VOA News
By Michael Bowman

August 18, 2013

A growing number of U.S. legislators are urging a cut-off of U.S. aid to Egypt. Some of them took to the airwaves as Egypt’s interim government pondered outlawing the Muslim Brotherhood that is demanding the return of ousted president Mohamed Morsi.

Last month, Republican Senators John McCain and Kelly Ayotte helped defeat a motion to suspend U.S. aid to Egypt. Sunday, both said they had changed their minds. Speaking on NBC’s Meet the Press television program, Ayotte said continued assistance is sending the wrong message to Egypt’s military after a week of bloodletting.

“Now with the recent violent crackdown, I do not see how we can continue aid. I believe it must be suspended. Unfortunately, I think the military has gotten the impression that, whatever they do, we will continue our aid,” said Ayotte.

Appearing on the same program, Democratic Senator Jack Reed said that recent events in Egypt demand a “change” in U.S. assistance. But he stressed that the United States must remain engaged in Egypt.

Meanwhile, Republican Senator Bob Corker said he believes a reassessment of U.S. assistance is appropriate and that aid will be curtailed. But he said that the United States must not lose sight of its vital interests in Egypt and the broader Middle East.

“We want their cooperation in northeast Sinai. We want their cooperation with [access to] the Suez Canal. So let us look at what is in our national interest.”

Corker spoke on ABC’s This Week program.

U.S. law mandates a suspension of military aid after a coup, but the Obama administration has avoided using the term in describing Morsi’s overthrow.

Also appearing on This Week was Democratic Congressman Eliot Engle, who said Egypt remains an “important” country and that the United States should not rush to suspend assistance.

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Lincoln Journal Star

By Morgan Spiehs

Birhanu Taddese spent his childhood as a runaway and became a thief surviving in the streets of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

“Previously, I used to live with my dad and we didn’t get along very well. He used to hit me a lot,” Taddese said.

After Taddese ran away from his broken home he lived in the streets, with a nongovernmental organization and in a juvenile detention center, all before age 13.

Taddese’s self-confidence was minimal. Standing about 4 feet 2 inches tall, he lives with dwarfism and babbled more than he spoke.

The Fekat Circus took him in when he was 19. He’s been at the circus for two years now, after jumping around between homes all his life.

The Fekat Circus, in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa, is a vehicle for social change, according to its members. Most of the performers were street children or orphaned before finding the circus. The circus trains neighborhood children and visits the nearby hospital to entertain patients in the pediatric ward. It’s former street kids helping current street kids.

Read more at Lincoln Journal Star.
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Reuters Africa

By Aaron Maasho

ADDIS ABABA – Ethiopia signed an $800 million deal with China’s ZTE (000063.SZ) on Sunday to expand mobile phone infrastructure and introduce a high-speed 4G broadband network in the capital Addis Ababa and a 3G service throughout the rest of the country.

The agreement with ZTE, China’s second-largest telecoms equipment maker, is half of a $1.6 billion project split with Huawei Technologies Co Ltd HWT.UL, the world’s second largest telecom equipment maker. Huawei signed the agreement last month.

Both firms will provide low interest loans to Ethiopia through an arrangement known as vendor financing, Ethiopian officials and both firms said.

Africa’s rapidly expanding telecoms industry has come to symbolize its economic growth, with subscribers across the continent totaling almost 650 million last year, up from just 25 million in 2001, according to the World Bank.

China has extended its economic influence on the continent in recent years, winning road construction tenders in Kenya, signing deals for construction of energy projects in Uganda as well as running mining projects in various countries.

Andualem Admassie, acting chief executive officer of state-run Ethio Telecom, said the agreement would enable the Horn of Africa country to double subscribers to more than 50 million.

“The expansion is vital to attain Ethio Telecom’s objective of increasing telecom service access and coverage across the nation, as well as to upgrade existing network to new technology,” he said in a speech.

Ethio Telecom is the only mobile operator in the country of more than 80 million people, one of the last remaining countries on the continent to maintain a state monopoly in telecoms.

Read more at Reuters.com.
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Skagit Valley Herald

By Gina Cole

MOUNT VERNON — In the hours before Hana Williams collapsed in her adoptive family’s backyard and succumbed to hypothermia, her adoptive mother and siblings watched her limping and seemed to be “laughing at her,” the family’s adopted son testified Thursday.

At Skagit Valley Hospital later that night, emergency physician Janette Tomlinson told Larry and Carri Williams their adopted daughter had died. Larry got “teary-eyed,” but Carri was calm and talkative, the doctor testified.

“She was not real distraught,” Tomlinson said.

Larry and Carri Williams are standing trial on charges of homicide by abuse and first-degree manslaughter in Hana’s death, and first-degree assault of their adopted son. They have pleaded not guilty.

Read more at Skagit Valley Herald.
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Girl’s autopsy shows signs of beatings, hypothermia, malnutrition (KOMO News)
Washington State: Trial Begins In Starvation Death Of Hana Alemu (Hana Williams)

Video: Expert Witness Testifies Adopted children were ‘tortured’ (KIRO 7 Eyewitness News)

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VOA News
By Gabe Joselow

August 09, 2013

An Ethiopian military plane crash-landed at the airport in Somalia’s capital on Friday, killing four people. The cause of the accident is being investigated.

The African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia, AMISOM, said an Ethiopian Air Force plane burst into flames upon landing at Aden Abdulle International Airport in Mogadishu.

A statement from the peacekeeping force said four crew members were killed and another two were taken to an AMISOM hospital to be treated for injuries.

Somali government spokesman Ridwaan Haji Abdiwali said that so far, there were no signs of foul play. “The Somali government confirms the plane crash took place,” he said, “with a loss of lives and property. Investigations will be carried out into what actually happened. The crash is nothing other than a normal accident,” he said.

