Ethiopia conflict: Government forces advance on Tigray

Ethiopia's forces have advanced into the northern region of Tigray where soldiers loyal to the local political party are fighting the central government. Tigray's leader confirmed the losses but said it was a temporary setback and vowed to defeat the government. We bring you the latest from Ethiopia and explain what the conflict is all about.

Also, we have been talking to Australian rugby league fans, who were among the biggest sports crowd in the world since the pandemic began. Almost 50,000 were in the stadium to watch Queensland play New South Wales. They’ve been telling us about the coronavirus restrictions and being back in a sports crowd.

And every day we invite a health expert on to help us understand the latest news about coronavirus and to answer audience questions. Today, we will be joined by Dr Maria Sundaram, infectious disease epidemiologist at ICES Ontario in Toronto.

(Photo: Ethiopians who fled the ongoing fighting in Tigray region, as they wait to be processed for emergency food and logistics support by the World Food Program in Hamdait village on the Sudan-Ethiopia border in eastern Kassala state, Sudan November 17, 2020. Credit: Reuters)