Jul 8, 2018

Ethiopia’s PM makes historic visit to thaw tensions with Eritrea

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Erirean President Isaias Afwerki. Photo: Yemane Gebremeskel, Eritrea’s minister of information, via Twitter

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed met on Sunday with Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki for a historic summit aiming to rebuild diplomatic and social ties between the two nations after more than 20 years of conflict, reports the Washington Post.

The backdrop: The two nations fought a war in the late 1990s that left at least 70,000 dead. This new possibility for the longtime rivals to thaw tensions comes a month after Ethiopia’s newly elected leader said he will accept a peace agreement with Eritrea to end ongoing clashes at their border.

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Axios
14 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Democrats sound alarm on mail-in votes

Photo: Mark Makela/Getty Images

Democrats are calling a last-minute audible on mail-in voting after last night's Supreme Court ruling on Wisconsin.

Driving the news: Wisconsin Democrats and the Democratic secretary of state of Michigan are urging voters to return absentee ballots to election clerks’ offices or drop boxes. They are warning that the USPS may not be able to deliver ballots by the Election Day deadline.

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Orion Rummler
22 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Nxivm cult leader Keith Raniere sentenced to life in prison

Carts full of court documents related to the U.S. v. Keith Raniere case arrive at the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York in May 2019. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Nxivm cult leader Keith Raniere, 60, was sentenced to 120 years in prison on Tuesday in federal court for sex trafficking among other crimes, the New York Times reports.

Catch up quick: Raniere was convicted last summer with sex trafficking, conspiracy, sexual exploitation of a child, racketeering, forced labor and possession of child pornography. His so-called self-improvement workshops, which disguised rampant sexual abuse, were popular among Hollywood and business circles.

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Erica Pandey, author of @Work
1 hour ago - Economy & Business

Americans are moving again

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

For decades, the share of Americans moving to new cities has been falling. The pandemic-induced rise of telework is turning that trend around.

Why it matters: This dispersion of people from big metros to smaller ones and from the coasts to the middle of the country could be a boon for dozens of left-behind cities across the U.S.

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