Ethiopian forces have been engaged in the fight against al-Shabab militants in Somalia since 2011, although they are not a part of the AMISOM mission.

Ethiopian troops were instrumental in securing the south-central town of Baidoa, and other territory previously under militant control.

Witnesses at the airport reported hearing explosions following the crash, indicating the plane may have been carrying ammunition.

An al-Shabab Twitter message called the accident a “victory from Allah” but did not claim responsibility for the crash.

The Somali prime minister’s office said the government was appointing a committee to investigate the cause and to assess the damage.

Video: Ethiopian Military plane crash – Aircraft bursts into flames at Mogadishu airport (ITN)

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Related:
Two Senior Ethiopian Air Force Pilots Among Those Killed in Mogadishu Crash (TADIAS)

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NPR

By Gregory Warner

Earlier this summer in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, I heard a complaint from many professionals that they could no longer find cheap house cleaners and nannies.

The apparently endless supply of girls and young women from the countryside who would work for peanuts just for a chance to move to the capital was drying up. It turns out more and more of them are finding work on one of the city’s many construction sites.

Unlike her male coworkers, Mekedes Getachew does not wear a hard hat, but instead sports a bright purple headscarf with tassels under a newsboys cap. She says a hard hat is just too heavy.

The 19-year-old Mekedes is one of six women working alongside 60 men at a construction site that will next year be a new wing of a city hospital. She wears a paint-spattered sweatshirt and a skirt over her jeans, a nod to her Orthodox Christian upbringing.

While she typically does lighter jobs like cleaning and shoveling sand, roles on the site are always fluid. She’s tackled even the heaviest lifting jobs since she showed up to work as a day laborer at age 15.

Less Than $1 A Day To Start

She was paid 75 cents a day initially; the men were paid $2. She didn’t take issue with the salary, reasoning to herself it was because she’d be doing lighter jobs.

But then one day they were mixing cement from bags weighing about 110 pounds, heavier than Mekedes. One of the foremen looked around for someone to haul the bags and his eyes landed on her.

“My boss told me to do it and I did not want him to find out that I’m scared or I did not want him to know that I may not be able to do it,” she says.

She needed the job, and it was either haul the bag of cement or haul herself back to Semen Shewa, the tiny village in the north where she was born.

“If I was going to lift it on my own maybe I may not have been able to do it, but the boys are the ones who lifted it and put it on my back, so, I did it,” she says. “I carried it … so that gave me the confidence.”

Growing up, she never would have imagined herself working alongside men in the open air and climbing scaffolding of raw timber. Girls from her village usually drop out of school by fourth grade to prepare for an arranged marriage.

“My father’s plan was to give me a husband. He wanted me to get married and have a family,” she says.

Young Mekedes had other plans, however. The first was to finish her education, and for that she needed money. Against the pleas of her father she went to Addis Ababa and, at the age of 11, found work as a live-in maid earning $4 a month.

She looked after three children — aged 6, 8 and 12 — washing laundry, picking them up after class and preparing their lunches.

That meant rising before dawn in the cold to cook injera, a spongy flatbread. In the end it was the cold that got her; she caught pneumonia and the woman of the house kicked her out, withholding six months of her salary, a whole $24. That left her little to take back home to her father.

Read more at NPR.Org.

Listen to the story below.

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Related:
New Book Highlights Stories of 70 Accomplished Ethiopian Women (TADIAS)

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Redress Online

By Graham Peebles

To many people land is much more than a resource or corporate commodity to be bought, developed and sold for a profit. Identity, cultural history and livelihood are all connected to “place”. The erosion of traditional values and morality (including respect for human rights and environmental responsibility) are some of the many negative effects of the global neo-liberal economic model, with its focus on short-term gain and material benefit. The commercialization of everything and everybody has become the destructive goal of multinationals and corporate-driven governments.

Land for profit

Since the food shortages of 2008 agricultural land in developing countries has been in high demand, seen by corporations from Asia and the Middle East in particular as a sound financial investment and as a way to create food security for their home markets.

Three quarters of the world’s land acquisitions have taken place in sub-Saharan Africa, where impoverished and economically vulnerable countries (many run by governments with poor human rights records) are “encouraged” by donor partners and international financial institutions to attract foreign investment.

Poor countries make easy pickings for multinationals negotiating deals for prime land at giveaway prices and with all manner of government sweeteners. Contracts sealed without consultation, transparency or accountability have virtually no benefit for the host country and result in dispossession, deception, violation of human rights and destruction of livelihoods.

Ethiopia is a prime target for investors looking to acquire agricultural land. Since 2008 the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) government has leased almost four million hectares for commercial farm ventures. Land is cheap – it is virtually give away – tax is non-existent and profits (like the food grown) are mostly repatriated. Local people are swept aside by a government unconcerned with human rights, domestic or international law. A perfect environment then, where shady deals can be done and large corporate profits made. In its desperation to be seen as one of the growth gang and to make way for agricultural land investments, the Ethiopian government has “committed egregious human rights abuses, in direct violation of international law”, according to the Oakland Institute.

Forced from home

Bordering on South Sudan, the Gambella region (where 42 per cent of land is available), with its lush vegetation and flowing rivers, is where the majority of land sales in the country have taken place. Deals in the region are made possible by the EPRDF’s “villagization programme”, which is forcibly clearing indigenous people off ancestral land and herding them into state-created villages. Some 1.5 million people nationwide are destined to be resettled in this way, 225,000 of whom are from Gambella.

