Humanitarian crisis unfolds in northern Ethiopia

Wrapping up his trip to Kenya and Ethiopia, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stressed the need for more cooperation, ranging from climate and energy policies to migration of skilled labor to Europe.

Apart from a commitment to protect civilians, the agreement calls for restoration of electricity, water and other basic services. That's after a week of negotiations between the envoys.

The United Nations humanitarian response plan is seeking $2.56 billion to help people affected by the crisis in Sudan, a senior U.N. official said on Wednesday, while the U.N. refugee agency is also seeking more funding to assist those forced to flee.

The revised response plan is up from around $1.75 billion a few months ago as the United Nations estimates more than 1 million people will flee Sudan this year.

In Turkish-controlled Northern Cyprus, education has become the leading economic sector. No less than 23 universities are concentrated in the small self-declared state recognised only by Turkey, which has occupied it since 1974.

Fighting may have stopped in Ethiopia's Tigray region, but people's suffering has not. Supplies of food aid have been disrupted amid a dispute between Ethiopia's main donors and the government.

Sudan's government on Monday refused to join a regional meeting aimed at ending nearly three months of brutal fighting, accusing Kenya, which chaired the talks, of favouring the rival paramilitaries.

The situation arose when Russia vetoed a nine-month extension and failed to gain support for an alternative six-month plan. The UN-brokered lifeline expired Monday.

Ethiopia recently applied to join BRICS — an economic group comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. The body is seen as an alternative to the Bretton Woods institutions and the West's dominance in geopolitics. But can a country like Ethiopia, whose economy is ranked 59th in the world, sit as an equal partner with a country like China, whose economy is ranked second globally?

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's office issued a state of emergency after days of clashes between security forces and a militia group in the Amhara region.

Armed militias are fighting against Ethiopia's National Defense Forces in the Amhara region. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has declared a state of emergency, and experts warn that the national peace process is in jeopardy.

Dissident groups claim to have information about police officers following the incident. Authorities are advising officers how to deal with the risk.