Professor Peter M. Fischer from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, said the city now known as Hala Sultan Tekke because of its proximity to a famous mosque flourished in 1,630-1,150 B.C. Fischer, who concluded excavations at the site this year, said evidence now suggests “the great importance” of the ancient city, rivaling the majesty of Enkomi, considered the most important Bronze Age Cypriot city because of its unique layout. Cyprus’ Antiquities Department said other discovered objects include sophisticated jewelry, daggers, knives, spearheads and a mirror of bronze. Fischer said the discoveries confirm that the late Bronze Age was the first “international” period in the Mediterranean. The nearby port city of Kition, founded around 1,300 B.C., picked up the mantle from Hala Sultan Tekke.

RABAT, July 14 (Xinhua) -- The Moroccan foreign minister met separately with his Ethiopian and Malawian counterparts in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, to discuss strengthening bilateral relations in various fields, Moroccan official news agency MAP reported on Friday. The two meetings took place on Thursday on the sidelines of the 43rd Ordinary Session of the African Union (AU) Executive Council meeting, which was held in Nairobi on July 13-14, according to MAP. Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita discussed with Ethiopian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Demeke Mekonnen Hassen ways to develop bilateral ties in various sectors, said the report. Bourita also met with Malawian Foreign Minister Nancy Tembo, reviewing bilateral cooperation fruits and examining prospects for strengthening these cooperations, it added. The AU meeting kicked off on Thursday in Nairobi, with a focus on regional integration in Africa.

UN Experts Urge Ethiopia To Halt Mass Deportation Of EritreansGENEVA (13 July 2023) – UN experts today* condemned Ethiopia's summary expulsion of hundreds of Eritreans at the end of June. They called on the authorities to immediately halt any further deportations and put an end to the continuing reports of arbitrary detention of Eritrean refugees, asylum-seekers and migrants. “Several cases of family separation have been reported following the mass deportations, with parents forced back to Eritrea and children left behind in Ethiopia,” the experts said. “There is no information on the fate or whereabouts of those deported since their return to Eritrea,” the experts said. “The lack of registration and accompanying documentation places refugees and asylum-seekers in a situation of heightened vulnerability and hinders their access to their human rights in Ethiopia,” the experts said.

In a bid to mitigate the shortage of dollars which is currently affecting most African countries, the central banks of Ethiopia and Nigeria have swapped $100M in blocked funds. This deal involved the swapping of revenues of Ethiopian Airlines from Nigeria and earnings of Dangote Cement in Ethiopia, which has been struggling to repatriate profits due to forex shortages in both countries. This swap deal would enable Ethiopia to access funds that they have been struggling to gain from Nigerian banks, likewise, Nigeria would get access to money which have been stuck in Ethiopia. This situation was what caused the CBN to offer Dangote Cement the option of a currency swap proposal which would allow the exchange of its excess Ethiopian birr for USD held by overseas firms which are operating in Ethiopia. Other sources also claim Dangote still has over $200M stuck in Ethiopia.

The Texas House and Senate have completed work on an $18 billion compromise that could cut an estimated $1,300 from the average homeowner’s property tax bill. The proposal, which took two special lawmaking sessions to pass, will be put to voters as a constitutional amendment on the Nov. 7 ballot. A key proposal would raise the homestead exemption to $100,000 for all Texans. Homestead exemptions lower taxes by deducting part of the value of a primary residence owned by taxpayers. Republican Houston Sen. Paul Bettencourt, who authored the plan, said the package would save the average homeowner about 41.5% on property taxes each year.

THE BURNING OF burial grounds in the northern region of the country suggests that authorities are destroying evidence. If these claims are proven true, will the government be held accountable? In news that might please your boss, emerging research suggests that working from home is stifling productivity (10:36). And honouring the life of a Ukrainian civil-rights campaigner (19:22). Runtime: 28 minListen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google | Stitcher | TuneInFor full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, try a free 30-day digital subscription by going to www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer

A group of UN-appointed independent human rights experts on Thursday voiced "grave concern" over hostile conditions impacting Eritreans refugees, asylum seekers and migrants in Ethiopia, including targeted arrests and prolonged arbitrary detention. "Collective expulsions are prohibited under international law," the experts, including Mohamed Babiker, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Eritrea, said in a news release issued by the UN human rights office (OHCHR). Children separated from parentsThe human rights experts said that several cases of separation were reported following the mass deportations, with parents forced back to Eritrea and children left behind in Ethiopia. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Ethiopia East Africa Human Rights By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Independent expertsThe Special Rapporteurs, Independent Experts, and Working Groups are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council.

Since 2005, the Roaster of the Year Awards have been given to coffee roasting companies devoted to quality coffee, sustainable and employee-driven practices, and commitment to the coffee industry. Coffee Companies Give Boost to Grounds for HealthThe nonprofit Grounds for Health is getting a boost from several green coffee companies to support its summer fundraising campaign. New York Coffee Festival Coming Oct. 6-8The New York Coffee Festival will take place Oct. 6-8 at the Metropolitan Pavilion in Midtown Manhattan. Tequila Brand Cazadores Launches Coffee LiqueurTequila Cazadores is getting into the coffee game with Cazadores Café, a tequila-based coffee liqueur. The cream-colored bags with colored labels will feature insights into the sourcing, as written by green coffee buyer Samuel Klein.