More concerned to be seen as corporate buddy than guardian of the people, the Ethiopian government guarantees investors that it will clear land leased of everything and everyone. It has an obligation, Oakland Institute says, to “deliver and hand over the vacant possession of leased land free of impediments” and to “provide free security against any riot, disturbance or any turbulen[ce]”. Bulldozers are destroying the “farms, and grazing lands that have sustained Anuak, Mezenger, Nuer, Opo, and Komo peoples for centuries”, Cultural Survival records. Dissent is dealt with harshly. Human Rights Watch relates the case of one elder who was jailed without charge in Abobo and held for more than two weeks, during which, he says, “they turned me upside down, tied my legs to a pole, and beat me every day for 17 days until I was released”.

Read more at Redress Online.
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Related:
Indian rose growers raise scent of division in Ethiopia (BBC)

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VOA News
BY Gabe Joselow

July 30, 2013

NAIROBI, KENYA — Somalia’s Ministry of Health confirms there are now 94 cases of polio in south-central Somalia and the outbreak is showing no signs of slowing down. New cases of the disease near the border with Ethiopia have also put that country at risk.

The polio outbreak, first identified in May in the Dadaab refugee camps in Kenya, is spreading throughout Somalia, according to Dr. Yassin Nur, head of immunization at Somalia’s Ministry of Health.

He said another case also has been confirmed in the autonomous region of Somaliland, close to Ethiopia, and could easily be transmitted across the border.

“The risk is there,” Nur said. “Not to mention that Ethiopia is having a very long border and porous border with Somalia and it would be very easy to have the outbreak in Ethiopia.”

Before the new outbreak, polio had been nearly eradicated across the world, with active cases reported only in three countries: Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nigeria.

But the U.N. children’s agency UNICEF said that in May, a two-year-old girl in Somalia was confirmed to have contracted polio, becoming the first case in the country since 2007.

According to Nur, the population of internally displaced people, who number more than one million in Somalia, are most at risk of contracting the virus that causes polio.

The constant movement of people raises the risk of spreading the disease.

“The problem is this movement between Somalia and Kenya, between Somalia and Ethiopia,” Nur said. “Whether they are IDPs or not, the movement of the people is the one that worries us.

Nur is hopeful a vaccination campaign launched in coordination with U.N. agencies, as well as local and international organizations, will be able to “limit and control” the transmission of the disease.

According to the U.N. almost four million people have received a polio vaccination in Somalia since May.

Children are most at risk of contracting the disease, which has no cure and can paralyze those who are infected.
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VOA News

BY Marthe van der Wolf

ADDIS ABABA — It has been almost one year since Hailemariam Desalegn came to power in Ethiopia, following the death of his predecessor Meles Zenawi. Despite recent demonstrations and a cabinet shuffle, little seems to have changed in the East African country.

After weeks of speculation, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi’s death was announced last year, on the morning of August 21st. The passing of the longtime ruler made way for his deputy Hailemariam Desalegn, to lead the second most populous nation on the African continent.

Ethiopia witnessed several anti-government demonstrations in recent months, a rare sight. And the new prime minister also replaced most of the cabinet.

But a spokesperson for the prime minister, Getachew Redda, said these developments are not part of any fundamental change within the government.

“What Hailemariam is doing at this point is implementing the policies that have been adopted by the ruling party,” Redda explained. “If there were people who were expecting any kind of change in terms of directions and fundamental policies then they will definitely be disappointed because there was neither the intention nor the tendency to bring about any change whatsoever in this regard.”

Collective leadership

Hailemariam, an engineer by training, was the minister of foreign affairs and deputy prime minister until last August. With the appointment of Hailemariam, a collective leadership was put in place. Although government officials said that a collective leadership was always part of the ruling party’s policy.

Solomon Dersso, a political analyst for the Institute for Security Studies, said that political power is no longer centered in the position of the prime minister. But he doubts whether it will change Ethiopia’s political scene.

“The only thing that it would change is how decision making is negotiated within the ruling party between the different power centers,” Dersso said. “So you have regional governments becoming quite important, you have the members of the coalition, and of course the security apparatus. So on various aspects of the management of the affairs of the country obviously these different centers of power negotiations need to be undertaken.”

Girma Seifu, the only opposition member of parliament in Ethiopia for UDJ (Unity for Democracy and Justice), one of the parties that organized demonstrations in recent weeks, said that Prime Minister Hailemariam behaves differently in parliament from his predecessor. “In the previous, the prime minister is everything. So he is the law of the country,” Seifu noted. “So at that time the parliament was irrelevant.”

Human Rights

Despite those differences in character, Seifu feels the Ethiopian government has not changed its position on allowing more freedom for people who hold different opinions.

“They must do something visible to change the human rights situation in this country. They must take this thing seriously and they have to take action to improve these things. Only economic development issues, infrastructure issues will not substitute human rights issue,” Seifu said.

Ethiopia has been ruled by a coalition of four parties, the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front, since 1991 with Meles Zenawi as its leader until his death. Current Prime Minister Hailemariam is expected to run for office during the 2015 elections. He hasn’t been very visible in his first year, but spokesperson Getachew said that this will change during his second year in office. “What you can expect from his leadership is a much closer engagement with the public, much more progressive attitude towards the development of the democratic process,” he remarked. “And a much more economic growth.”

Ethiopian statistics claim the country has had double-digit growth for the last few years, although the World Bank and IMF estimate the growth is around eight percent. The country is halfway through implementing its ambitious five-year Growth and Transformation Plan that is aimed at turning Ethiopia into a middle-income country by 2025.
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Bloomberg News

By Fred Ojambo

Egypt has no plans to go to war with Ethiopia over the Horn of Africa nation’s construction of a hydropower dam on the Nile River, said Mona Omar, special envoy for Interim Egyptian President Adly Mansour.

Former Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi told supporters last month his government will “defend each drop of Nile water with our blood.”

