Ethiopia

Thousands of Orthodox Christians dressed in white celebrated Christmas Eve in Addis Ababa’s Meskel Square on 6 January with a candlelight ceremony followed by an all-night church service, as they follow the Julian calendar 13 days later than Gregorian one

With five months to go before 7th general elections on 1 June 2026, Ethiopia stands at a critical democratic crossroads; transparency looks critical for elections legitimacy and National Election Board is called to regularly and clearly update the public

Copper cables, plastic tubes and metal components have been looted along an under-construction road in Addis Ababa, running from Edna Mall to Haya Hulet; thefts have occurred in full view, according to eyewitnesses

Relations with Malaysia have entered a new chapter: the embassy reopened in Addis Ababa after 42 years of absence and PM Anwar Ibrahim ended an official visit marked by productive discussions on mutually beneficial collaboration

Foreign banks seeking to operate through subsidiaries in Ethiopia will be admitted only if they hold an investment grade credit rating of at least BBB- or its equivalent, according to a directive in the making at the National Bank of Ethiopia

A report from the Commission of Inquiry on Tigray Genocide accused Ethiopia’s transitional justice process of being incapable of addressing crimes of the Tigray war; authors described the process as “non-compliant with international standards”

A cholera outbreak in Tigray has killed several gold miners and infected over 300 people remains uncontrolled; with a Case Fatality Rate of 3,1%, higher than emergency thresholds, it highlights vulnerability of mining communities to waterborne diseases

Connected Banking Summit was held in Addis Abeba, confirming Ethiopia’s will to advance towards digital finance; the annual event has seen 112 countries represented so far and 10.000 partnerships signed

A proclamation permitting euthanasia has now been defined with a draft outlining guidelines for the withdrawal of life support, or passive euthanasia; it defines euthanasia as “the deliberate intervention" to end a life "to relieve intractable suffering"

Banks unable to raise 5bln (€30,5 million) before June 2026 will be forced to merge, regulators from the National Bank of Ethiopia decided; the executives of private commercial banks are pushing back against the forced consolidation

Startup Proclamation was unanimously approved by Council of Ministers: it is a long-due policy to address chronic barriers faced by entrepreneurs and support Ethiopia's for early‑stage, technology‑driven companies with a dedicated framework

Parliament removed a controversial salary deduction clause from disaster risk bill citing ‘overlapping burden on workers’; the clause was withdrawn following “discussion and consensus” and the proclamation was unanimously approved