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Ethiopia and rebel forces reach cease-fire agreement after two-year conflict

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The Ethiopian government has agreed to end the two-year conflict with rebel forces in the country’s northern Tigray region.

The agreement on the “permanent cessation of hostilities” was reached on Wednesday, at a meeting in South Africa, after the latest round of peace talks convened by the African Union (AU).

Olusegun Obasanjo, former Nigerian president and AU envoy, who led the on-and-off negotiations for more than a year, described the agreement as the beginning of peace.

“The two parties in the Ethiopian conflict have formally agreed to the cessation of hostilities. This moment is not the end of the peace process but the beginning of it,” he said.

“Implementation of the peace agreement signed today is critical to the success of the process.”

Millions of people have been displaced by the fighting between both parties, which started in November 2020.

The fighting began after forces loyal to the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, which was the nation’s pre-eminent power broker for decades before being sidelined by Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, reportedly attacked a federal army base.

The conflict has drawn in neighbouring Eritrea, which supports Ahmed, and spilled over into Sudan, where thousands of civilians have taken refuge.

All combatants have committed abuses, according to United Nations human rights investigators, who recently singled out the Ethiopian government as using “starvation of civilians” as a weapon of war.

Meanwhile, months after an earlier cease-fire, violence broke out again as both sides traded accusations of staging new assaults.

In a statement issued following the agreement, the Ethiopian prime minister said the country remains committed to peace.

“The agreement signed today in South Africa is monumental in moving Ethiopia forward on the path of the reforms we embarked upon four and half years ago. Our commitment to peace remains steadfast. And our commitment to collaborating for the implementation of the agreement is equally strong,” the statement reads.

“On behalf of the people and Government of Ethiopia, I would like to express my gratitude to the African Union Commission and the AU High Representative for the Horn of Africa His Excellency former President Olusegun Obasanjo, together with esteemed members of the high representative’s team; His Excellency former President Uhuru Kenyatta and Her Excellency Dr. Phumuzile Mlalmbo, former Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa.

“I would also like to thank His Excellency Mr. Moussa Faki Mahamat, Chairperson of the African Union Commission for spearheading the AU’s principled position of ‘African Solutions to African Problems’.

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Former US President Bill Clinton hospitalised with fever

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Bill Clinton, the former US president who has faced a series of health issues over the years, was admitted to hospital Monday in Washington after developing a fever, his office said.

“President Clinton was admitted to Georgetown University Medical Center this afternoon for testing and observation after developing a fever,” the 78-year-old’s deputy chief of staff Angel Urena said on social media platform X, adding Clinton “remains in good spirits.”

Bill Clinton was previously hospitalized for five nights in October 2021 due to a blood infection.

In 2004, at age 58, he underwent a quadruple bypass operation after doctors found signs of extensive heart disease. He had stents implanted in his coronary artery six years later.

The health scare motivated him to make lifestyle changes, including adopting a vegetarian diet, and he has since spoken publicly about his efforts.

Clinton’s health last made headlines in November 2022 when he tested positive for Covid-19. He said at the time that his symptoms were “mild” and he was “grateful to be vaccinated and boosted.”

Clinton, who led the United States for two presidential terms from 1993-2001, is the second-youngest living US president, after 63-year-old Barack Obama.

He was born mere months after fellow former US president George W. Bush and President-elect Donald Trump.

Though his prosperous time in office was marred by scandals, he has enjoyed a second life in the two decades after his presidency, which has seen him venture into numerous diplomatic and humanitarian causes.

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Trump dismisses claims of handing presidency to Musk as ‘hoax’

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Could Elon Musk, who holds major sway in the incoming Trump administration, one day become president? On Sunday, Donald Trump answered with a resounding no, pointing to US rules about being born in the country.

“He’s not gonna be president, that I can tell you,” Trump told a Republican conference in Phoenix, Arizona.

“You know why he can’t be? He wasn’t born in this country,” Trump said of the Tesla and SpaceX boss, who was born in South Africa.

The US Constitution requires that a president be a natural-born US citizen.

Trump was responding to criticism, particularly from the Democratic camp, portraying the tech billionaire and world’s richest person as “President Musk” for the outsized role he is playing in the incoming administration.

As per ceding the presidency to Musk, Trump also assured the crowd: “No, no that’s not happening.”

The influence of Musk, who will serve as Trump’s “efficiency czar,” has become a focus point for Democratic attacks, with questions raised over how an unelected citizen can wield so much power.

And there is even growing anger among Republicans after Musk trashed a government funding proposal this week in a blizzard of posts — many of them wildly inaccurate — to his more than 200 million followers on his social media platform X.

Alongside Trump, Musk ultimately helped pressure Republicans to renege on a funding bill they had painstakingly agreed upon with Democrats, pushing the United States to the brink of budgetary paralysis that would have resulted in a government shutdown just days before Christmas.

Congress ultimately reached an agreement overnight Friday to Saturday, avoiding massive halts to government services.

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Seven confirmed dead in Western Mexico plane crash

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At least seven people died when a light aircraft crashed Sunday in a heavily forested area of Jalisco in western Mexico, local authorities reported.

The aircraft, a Cessna 207, was flying from La Parota in the neighbouring state of Michoacan.

Jalisco Civil Protection said via its social media that the crash site was in an area that was difficult to access.

Initial authorities on the scene “reported a preliminary count of seven people dead,” who haven’t been identified yet, according to the agency.

“A fire was extinguished and risk mitigation was carried out to prevent possible additional damage,” it added.

Authorities said they were awaiting the arrival of forensic investigators to remove the bodies and rule out the presence of additional victims.

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Bodex F. Hungbo, SPMIIM is a multiple award-winning Nigerian Digital Media Practitioner, Digital Strategist, PR consultant, Brand and Event Expert, Tv Presenter, Tier-A Blogger/Influencer, and a top cobbler in Nigeria.

She has widespread experiences across different professions and skills, which includes experiences in; Marketing, Media, Broadcasting, Brand and Event Management, Administration and Management with prior stints at MTN, NAPIMS-NNPC, GLOBAL FLEET OIL AND GAS, LTV, Silverbird and a host of others

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