Addis Ababa [Ethiopia], August 18 (ANI/WAM): UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan today attended the inauguration of a Water and Energy Exhibition during his official visit to the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. The exhibition was inaugurated by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed at the Science Museum in Addis Ababa. Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed visited several exhibition areas and spoke with event participants. He was briefed on the latest projects and technological innovations in water and energy intended to improve resource sustainability and environmental conservation. Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed wished participants success in achieving their objectives.

Addis Ababa [UAE], August 18 (ANI/WAM): UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Abiy Ahmed, Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, today witnessed the signing of various memoranda of understanding and agreements between several entities in the UAE and Ethiopia. Memorandum of Understanding for Government Development and Modernisation Experience Exchange signed by Mohammad bin Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs; and Alemtsehay Paulos, Ethiopian Minister of Cabinet Affairs. Memorandum of Understanding between Abu Dhabi Ports and Ethiopia Investment Holdings signed by Mohamed Jumaa Alshamsi, CEO of AD Ports Group; and Meleket Sahlu Denbu, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Ethiopian Investment Holdings. Memorandum of Understanding between UAE's TALC Investment and the Ministry of Agriculture of Ethiopia, signed by Mohammed Aldhaheri, Chairman of TALC Investment, and Dr. Girma Amente, Ethiopian Minister of Agriculture. Roadmap between Masdar and the Ministry of Finance of Ethiopia, signed by Dr. Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology; and Ahmed Shide, Ethiopian Minister of Finance.

The government blocked internet access in the Amhara region since 3 August 2023, infringing on the public’s right to freedom of expression and access to information. The sweeping state of emergency gives the Ethiopian government unchecked powers while internet blockages make it harder to monitor the situation in Amhara region. Tigere Chagutah“The sweeping state of emergency gives the Ethiopian government unchecked powers while internet blockages make it harder to monitor the situation in Amhara region,” said Tigere Chagutah. The decision led to protests in the Amhara region. From early August 2023, Fano captured major cities across the Amhara region, including the historic Gondar city and Debre Birhan – which is only 135 km from Addis Ababa.

President Sheikh Mohamed has arrived in Ethiopia on an official visit. Sheikh Mohamed was greeted by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed after touching down at Bole Addis Ababa International Airport, in the country's capital. Sheikh Mohamed received a colourful welcome to the African country as a group of children chanted greetings while waving the flags of both nations. Mr Abiy met Sheikh Mohamed, in his previous capacity as Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, during an official trip to the Emirates in January 2022. Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 24 President Sheikh Mohamed and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed witness an agreement-signing ceremony at the Office of the Prime Minister.

(Photo: Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)Minister of Immigration and Absorption Ofir Sofer on Wednesday appointed Brig.-Gen. (res) Harel Kanfo to review the Jewish state’s policies regarding further immigration from Ethiopia to Israel. Earlier this month, Israel rescued 174 Israelis and Ethiopians eligible to immigrate from Gondar under the Law of Return. The group represents descendants of Ethiopian Jews who were forced to convert to Christianity in the 19th century. In the 1980s and 1990s, Israel airlifted thousands of Ethiopian Jews, known as Beta Israel, out of Ethiopia. Since 1992, Ethiopian Jews in Israel have sought to persuade changing Israeli governments to bring the Falash Mura to Israel.

The report recalls that in 2021, the mobile technology company Africell and Industry Five, aglobal smart manufacturing vendor, collaborated to develop assembling facilities for mobile telephones in DRC. The factory in Kinshasa is equipped with modular and mobile workstations, and workers are trained to reach quality standards and handle proprietary handsets. “Developing mobile telephone supply chain capacities in Africa can unlock further potential in the electronics supply chain and open up market opportunities towards the production of tablets, laptops and high-performance servers, and data storage solutions. It further noted that most of the minerals and metals that go into the production of smartphones can be sourced within African countries. “The abundance of these resources also provides vast opportunity for strengthening regional supply chains in mobile phone production from precursor production.

Yirgalem Integrated Agro Industrial Park reported earnings of over USD 2.1 million dollars from its exports in the previous fiscal year. Over the past four years, the park accumulated earnings of more than USD 8.5 million from the export of 1,300 tons of products to the foreign market. The park was engaged in trial production of various products for the past four years. Moreover, the park exported 120 tons of different flavored fruit juices to Sudan and South Sudan, generating an income of USD 288,000. By replacing imported products, the park saved USD 218,000 through the sale of various flavored juice products and processed milk within the country.

Since April, the Ethiopian military and militias known as Fano have clashed in towns throughout the Amhara region after the government announced plans to dismantle and integrate all regional special forces in the country. The fighting has intensified in recent weeks, with increased reports of civilian casualties. The authorities blocked mobile internet access in early April and have arrested at least eight journalists reporting on the unrest. On August 4, Ethiopia’s federal cabinet declared a six-month state of emergency and placed the Amhara region under a military command post accountable to the prime minister. Previous states of emergency declarations under Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s administration resulted in mass arrests, prolonged arbitrary detentions, politically motivated charges, and unlawful restrictions on movement and communication.