Mursi, overthrown by the army on July 3, had a failed foreign policy and Egypt plans to negotiate with Ethiopia about the dam, Omar told reporters today in the Ugandan capital, Kampala.

“We cannot go to war with any African country,” she said. “When you differ in opinion it doesn’t mean you will go to war.”

Read more at Bloomberg News.
—
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Ethiopia & Egypt: Visualizing Nile Data – Access to Electricity vs Fresh Water (TADIAS)
Hydropolitics Between Ethiopia and Egypt: A Historical Timeline (TADIAS)
Law Professor Urges Ethiopia to Take Nile Issue to International Court (TADIAS)

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VOA News

By Michael Bowman

CAPITOL HILL — Prospective U.S. diplomats to Africa say President Barack Obama’s recent trip to the continent underscored persistent challenges and vast opportunities that cry out for robust and sustained American engagement. Administration nominees for the State Department’s top Africa post, as well as numerous ambassadorships, testified Wednesday at their Senate confirmation hearing.

During his three-nation trip to Africa earlier this month, Obama unveiled initiatives to boost electric service on the continent, increase trade and commercial ties, and help groom Africa’s next generation of leaders. But more must be done, according to Democratic Senator Chris Coons, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee on Africa.

“President Obama’s recent trip was a positive demonstration of U.S. commitment, and the president’s initiatives on trade, energy, young African leaders and wildlife trafficking, I think have significant potential. But our relationships have to extend broadly beyond a single presidential trip,” he said.

That statement got no argument from Obama’s nominee to be Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, who noted the continent’s rapidly-growing economic prowess.

“Africa is booming,” she said.

Thomas-Greenfield pledged to work to reduce trade barriers between the United States and Africa, and to promote the continent as a place where U.S. companies can make profits.

And Africa is hungry for increased commercial ties with the United States, according to Reuben Brigety, nominated to be America’s envoy to the African Union.

“Every time I go to the continent, I am surprised by how eager African business leaders and African political leaders are for American companies to show up. Six of the 10 fastest-growing countries in the world are in Africa. Some 60 percent of the population is under the age of 30. In many ways, it is the continent of the future,” said Brigety.

Thomas-Greenfield, a career diplomat with extensive experience in Africa, however, said Africa cannot reach its full potential until serious challenges are overcome.

“Lack of fiscal transparency and corruption significantly discourage investment. Too many lives have been lost and too many futures destroyed. Violent extremist organizations, some of them affiliated with al-Qaida, seek to exploit conflicts and weak institutions to expand their reach,” she said.

Several senators noted America’s humanitarian aid and other forms of assistance provided to African nations in hopes of promoting a healthier, more prosperous populace living under democratic regimes that practice good governance.

The man nominated to be the next U.S. ambassador to Nigeria, James Entwistle, said American assistance must be deployed with a long-term strategy.

“Everything we do, every development activity, has to have a component of building up the host country’s ability to do it themselves,” said Entwistle. “For example, a health project should contain a component of building up the health ministry and the health infrastructure. Looking at everything we are doing and asking the tough questions to find out, to be blunt: ‘are we working ourselves out of a job, as we should be?’”

Others who testified included the nominees to be ambassadors to Ethiopia, Congo, and South Africa.
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Obama Africa Trip Highlights Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania (TADIAS)

Watch: President Obama delivers the central speech of his three nation Africa tour (VOA News)

UPDATE: Mali Awaits Presidential Election Results (VOA)

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The Denver Post

By Joey Bunch

As America counted down to the bicentennial of its Declaration of Independence in 1976, Yoseph Tafari was taking the first steps toward winning his own freedom. The 21-year-old organizer in the anti-Marxist movement in Ethiopia staggered alone toward the Sahara Desert, the mountains of his native Ethiopia shrinking behind him with each stride.

To escape the military junta that had marked him for death, Tafari spent four days in the wilderness, until goatherds found him and took him to the dry riverbed that marked the Sudan border near Kurmuk.

He risked death because death seemed certain.

“It’s not death that you fear,” he explained. “It’s the torture. These were very brutal people.”

Like other refugees, Tafari never returned, though he continues to look back in his mind.

Read more at The Denver Post.
—
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Ethiopia’s Red Terror Past Revisited in Denver Courtroom (The Denver Post)
Red Terror in Ethiopia killed thousands between 1976 and 1978 (The Denver Post)
Taste of Ethiopia 2013 in Aurora a palate pleaser via ethnic food (The Denver Post)

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Puget Sound Business Journal

By Steve Wilhelm

Boeing Chairman and CEO Jim McNerney seemed sanguine in remarks Wednesday about repairing the fire-damaged Ethiopian Airlines 787 Dreamliner still at London Heathrow airport, expressing confidence about making the fixes needed.

“We’re in discussion with them (Ethiopian) right about how to handle that. We want to make sure they’re in agreement with our approach,” he said during wide-ranging comments in the second-quarter Boeing conference call with analysts Wednesday. “We feel comfortable we know how to address this issue and most other structural issues as they arise.”

With authorities all but concluding the cause of the fire was not a flaw in the 787’s design, but a faulty emergency locater transmitter in the aircraft’s aft, McNerney said the question now is approach and timing.

“We are in discussion with Ethiopian; we want them to be completely comfortable with our approach, and those discussions will take another few days and weeks,” he said. “And then we will be in a better position to give you an estimate.”

Read more.
—
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FAA Calls For All 787 Dreamliner Inspections After London Fire (USA Today)
Dreamliner Fire Probe Confirms Looking at Honeywell Part (Reuters)
Ethiopian Airlines to Seek Insurance Claim for Dreamliner Fire (TADIAS)
Heathrow Fire: Ethiopian Airlines to Go on Flying 787 Fleet (BBC News)
Ethiopian Airlines Boeing Dreamliner Catches Fire at Heathrow Airport (The Chicago Tribune)
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Sudan Tribune

By Tesfa-Alem Tekle

ADDIS ABABA – The Ethiopian government has suspended issuing work visas to business migrants from Saudi Arabia, according to a source from the Ethiopian ministry of labour and social affairs.

