London, Tokyo and Berlin.

Ethiopia stands ready to further deepen cooperation with China under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), said a senior Ethiopian official. “Ethiopia attributes its double-digit growth in the past decades to investment from China. “In relation to the Belt and Road Initiative, we are the co-beneficiaries of this global initiative in all aspects,” Tilahun said. Noting the need to deepen Ethiopia-China, in particular, and Africa-China BRI cooperation in general, Tilahun called on Africa and China to further cement ties to attain mutual and win-win outcomes. “What I recommend is that the speed and magnitude of implementing the Belt and Road Initiative should be strengthened,” he said.

The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) said several people have been shot by government security personnel for allegedly concealing weapons in some parts of the Amhara region. In a statement issued on September 15, 2023, the EHRC said that the extrajudicial killings committed by state security forces in connection with the ongoing conflict in the Amhara region are ” a matter of great concern”. Among the victims were some who were arrested during house-to-house searches, individuals caught on the streets during clashes, and unarmed people who were arrested for allegedly concealing weapons, EHRC said. It said there had been widespread arbitrary arrests, extrajudicial executions, and other human rights violations “not only in Amhara but the neighbouring region of Oromia and the capital Addis Ababa in connection with the conflict in the Amhara region. Among those killed were people walking on the street, working on farmlands, and even staying within their own homes, according to the statement.

By FRED OLUOCH More by this AuthorEthiopian National Defence Forces (ENDF) are facing new allegations of atrocities in Amhara region, just a month after authorities in Addis Ababa imposed a state of emergency in the area to deal with a local rebellion. The organisation is based outside of Ethiopia but says it used local agent to conduct interviews. Grievances must be addressed through dialogue and political process.”In Amhara region, following clashes between the Ethiopian military and the regional Fano militia, Ethiopia declared a state of emergency on August 4. Fano militias had resisted the government's decision to disband the regional security forces arguing that it threatened the identity of Amhara region. Incidentally, militias in Amhara had supported the ENDF against TPLF in the two-year war leading to the peace deal.