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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday left for Oman from Ethiopia on the last leg of his four-day, three-nation visit. During Modi's maiden visit to Ethiopia, the two countries elevated their historical ties to the level of 'Strategic Partnership'. He also held wide-ranging talks with his Ethiopian counterpart, Abiy Ahmed Ali, following which, the two leaders witnessed the exchange of various MoUs in various fields. Modi also addressed a joint session of the Ethiopian parliament. The prime minister was conferred Ethiopia's highest award - The Great Honour Nishan of Ethiopia. He is the first global head of state to receive this award. Modi is visiting Oman at the invitation of Sultan Haitham bin Tarik, with whom he will hold discussions on strengthening the Strategic Partnership as well as a strong commercial and economic relationship. The visit will mark 70 years of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, and follows the state visit of Sultan Tarik
India and Ethiopia are "natural partners" in regional peace, security and connectivity, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday in his address to the Ethiopian Parliament. Modi, who arrived in Ethiopia on Tuesday on his maiden bilateral visit, addressed a joint session of the Ethiopian Parliament. This was the 18th parliament in the world that Prime Minister Modi has addressed. "Ethiopia sits at a crossroads of Africa. India stands at the heart of the Indian Ocean. We are natural partners in regional peace, security and connectivity," the prime minister said. As developing countries, India and Ethiopia have a lot to learn from and offer to each other, he said. Modi added that the two countries also share warmth in climate and in spirit. At the conclusion of his speech, he got a standing ovation from the members of the Parliament. Modi is on a four-day, three-nation visit. He arrived here on Tuesday from Jordan and will depart for Oman from here.
Volcanic activity in northern Ethiopia's long-dormant Hayli Gubbi volcano subsided Tuesday after an eruption over the weekend that left a trail of destruction in nearby villages and caused flight cancellations after ash plumes disrupted high-altitude flight paths. Villages in the district of Afdera in the Afar region were covered in ash, officials said residents were coughing, and livestock found their grass and water totally covered. Airlines cancelled dozens of flights scheduled to fly over affected areas as the meteorological department said the ash clouds were expected to clear later on Tuesday. India's flag carrier, Air India, said it cancelled 11 flights, most of them international, on Monday and Tuesday to inspect aircraft that may have flown over affected areas, acting on a directive from India's aviation safety regulator. Another Indian operator, Akasa Air, said it had cancelled flights to Middle East destinations such as Jeddah, Kuwait, and Abu Dhabi scheduled over the pa
Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Upendra Dwivedi interacted with General Alemshet Degife Balcha, Chief of Land Force & Military Advisor of Ethiopia, on the sidelines of the UNTCC Conclave and held discussions on enhancing defence cooperation along with capacity-building.In a post on X on Friday, the Additional Directorate General of Public Information (ADGPI) of the Indian Army stated that the meeting between the leaders reflected the shared commitment to fostering stronger defence ties and enhancing cooperation in training, peacekeeping and defence capacity-building."On the sidelines of #UNTCC2025, #GeneralUpendraDwivedi, #COAS, interacted with General Alemshet Degife Balcha, Chief of Land Force & Military Advisor, Ethiopia. The discussions focused on enhancing cooperation in training, peacekeeping and defence capacity-building. The meeting reflected the shared commitment of both nations towards fostering stronger defence ties and promoting regional peace and ...
At least 66 people have died after a truck plunged into a river in southern Ethiopia, a hospital director said Monday. The accident took place Sunday when an old, overcrowded truck that was contracted by wedding guests fell off the Gelan Bridge, where villagers said traffic crashes have happened before. The medical director at Bona General Hospital in the southern Sidama region, Lemma Lagide, told The Associated Press on Monday that 64 people died on site and two others at the hospital. He said those patients in need of more sophisticated critical care were transferred to a bigger hospital in Hawassa. Delays in rescue efforts in the remote village were blamed for the high number of casualties. Villagers said they tried to save people from the raging river only with sticks. A villager, Serak Boko, told AP that moments before the accident, music was blasting out of the truck and people dressed in suits were dancing and waving. It is common for people in rural Ethiopia to hire truck
Search teams were still digging at the site of deadly mudslides in southern Ethiopia on Friday, as the death toll rose to 257, according to the UN humanitarian office. Heavy rain triggered deadly slides on Sunday and Monday in a remote part of the country. The UN humanitarian office, known as OCHA, said in an update Thursday that the death toll could rise to as many as 500, citing local officials. More than 15,000 affected people need to be evacuated" from the area, it said. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is expected to visit the remote area on Friday. Mudslides there have been triggered by heavy rainfall in recent days. Abiy said earlier in the week that he was deeply saddened by this terrible loss. Photos from the scene show residents standing over the shrouded bodies of mudslide victims who are being pulled, one by one, from the muddy earth. Diggers have been using hand shovels to pick through the mud. Many people were buried in the Gofa Zone of Kencho Shacha Gozdi distric
Mudslides triggered by heavy rain in a remote part of Ethiopia have killed at least 229 people, including many who tried to rescue survivors, local authorities said Tuesday, in what the prime minister called a "terrible loss." Young children and pregnant women were among the victims in Kencho Shacha Gozdi district of southern Ethiopia, said Dagmawi Ayele, a local administrator, adding that at least five people have been pulled out alive. The death toll rose sharply from the initial one of 55 late Monday. Search operations continued in the area, said Kassahun Abayneh, head of the communications office in Gofa Zone, the administrative area where the mudslides occurred. Ethiopia's ruling party in a statement said it felt sorrow over the disaster. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said in a statement on Facebook that he was deeply saddened by this terrible loss." The federal disaster prevention task force has been deployed to assist in search and rescue efforts, Abiy's statement said. It was
Ethiopia's biggest bank says it has recouped nearly 80 per cent of the cash it lost during what it says was a glitch in its system that allowed customers to take out more money than they had in their accounts. Abe Sano, president of the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia, told reporters on Tuesday that around USD 14 million was withdrawn or digitally transferred during the error. The value of the transactions ranged from 9 cents to USD 5,350, he said. The amount lost initially was reported as USD 40 million. Nearly 15,000 people have voluntarily returned funds that were taken illegally, the bank said in a statement. But 567 individuals haven't yet returned money that is not theirs. On Tuesday, the bank posted their names and account details online, in an apparent attempt to shame them into giving it back. The total amount remaining is not significant for the bank, but if this money is not fully recouped, it sends the wrong message, Abe said. News of the glitch spread on social media on Ma
India has urged Ethiopia to explore possibility of settling bilateral trade transactions in local currency as it will help boost bilateral trade and conserve foreign exchange, an official statement said on Wednesday. The country has also invited the African nation to collaborate on the Unified Payment Interface (UPI) with Ethswitch of Ethiopia. These issues were discussed during the sixth session of India-Ethiopia Joint Trade Committee in Addis Ababa from November 6-7. Both sides also agreed to expeditiously address all issues impeding bilateral trade and facilitate trade promotion between the two countries. "The Indian side urged Ethiopia to explore the possibility of settlement of trade transactions in local currency which will help boost bilateral trade and conserve foreign exchange," the commerce ministry said. "The Indian side also requested the Ethiopian side to expedite the early finalization of the Bilateral Investment Treaty," it added. Ethiopia is one of the fastest gro