NewsThe mobile money platform, the largest in Africa, will take on incumbent operator Ethio Telecom’s own fintech service, TelebirrThis week. Kenyan operator giant Safaricom has launched their M-Pesa mobile money platform in Ethiopia. However, the company was restricted from launching M-Pesa immediately, with the Ethiopian government forcing them to wait a year in order to give incumbent Ethio Telecom a chance to launch their mobile money platform first. With no local competition, TeleBirr quickly racked up customers in Ethiopia’s mobile money space, earlier this year reporting roughly 34 million active users of its platform. “M-Pesa is known to be a game-changer for financial inclusion,” said Stanley Njoroge, Safaricom Ethiopia’s interim CEO.

The 54th World Athletics Congress has reelected Sebastian Coe as President of the international governing body of athletics sport. Thirty-one candidates were involved in the election for the World Athletics President, four Vice Presidents and 13 individual Council Members. On Thursday, President Coe was elected for a third term at the 54th World Athletics Congress in Budapest. Coe is not the only one reelected at the WA Congress held two days ahead of the 2023 World Athletics Championships. Eugene, Oregon, will host the World Athletics U20 Championships for the second time in 2026, having first played host in 2014 and also welcomed athletes for the World Athletics Championships last year.

The Voluntary Conservation Notice is in effect from 3 p.m. – 8 p.m. CT today, Thursday, August 17. Voluntary conservation is a widely used industry tool that can help lower demand during a specific period of time, typically late afternoon and evening. Today’s Voluntary Conservation Notice is part of ERCOT’s Texas Advisory and Notification System (TXANS), which alerts the public of grid conditions. ERCOT and the PUCT are asking Texans to take simple power conservation steps to reduce demand on the grid. Last summer, ERCOT set 11 new peak demand records.

ADDIS ABABA, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopia has earned 102 million U.S. dollars from energy exports to neighboring Sudan, Kenya and Djibouti in the Ethiopian 2022/2023 fiscal year which ended on July 7, an Ethiopian official said on Thursday. Menlik Getahun, head of sales and customer management office at state owned Ethiopian Electric Power, said the revenue the east African country earned from energy exports in the 2022/2023 fiscal year had shown an increase of four percent from 95 million U.S. dollars earned from energy exports during the 2021/2022 fiscal year. Getahun further said Ethiopia is currently working to resolve around 50 million U.S. dollars of unpaid energy bills from conflict wracked Sudan. Ethiopia's energy exports are part of a broader plan to economically integrate the East African region through electricity. The Ethiopian government had previously announced its plan to increase the country's export revenue from electric power to 400 million U.S. dollars within the coming 10 years.

Children, teens, families and caregivers who participated in The Seattle Public Library’s Summer of Learning program are invited to a free celebration of stories at the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 27. Walk, ride your bike, take the light rail or drive — parking is free — to the Burke’s location on the University of Washington campus and join us for a fun day honoring youth participants of The Seattle Public Library’s 2023 Time Travel Summer of Learning program. Other special activities include:• Making Ethiopian clay pinch pots with Daniel Kebede• Enjoying activities with South End Stories• Learning more about The Seattle Public Library and signing up for a library card. The Burke Museum is on the University of Washington campus at 4303 Memorial Way N.E., Seattle. Find out more about the event on this Burke Museum website.

Denmark taking Al-Qaeda threat ‘seriously’ amid anger over Qur’an burningsCOPENHAGEN: Denmark is taking a threat earlier this week by terrorist organization Al-Qaeda “very seriously” amid lingering anger over recent public burnings of copies of the Qur’an. The militant terror group issued a threat against Denmark and Sweden through its official media channel As-Sahab, confirmed by the Danish security and intelligence service, Politiets Efterretningstjeneste. “We have issued a security alert to Danish embassies and emphasized the host countries to provide their support,” said Rasmussen. “Religious freedom is a fundamental human right protected by various treaties and conventions. Denmark, and then prime minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen, stood firm on the right to freedom of expression at the time.

JetBlue's Plus Card, in collaboration with Barclays, has clinched the top spot in J.D. The accolade, a reflection of feedback from over 30,000 credit card users in the U.S., recognizes the card's superior rewards, benefits, and overall customer experience. JetBlue's recent TrueBlue® loyalty program, unveiled earlier this year, complements the Plus Card by offering members lucrative opportunities to accrue points, perks, and attain the revered TrueBlue Mosaic® status. The JetBlue Plus Card offers a multitude of benefits, from bonus points on eligible JetBlue purchases to complimentary first checked bags for the cardholder and up to three travel companions on JetBlue-operated flights. Having thrived in a partnership spanning over seven years, both JetBlue and Barclays remain resolute in their dedication to elevating the travel experience for JetBlue Plus cardmembers.