The decision follows Saudi Arabia’s ban last week on domestic labourers from Ethiopia, forcing tens of thousands of undocumented Ethiopian workers to leave the kingdom.

The Ethiopian official, who is not authorised to speak to the media, told Sudan Tribune on Thursday that Ethiopian authorities had revoked up to 35,000 work visas for housemaids destined for work in Saudi Arabia.

The official said the Ethiopian ban on Saudis will remain in place permanently unless a new labour agreement that respects the rights of migrating workers is reached between the two countries.

The move is also part of Ethiopia’s efforts to prevent abuses of its nationals and control illegal recruitment by agents.

If Ethiopia insists on freezing work visas that it had already issued, the money which had already been spent by Saudi nationals to process workers’ travel costs will have to be refunded.

Read more at Sudan Tribune.
—
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Ethiopia Cancels 40,000 Work Visas for Saudi Arabia-bound Housemaids (Arab News)
Interactive Timeline: Ethiopian Domestic Help Abuse Headlines From the Middle East (TADIAS)
Changing Ethiopia’s Media Image: The Case of People-Trafficking (TADIAS)
Video: Ethiopian migrants tell of torture and rape in Yemen (BBC)
Video: Inside Yemen’s ‘torture camps’ (BBC News)
BBC Uncovers Untold People-Trafficking, Torture of Ethiopians in Yemen (TADIAS)
Meskerem Assefa Advocates for Ethiopian Women in the Middle East (TADIAS)

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VOA News

BY Selah Hennessy

July 23, 2013

LONDON — Two new reports published this month say sustainable development in Ethiopia is impossible without a specific focus on human rights. The reports say donor countries should bear responsibility for ensuring their aid money is not used to fuel abuse.

Ethiopia receives billions of dollars in international aid every year. It is money that is used to help improve basic services like access to health and education.

But human-rights campaigners say there also is widespread abuse that takes place in Africa’s second most populous country. And they say donors need to face up to what role their aid money might play in fueling that abuse.

Leslie Lefkow, the deputy director for Human Rights Watch’s Africa Division, said, “The Ethiopian government is resettling large numbers of pastoralists and semi-pastoralist communities in the name of better services. But often this resettlement process is accompanied by very serious abuses.”

Human rights groups say so-called “villagization” has been marred by violence, including rapes and beatings, and people are often forced to leave their homes against their will. They also say the new villages lack adequate food, farmland, healthcare and education facilities.

Lefkow said the World Bank is turning a blind eye. “In Ethiopia you have several years’ worth of rising concerns of human rights and yet you do not really see that being absorbed in the monitoring and in the practice of donors across the spectrum, so not just the World Bank,” she said.

The World Bank is the world’s top aid donor, with a $30 billion annual budget.

Right now the World Bank is undergoing a review of its safeguard policies, a process that began last year.

Human Rights Watch, a New York-based campaign group, says now is the time for it to commit to respecting and protecting human rights.

“Unlike some of the other international financial institutions, the European development bank and the African development bank, for example, is looking at reviewing some of its policies and explicitly committing to human rights, but the World Bank does not have that, even on paper.”

Another group, the U.S.-based Oakland Institute, published a report last week highlighting donor countries’ roles in alleged Ethiopian abuse.

It said Britain and the United States have ignored abuses taking place in the Omo Valley as the government forces tens of thousands of people from their land.

Executive Director Anuradha Mittal of the Oakland Institute, an independent policy think tank, says forced evictions are taking place in order to make way for commercial farming and a major new dam. She says money from donor countries supports the new projects.

“There is also support for infrastructure projects such as power lines and the rest, which are linked to the large dams that have been built, for instance, the dam in Lower Omo, which has been built to provide irrigation and electricity to the investors,” she said.

The Ethiopian government says sugar plantations in the region and the new dam, which will be Africa’s largest, are key to bringing energy and development to the country. VOA contacted the government for a reaction on the Oakland Institute report, but did not get a response.

Britain’s Department for International Development says its assistance in Ethiopia helps millions.
—
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NPR

By Gregory Warner

As we reported during Coffee Week in April, coffee aficionados pay top dollar for single-origin roasts.

The professional prospectors working for specialty coffee companies will travel far and wide, Marco Polo-style, to discover that next champion bean.

But to the farmers who hope to be that next great discovery, the emergence of this new coffee aristocracy is less Marco Polo, more Cinderella: How do you get your coffee bean to the ball?

Consider this tale of impoverished Ethiopian coffee growers whose beans once sold for rock bottom prices:

The yellowed highlands around the city of Jimma in Ethiopia are where coffee was discovered in the 8th century. But by the end of the 20th century, its reputation had become as shaky as a car ride on its mountain roads.

Read more at NPR.

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Reuters Africa

By Crispian Balmer

Egypt said on Saturday it was highly concerned that Ethiopia had not responded to an invitation to discuss a dispute over a giant dam that Ethiopia plans to build on the river Nile.

“Egypt is deeply worried that Ethiopia has not yet reacted to the invitation Egypt’s minister of water and irrigation made to conduct a meeting in Cairo on the consequences of the dam,” a statement issued by the foreign ministry said.

Egypt fears the dam will reduce water flows vital for its 84 million people.

Recently ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi said last month that “all options” were open in dealing with the issue, prompting Ethiopia to say it was ready to defend its $4.7 billion dam, set to be built near its border with Sudan.