In allocating appropriate amounts of the pledges that were announced at the relief conference to support Sudan, which was held last June. A comprehensive picture of the “Sudan Neighborhood Summit” in Cairo, Thursday (Egyptian Presidency)The participants expressed their “extreme” concern about the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Sudan, and condemned the repeated attacks on civilians, health and service facilities. Our countries must unify their vision and positions towards the crisis and take consistent and unified decisions that contribute to resolving it in consultation with the proposals of the active regional institutions, led by the African Union and the League of Arab States. In order to preserve the interests and capabilities of the peoples of neighboring countries. for the crisis.” Fakih stressed that “we must go very seriously to the basic roots of the Sudanese crisis in order to reach solutions to it.”The President of the Republic of South Sudan, Salva Kiir Mayardit, also called for an “immediate ceasefire,” noting that Sudan is witnessing critical health conditions, and the spread of destruction affects all aspects of Sudan.

As a result, they agreed to resume negotiations and reach an agreement within four months. The leaders met at Cairo’s Al-Ittihadiya Palace on Wednesday night, shortly after Ahmed arrived in Egypt for a summit of the leaders of Sudan’s seven neighboring countries. Egypt and Sudan have long been at odds with Ethiopia over its construction of the massive hydroelectric dam, amid fears that it will restrict the amount of water flowing down the Nile to them, with potentially devastating results. Egypt obtains more than 90 percent of its scarce fresh water from the Nile and fears the dam could devastate its economy if the flow is reduced. Filling of the dam began in mid-2020 and is continuing in phases, a process that is expected to take several years.

Egypt on Thursday embarked on a fresh bid to halt fighting between Sudan’s warring factions and contain the humanitarian crisis it has unleashed, using a summit of neighbouring states to try to revive international efforts to contain the war. Earlier this week, Ethiopia hosted a regional East African summit, but Sudan’s army boycotted it, claiming lead sponsor Kenya was biased. Dam negotiationsRepresentatives of the RSF and Sudan’s army did not appear at the summit. Relations between Egypt and Ethiopia, Sudan’s two biggest neighbours, have been strained in recent years by a dispute over the giant dam Ethiopia has constructed on the Blue Nile. After the summit, Egypt and Ethiopia issued a statement saying they would launch urgent negotiations to finalise an agreement on the dam within four months.

CAIRO, July 13 (MENA) – President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed agreed on Thursday to initiate urgent negotiations to finalize the agreement by Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan on the filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) and the rules of its operation within four months. This came in a joint statement following a meeting between the two leaders in Cairo, as they discussed means to overcome the current stalemate in the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) negotiations. The statement stated that Ethiopia has stressed its commitment not to harm Egypt’s and Sudan’s share of water during the fourth filling of the GERD (2023-2024). The statement noted that the two leaders reiterated their mutual political will to enhance bilateral relations at the political, economic and cultural levels, based on the common desire to achieve their interests, which in turn contributes to attaining the stability, peace and security of the region and boosting the two countries’ ability to deal with common challenges.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Thursday, July 13, 2023, agreed on initiating negotiations on the filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). In a joint statement, the agreement between Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan would also entail the rules of its operations. The statement mentioned the two leaders will make all the necessary efforts to finalise the agreement in four months. Egypt and Ethiopia, Sudan’s two largest neighbours, have been at odds in recent years. Their rift has always been over the construction of the huge hydroelectric dam on the Blue Nile, close to the border with Sudan.

In this photo provided by Egypt’s presidency media office, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi speaks during the summit on the Sudan conflict, at the Presidential Palace in Cairo, Egypt, Thursday, July 13, 2023. Egypt is hosting a summit about the Sudan conflict which include leaders of Ethiopia, South Sudan, Chad, Eritrea, Central African Republic and Libya. (Egyptian Presidency Media Office via AP)After years of failed talks, Ethiopia and Egypt said Thursday they aim to finalize within four months an agreement on the operations of Africa’s largest dam, an apparent breakthrough in a dispute that Cairo has described as an existential threat. The new statement does not describe the foreseen agreement as a legally binding one, which Egypt and Sudan have sought. It also doesn’t say whether the talks will be under the auspices of the African Union, which Ethiopia has preferred.

"It was in my mother's womb that I had a dream that I would build a church before I die," he said. Construction of Bata Lemariam Church (Church of the Presentation of Mary in the Temple) is underway and is expected to take about a year to complete. The seven surviving siblings of the Pollock family, photographed in 2015, are supporting the construction of a church in Arekit, Ethiopia. "Where we build the church, side by side, we build schools, clinics, activities for the development of the community." They had worshipped in the Orthodox Church in childhood, but they eventually started attending the local Catholic church and were all received into the Catholic Church at the same time.