TIME STAMP

NEWS INTRO

Good Evening, I’m Yohannes Wondafrash with the news for the hour.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has reviewed the joint military exercise conducted by

the Air Force and Mechanized Infantry at Awash Arba Combat Technical School.
The Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces highlighted efforts being
undertaken to modernize the air and mechanized forces.

Former spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ambassador Dina Mufti

said public diplomacy activities are being strengthened to paint a clear picture of
current affairs in the country. A member of the Foreign Relations and Peace Affairs
Standing Committee of the House of Peoples’ Representatives, Ambassador Dina Mufti stated
that Public diplomacy activities will be reinforced and continue to protect the national interest
of the country. Ambassador Dina told ENA that efforts are being employed to promote a positive
image of Ethiopia; ensuring government-to-government relations and safeguarding the national
interest of the country. According to the ambassador, in particular, activities are being
undertaken through parliamentary diplomacy as it plays a paramount importance to strengthen
relations with various countries. 

Zambia’s Department of Immigration has apprehended Seventeen Ethiopian

immigrants that have entered the country illegally. The seventeen who are suspected of
Ethiopian Origin were apprehended following information received from the Zambia Police. The
suspected Ethiopian immigrants are all males aged between 12 and 25 years and the case is
therefore being treated as a case of suspected human trafficking. According to Lusaka Times, the
immigrants were apprehended at a farm and investigations have since been instituted to
establish how the suspects landed at the farm as well as establish the identity of the farm owner.
Commissioner of the Ethiopian Disaster Risk Management Commission, Shiferaw
Teklemariam discussed with UN Famine Prevention and Response Coordinator,
Reena Ghelani on various issues. The two sides swapped views on the current emergency
humanitarian situation and possible solutions to address related challenges and, build the
capacity of the commission, among others. Reena Ghelani appreciated the ongoing
humanitarian response in Ethiopia to people affected by drought and others in a difficult
situation. The coordinator particularly commended the delivery of humanitarian assistance and
reconstruction efforts in the northern part of the country in the wake of the peace agreement.

Ethiopian National Dialogue Commission said it is vigorously working to involve

the members of the Diaspora communities in the upcoming National Dialogue.
Commissioner Yonas Adaye told The Ethiopian Herald that the commission has been carrying
out various activities to enhance Diaspora participation in a bid to conduct inclusive and fruitful
National Dialogue. The commission has pledged to travel to the U.S., Latin America, the Middle
East, Europe, Asia, and other countries to discuss a range of affairs with the Diaspora
communities. It has also planned to listen to the concerns of the Diasporas. In this regard, the
Ethiopian National Dialogue Commission has finalized preparations to hold the final discussion
with the Diaspora community in the coming week. The report is from EPA.

Ethiopian Airlines Group has partnered with MailAmericas, a private postal

operator to develop competitive cross-border e-commerce services within Africa
and the Middle East using Addis Ababa as a hub. According to this partnership,
Ethiopian Airlines will offer air transport service for carrying goods across its wide network
while MailAmericas will provide its market expertise and the know-how it gained in Latin
America and Africa, where it has networks in over 40 countries.  Regarding the partnership,
Ethiopian Group CEO Mesfin Tasew said the partnership enables Ethiopian Airlines to serve
its customers better by leveraging the expertise, bilateral agreements, and private networks of
MailAmericas. As part of the partnership, Ethiopian Airlines will gain access to all bilateral
agreements and private networks of MailAmericas across the regions, enabling it to offer
competitive services to customers in Africa, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, and other
parts of the world.
Also in our stories this Evening, we will take a look at Hundreds of people
in Burkina Faso's capital marching to demand the departure of the French
ambassador to the country.

We will also look into Turkey’s cancellation a planned visit by Sweden’s

defense minister.

Yohannes Wondafrash has the details…

Stay tuned.