The foreign ministry statement, issued just days after an interim cabinet was sworn into office in Cairo, shows the dam issue is a major priority for the new government.

Read more at Reuters.
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Related:
Morsi Family Accuses Egyptian Army of Abduction (VOA)
Egypt Calls on Ethiopia to Seek Solution on Nile Water Sharing (Bloomberg)

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The New York Times

By MARK LANDLER and MICHAEL D. SHEAR

WASHINGTON — President Obama, making a surprise appearance on Friday in the White House briefing room to address the verdict in the Trayvon Martin killing, spoke in personal terms about the experience of being a black man in the United States, trying to put the case in the perspective of African-Americans. They were Mr. Obama’s most extensive comments on race since 2008, and his most extensive as president.

Read more at The New York Times.

Watch: Video of Obama’s Complete Remarks on Race (July 19, 2013)

VOA News

July 19, 2013

President Barack Obama has called on Americans to do some “soul-searching” in response to the not guilty verdict in the trial of a man who shot an unarmed African-American teenager to death.

In a surprise appearance Friday before reporters at the White House, Obama said he is considering steps the nation might take to help it move in a positive direction in the wake of the racially charged case.

The teen, Trayvon Martin, was killed in February of last year after a struggle with a Hispanic neighborhood watch volunteer, George Zimmerman. Zimmerman was acquitted this month of murder charges.

The acquittal has spawned protests across the country, and the Justice Department is reviewing whether federal charges should be brought against Zimmerman.

The president said when thinking about the pain involved, it is important to recognize that the African-American community is looking at the issue through a set of experiences and a “history that doesn’t go away.”

Obama noted that when the shooting happened, he said Trayvon could have been his son. He said Friday another way of saying that is that Trayvon Martin could have been him, 35 years ago.

“There are very few African-American men in this country who haven’t had the experience of being followed when they were shopping in a department store. That includes me,” said Obama. “There are very few African-American men who haven’t had the experience of walking across the street and hearing the locks click on the doors of cars. That happen[ed] to me, at least before I was a senator. There are very few African Americans who haven’t had the experience of getting on an elevator and a woman clutching her purse nervously and holding her breath until she had a chance to get off. That happens often. And I don’t want to exaggerate this, but those sets of experiences inform how the African-American community interprets what happened one night in Florida.”

The president said he is looking into ways to examine state and local laws to see if they encourage confrontations like the one in Florida. He said it also would be productive for federal, state and local governments to work with law enforcement on training to address racial profiling and reduce mistrust in the system.

He said the nation needs to think about how to bolster and reinforce African-American boys, who, he said, are disproportionately victims and perpetrators of violence. He said they need help to feel they are a full part of society and have pathways to success.

Obama said families, churches and workplaces might be the best places for honest discussions on race, but he said it is not particularly productive to have politicians lead those talks. He also encouraged individuals to ask themselves if they doing their best to eliminate bias in themselves.

Quoting deceased anti-discrimination leader Martin Luther King, he said Americans should judge one another not on the color of their skin, but on the content of their character.

Obama, the first black American president, also noted positive changes in the country, saying he does not want the nation to lose sight of the fact that “things are getting better.”

Describing his own daughters and their interactions with friends, he said, “They’re better than we are. They’re better than we were.”
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Reuters

July 16, 2013

LONDON — British investigators said on Tuesday a transmitter made by U.S. firm Honeywell was one of several components that may have caused a fire on a Boeing Dreamliner in London last week.

“We can confirm that Honeywell have been invited to join the investigation,” a spokesman for Britain’s Air Accident Investigations Branch (AAIB) said on Tuesday.

“The emergency locator transmitter [ELT] is one [of] several components being looked at in detail as part of the investigation and it would be premature to speculate on the causes of the incident at this stage.”

Britain’s AAIB is leading the probe into a blaze on an Ethiopian Airlines jet that broke out last Friday and has already allayed fears about a return of problems with overheating batteries that grounded the Dreamliner for months earlier this year.

A source familiar with the probe told Reuters on Monday that investigators were now looking into whether the fire, which occurred at London’s Heathrow airport, was caused by the battery of an ELT built by Honeywell.

Honeywell said at that point only that it had joined the investigation into the fire, declining to discuss details beyond saying it had no previous experience of difficulties with this type of transmitter. The company’s British spokesman was not immediately available for comment.

The ELT, which is positioned in the upper rear part of the new airline, sends a signal that leads rescuers to downed aircraft. It is powered by a non-rechargeable lithium-manganese battery.

The AAIB, which is leading the probe into the fire, said on Saturday it found no evidence the fire was caused by the lithium-ion batteries that were implicated in the 787’s grounding earlier this year.

But the focus on the emergency beacon raised alarms for some analysts, who said more technology problems with the new, high-tech airliner would be troubling.

“It’s good to see the AAIB are getting closer to finding out what happened but what we really need to know now is if this is a one off or a problem for the whole Dreamliner fleet – that is the crucial point for Boeing and airlines,” said Howard Wheeldon, an aerospace analyst at Wheeldon Strategic Advisory.

The Dreamliner in question has been moved to a hangar at Heathrow where it is under technical investigation.

Read more at VOA News.
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Related:
Ethiopian Airlines to Seek Insurance Claim for Dreamliner Fire (TADIAS)
Heathrow Fire: Ethiopian Airlines to Go on Flying 787 Fleet (BBC News)
Ethiopian Airlines Boeing Dreamliner Catches Fire at Heathrow Airport (The Chicago Tribune)
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Bloomberg News

By William Davison

Ethiopian police detained 40 opposition supporters distributing leaflets calling for the repeal of an anti-terrorism law they say has been used to stifle dissent, the Unity for Democracy and Justice party said.

