Ethiopia’s charismatic new prime minister, Abiy Ahmed, has generated great excitement with initiatives breaking with the past. But he faces challenges as formidable as his promises are bold: he urgently needs to halt communal strife, smooth the road to elections and boost the ailing economy. What’s new?  Ethiopia’s new premier, Abiy Ahmed Ali, has made

Photo Reuters The United Arab Emirates awarded 20 billion dirhams worth ($5.5 billion) of military procurement contracts during a defense show this week, at a time when arms sales to the country are under scrutiny due to its role in Yemen’s devastating war. The majority were awarded to international companies such as U.S. firms Lockheed

Turkey will begin drilling for oil and gas near the island of Cyprus in coming days, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavusoğlu said Thursday. Turkey and the internationally recognised Greek Cypriot government have overlapping claims of jurisdiction for offshore oil and gas research in the eastern Mediterranean, a region thought to be rich in natural gas. “In

The government of Somalia on Wednesday applauded Somaliland’s president Musa Bihi for his cooperation, after years of tension over sovereignty questions. ‘‘The FGS considers this move a progressive step in the right direction and applauds President Bihi’s commitment in this regard,’‘ read part of a tweet posted on the official Somali presidency account. The tweet

Uganda’s ruling party’s top most organ, the Central Executive Committee (CEC), has endorsed President Yoweri Museveni as its presidential candidate for the 2021 polls. The decision, which in theory is still subject to approval by other National Resistance Movement (NRM) organs, jumpstarts an internal flagbearer selection process and gives the incumbent a political shot in

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed received at his office today the leader of the Somaliland Muse Bihi Abdi and his delegation. The two parties discussed and agreed on a number of key points including strengthening their people to people relations; ensuring the wellbeing of Ethiopians in Somaliland and working in unison on matters of peace

British Conservative Party MPs Heidi Allen, Anna Soubry and Sarah Wollaston attend a news conference in London, Britain February 20, 2019. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls Three members of parliament from Britain’s governing Conservatives quit over the government’s “disastrous handling of Brexit” on Wednesday, in a blow to Prime Minister Theresa May’s attempts to unite her party around

Photo Reuters India rolled out the red carpet for Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Wednesday at a time when it is trying to build diplomatic support against Pakistan following a militant attack in the disputed region of Kashmir. The crown prince this week was given a lavish welcome in Pakistan where the

Chinese businesswoman Yang Feng Glan, dubbed the “Ivory Queen”, sits inside the Kisutu Resident Magistrate’s Court in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania February 19, 2019. REUTERS/Emmanuel Herman, A prominent Chinese businesswoman dubbed the “Ivory Queen” was sentenced to 15 years in prison by a Tanzanian court on Tuesday for smuggling the tusks of more than 350

Photo (AP) Senior White House officials pushed a project to share nuclear power technology with Saudi Arabia despite the objections of ethics and national security officials, according to a new congressional report citing whistleblowers within the administration. Lawmakers from both parties have expressed concerns that Saudi Arabia could develop nuclear weapons if the U.S. technology