Short Drop

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AFRICA

Somalia's government and al-Qaida-linked fighters both claimed more than 100
people were killed Friday in their deadliest battle since the government launched a
major military offensive against the extremists in August. The government in a
statement asserted that more than 100 al-Shabab extremists died after they attacked a Somali
National Army base in the Galgudud region village of Galcad that was recently retaken from the
fighters' control. The government statement said seven soldiers, including an officer from the
elite, U.S.-trained Danab brigade, were killed in the "intense attack" but asserted that the
military remained in control of the base. A spokesman for the Al-Shabab extremists, Sheikh Abu
Musab, proclaimed that more than 150 Somali soldiers and officers were killed. Neither side's
claim could be independently verified, but Galcad resident Abukar Uluso told The Associated
Press there was heavy gunfire exchanged. Somalia's government last year declared "total war"
against al-Shabab.
The capital of Togo hosted a two day conference dedicated to the fight against
terrorism. The meeting in Lomé was attended by more than 250 participants including
presidents of national assemblies, representatives of African parliaments, youth NGOs and
representatives from UN agencies. The president of the Togolese National Assembly stressed the
importance of collective response.

Up

The conference noted that Africa cannot win the challenge of terrorism simply through armed
response. A parliamentary working group for counterterrorism in Africa has just been set up
following discussions organized by the United Nations, the Qatar Shurad Council and
the Togolese government. The group aims to build and collaborate with resilient, empowered
youth who are able to make a meaningful contribution to counterterrorism efforts.

Hundreds of people in Burkina Faso's capital, Ouagadougou, marched to demand

the departure of the French ambassador to the country. The demonstration was called
by the Pan-African Leaders Collective, a political group that includes organizations who
support Captain Ibrahim Traore, in power since the end of September. The participants want
the withdrawal of the 400 French Special Forces stationed in the country.

Up

French troops withdrew from Mali last year, after a 2020 coup in the country saw its ruler’s inch
closer to Russia. The reports are from Africanews.

International

Turkey on Saturday cancelled a planned visit by Sweden’s defense minister in

response to the Nordic country’s permits for anti-Turkish protests. It is the latest
backlash from Turkey, a NATO member which has been holding off on approving Sweden’s
application to join the military alliance until the Swedish government cracks down on groups
that Ankara regards as security threats. Turkey’s Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said the
scheduled Jan. 27 visit by his Swedish counterpart Pål Jonson would not take place. He said the
visit no longer held “any importance or point” because Sweden continued to allow “disgusting”
demonstrations against Turkey. According to the report from AP Sweden is bracing for several
demonstrations this weekend. Both pro-Turkish and pro-Kurdish groups are planning
demonstrations in the Swedish capital. Turkey summoned the Swedish ambassador Friday to
condemn the protests, saying protests by pro-Kurdish groups linked to the Kurdistan Workers’
Party, or PKK, would be a violation of the joint memorandum signed between Turkey, Sweden
and Finland that prevented a Turkish veto for the Nordic countries’ NATO accession in June.

Iran strongly condemned the European Parliament’s approval of a resolution

calling on the bloc to consider a “terrorist” designation for the Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps. On Thursday, the European Parliament overwhelmingly
approved a resolution that calls on the European Union to recognise Iran’s elite force and its
subsidiaries, like the paramilitary Basij and the Quds Force, as “terrorist” organisations. It also
condemned the Iranian government’s response to the protests that have been taking place in the
country since September, the executions linked to the protests, and drone sales to Russia, while
also recommending sanctions against Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, President
Ebrahim Raisi and all Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps -linked foundations. During a
phone call on Thursday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian told the EU’s foreign
policy chief Josep Borrell that the move “was like Europe shooting itself in the foot”. The report
is from Aljazeera.

TIP

Chain restaurant Pizza Hut attempted a world record with 14,100-square-foot

pizza. The pizza chain, which announced the return of its Big New Yorker pizza after a 25-year
hiatus, took inspiration from the oversize pie to attempt a Guinness World Record at the Los
Angeles Convention Center. The restaurant's chefs assembled the dough, sauce and cheese on
the convention center floor and the massive pizza was then cooked using a series of heat lamps.
The completed pizza measured 14,100 square feet and was then portioned into 68,000 slices.
The current Guinness World Record is held by a 13,580.28 square foot pizza made in Italy in
2012. The story is from UPI.

Bridge

I’m Tinsae Michael with our technician Bereket W/hana with the evening news for
the 21st of January, 2023.

You can reach us through our SMS line 0944 33 52 52.

Or email us through our email address waltafm105.3@gmail.com

Thank you for choosing 105.3 Walta FM as your news and entertainment station
and once again Merry Xmas.

OUTRO