The arrests in four districts of the capital, Addis Ababa, occurred yesterday as UDJ members distributed pamphlets asking people to sign a petition that also demands the release of jailed opposition members, religious leaders and journalists, the party said in an e-mailed statement.

“It is harassment,” UDJ Chairman Negasso Gidada said in a phone interview today from the capital. “There is no law that says you need permission to distribute leaflets.”

The mobile phones of government spokesman, Shimeles Kemal, and Bereket Simon, spokesman in the prime minister’s office, were switched off when called for comment. The opposition campaigners were released on bail late yesterday and the group plans to continue gathering signatories for the petition, Negasso said.

Read more at Bloomberg News.
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Related:
European Parliament Delegation Visit to Ethiopia (TADIAS)
EU urges Ethiopia to release journalists, revise terror law (Reuters)
Ethiopian Opposition Holds Rare Protests in Gondar and Dessie (AFP)

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AFP

ADDIS ABABA (AFP) – Ethiopian opposition activists on Sunday demanded the release of journalists and political prisoners jailed under anti-terror legislation in demonstrations in two major towns.

In rare public outpours of anger, people marched peacefully in the towns of Gondar and Dessie, chanting “freedom” and carrying pictures of jailed politicians and journalists.

Government officials said there were around 1,500 protesters in total in both towns, while the activists themselves claimed the number to be as high as 20,000.

“The protests were peaceful and successful,” said Senegas Gidada, protest organiser and chairman of the Unity for Democracy and Justice Party (UDJ) party.

“We are unhappy about the lack of human rights and democratic freedom in Ethiopia,” he added.

The demonstrations follow a rally last month in the capital Addis Ababa when several thousand activists demanded the government adhere to basic human rights.

The recent rallies are the largest since post-election violence in 2005 resulted in 200 people being killed and 30,000 arrested.

Read more at FOX news.
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The Guardian/ Observer

By David Smith, Africa Correspondent

“Yichalal” is a word made popular in Ethiopia by Haile Gebrselassie, arguably the finest distance runner ever to grace track or road. It means “it is possible”, or “it can be done”. Gebrselassie for president? Yichalal.

That was the widespread reaction last week when the 40-year-old, who has conquered the worlds of sport and business, announced that in 2015 he will be running not for gold but for political office. The only dissenting voice appeared to be that of his wife.

In many ways, politics seems a natural next step for a man whose rise mirrors that of the skyscrapers in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, where Bob Geldof is now a less likely foreign visitor than investors lured by one of the world’s fastest growing economies. Gebrselassie, an idol to millions with that crucial political asset, a winning smile, is seen as embodying the new optimism also sweeping much of Africa. “We Ethiopians had many problems,” he told the Observer last week, speaking by phone while driving towards Addis Ababa. “If you come to Ethiopia now you see the difference. Things are changing very fast.”

But despite projected growth of 11% next year, poverty remains widespread. “Now Ethiopia is moving in a good way but the speed is not what we need,” Gebrselassie said. “We need to move more quickly and join the middle-income countries. There is no Usain Bolt. The more you sprint, the more you break world records. If I become an MP I will push for a pick-up of speed.”

Read more at The Guardian.
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Related:
The Difference Between Haile and Liberia’s George Weah (The Africa Report)
Haile Gebrselassie to Run for Parliament (AP)

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VOA News

Last updated on: July 07, 2013

An African Union team of eminent persons plans to meet this week with Egypt’s interim leadership, following the ouster of the democratically elected President Mohammed Morsi.

“Egypt is an important member of the African Union and we would not in any way allow Egypt to degenerate into chaos. We would do all we could to ensure that Egypt remains stable and prosperous, God willing,” said Ambassador Aisha Laraba Abdullahi, the African Union’s Political Affairs Commissioner.

Abdullahi also called for peace and reconciliation in Egypt following violent clashes between supporters and opponents of Mr. Morsi’s ouster.

“We note with deep concern the violence that happened on Friday and the early morning of Saturday,” continued Abdullahi, “We hope that the human-rights violation, the use of firearm to control protesters should be strongly discouraged. We frown upon that and we call for peace for reconciliation for tolerance, so that Egypt could bounce back.”

Abdullahi’s comments came after newly installed President Adly Mansour appeared to back away from an announcement that former Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Mohammed ElBaradei would be made prime minister. The Muslim Brotherhood says it rejects ElBaradei’s appointment and vowed to protest until Mr. Morsi is returned to power.

The African Union suspended Egypt’s membership Friday following the group’s Peace and Security Council’s meeting.

“The African Union will not tolerate unconstitutional [overthrow] of government of any form from any of its member states and this will remain our principle,” said Abdullahi.

“We call on the new authorities in Egypt to promote dialogue to reconcile to ensure that the constitution that would be drafted is [an] all inclusive one that would embrace everybody and promote peace, stability and hopefully development for Egypt, to ensure that as soon as they draw up a chronogram that they comply with the chronogram to ensure that this military action is not repeated.”

Abdullahi says the African Union will work closely with the North African country to restore constitutional rule.

“The AU is sending a team of African eminent personalities to discuss with the interim authorities so that they quickly set up a chronogram that would make them to go ahead and organize elections, which would hopefully, allow the country to also draw up a new constitution, go for elections and once that is done, we would be happy to re-admit Egypt back into the union,” said Abdullahi.

The African Union has also called for Egypt’s interim leaders to ensure Morsi’s safety after the military placed the former leader under house arrest after he was ousted.

“We continue to call for peace, for calm for respect of human rights for tolerance and understanding among the Egyptians,” said Abdullahi.

