The five-star Sheraton Addis Ababa has introduced a movie-on-demand system for its guests. The service is available on over 300 newly purchased televisions and guests can choose from a selection of eight possible films. The cost is 184 Br for a...

A smart new café serving patrons free “Sensation” condoms with their drinks and snacks has opened in the Ethiopian capital. “Bellissima” (meaning “very beautiful” in Italian), on Gabon Street near the Meskel Flower hotel. It is the brainchild of Hayat Ahmed,...

Ethiopia earned $1 billion from international remittances in July 2007-July 2008 fiscal year according to National Bank of Ethiopia figures. This compares with $633 million the previous year. Of the total over 80 per cent is remitted to individuals while the...

The Horn of Africa and the Arabian peninsula could one day be linked by a 28.5-km bridge under a project launched in Djibouti at the end of July. The $200 billion so-called Al Noor Cities Project contemplates the construction of new...

Over 14 million people in east Africa are at risk of starvation due to a combination of drought and rising food and oil prices, international aid agencies have said. Ethiopia is the country worst affected, with over 10 million people needing...

Ethiopian Airlines has leased two new aircraft in a bid to cope with growing demand, English language business newspaper “Capital Ethiopia” reports. The company has rented two Boeing 757-200s each with a capacity of 171 passengers from Babcock & Brown Air...

TATA International, part of the Indian powerhouse TATA Group, has opened an office in the Ethiopian capital. The company is looking to invest in the country’s key leather sector and possibly also in shoe manufacturing and a tea farm. Founded in...

Ethiopia’s parliament has approved a controversial new media law which critics say will further limit the freedom of the nation’s press. The legislation, which has been under discussion for almost six years, was passed with 291 votes in favour, 77 against...

Renowned Ethiopian academic Berhanu Abebe has died at the age of 75. He passed away in Harare on 1 July while on an electoral observation mission of the African Union for the presidential run-off elections in Zimbabwe on 27 June. Born in Addis...

The recently opened Ethiopia Commodity Exchange (ECX) has completed its first sale to the United Nations’ World Food Programme (WFP). The emergency food-aid agency purchased 100 metric tonnes of grade one white pea beans for US$70,000, slightly less than the current...