Listen to VOA’s interview with AU’s Aisha Laraba Abdullahi

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Video: Egyptians Protest Amid Prime Minister Dispute (VOA News)

VOA News

By Edward Yeranian

July 07, 2013

CAIRO — Rival demonstrations are taking place in the Egyptian capital Cairo and elsewhere across the country Sunday, as supporters and opponents of ousted President Mohamed Morsi take to the streets to defend their political positions.

Supporters of ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi continue their sit-in protest in front of Cairo’s Rouba Adawiya mosque Sunday, amid calls for further demonstrations across the capital. Opponents of Morsi also plan to hold a rival rally in Cairo’s Tahrir Square.

Amid protests and counter-protests, Egypt’s interim President Adly Mansour continues to consult rival political leaders about forming a new government. News that opposition leader Mohamed ElBaradei had been selected to head that government late Saturday was refuted by presidential spokesman Ahmed al-Muslimany.

He says that consultations have begun, but that the name of a new prime minister has not yet been agreed upon. The odds, he argues, favor Mohamed ElBaradei, but no official nod has been given since political talks are ongoing.

Islamist supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood and the Salafi Nour Party are both known to oppose ElBaradei’s nomination. Muslim Brotherhood leaders insist they won’t participate in any interim political process, either, unless former President Morsi is returned to office.

One middle-aged man in the center of Cairo insisted that he does not support either the Muslim Brotherhood or the opposition, but that everyone needs to cooperate to avoid trouble.

He says that (former) President Morsi won the presidential election [last year] by 51 percent and his rival won 48 percent, making it clear that both sides have almost equal support. For this reason, he argues, it is obvious that everyone must cooperate in order for the country to function.

Militants blew up the main gas pipeline in the northern Sinai early Sunday, causing flames to light the night sky. The pipeline, which provides gas for nearby Jordan, has been attacked frequently since the overthrow of veteran strongman Hosni Mubarak in February of 2011.

Egyptian security forces also came under attack in the northern Sinai town of Sheikh Zweyid. An army statement indicated that all Egyptians have the “right to protest,” but urged everyone to behave responsibly.

In the Kazakh capital Astana, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that Egypt was “in danger of sliding into a civil war,” insisting that “efforts must be made to prevent that from happening.”
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Related:
Egypt crisis in pictures (BBC News)
Cracks Emerge as Egyptians Seek Premier (The New York Times)
US Lawmakers React to Crisis in Egypt (VOA News)
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NBC News

By Julie Yoon, F. Brinley Bruton and Matthew DeLuca

A cockpit voice recorder recovered from Asiana Airlines Flight 214 revealed the pilots attempted to abort the landing just 1.5 seconds before the jet crashed in San Francisco, killing two and injuring scores, federal investigators said Sunday.

National Transportation Safety Board chief Deborah Hersman said at a Sunday news conference that the “black box” flight data recorders also showed there was an attempt to boost airspeed just before the aircraft impacted the sea wall and then slammed into the runway.

There was no evidence in the two recovered “black boxes” that the Boeing 777 was experiencing any problems before the crash on Saturday, Hersman said. The airline’s president said earlier that engine failure was likely not the cause of the deadly incident.

Read more at NBC News.

Watch: Meet the Press on SF Crash of Asiana Airlines Flight 214

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

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Asiana Flight 214 crash-lands at SFO, Flight data recorders recovered

(Photo: AP)

CNN

Investigators gathered critical clues in San Francisco on Sunday in hopes of solving the mystery surrounding the deadly crash landing of Asiana Airlines Flight 214.

Both flight data recorders have been recovered, the National Transportation Safety Board said, from wreckage left by Saturday’s tragedy that left two 16-year-old passengers dead.

Survivors and witnesses reported the 7-year-old Boeing 777 appeared to be flying too low as it approached the end of a runway near the bay.

“Stabilized approaches have long been a safety concern for the aviation community,” NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman told CNN on Sunday, saying they represent a significant threat. “We see a lot of runway crashes.”

“We want to understand what was going on with this crew so we can learn from it,” Hersman said.

Passengers recount moment of crash Passengers describe harrowing crash ‘The wheels … were too low, too soon’

Hersman said her team hopes to interview the pilots in the coming days.

Read more at CNN.

Watch: Flight data recorders recovered from Asiana crash Site

Video: Passengers Recount Moment of crash (CNN)

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VOA News

July 02, 2013

Ethiopia, Botswana and the Dominican Republic made the largest gains in food security in the past year, according to a new report.

Increases in income and food availability in developing countries drove the largest improvements in this year’s Global Food Security Index, published by the Economist Intelligence Unit. Botswana ranked number 43 out of 107 countries studied. But most of sub-Saharan Africa scored low. Even with this year’s gains, Ethiopia is number 90.

Meanwhile, economic losses in Greece and Ukraine pushed those countries down the index.

Democratic reform and political stability were linked to improvements in food security in Burma and Sri Lanka, while conflict pushed Mali, Yemen and Syria down the index.

The index comprises 27 measures of food affordability, availability and quality. It is funded by the seed and chemical company DuPont.
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BBC News

Minyahil Teshome Beyene should have missed the match having picked up two yellow cards in previous qualifiers.

Fifa overturned the original 2-1 win for Ethiopia in the 8 June match and handed Botswana a 3-0 victory.

It means Ethiopia’s Group A rivals South Africa and Botswana are now in with a chance of progressing.

The Ethiopia Football Federation has also been fined US$ 6,300 for the breach of Fifa’s disciplinary code.

President of the Ethiopia Football Federation, Sahilu Gebremariam, had already told BBC Sport that there will be no appeal against the decision.

He admitted “it’s a management blunder” and said “we have accepted the Fifa discipline issue”.

Although Ethiopia remain top of their group, they now lead 2010 World Cup hosts South Africa by only two points going into the final round of matches in September.

South Africa coach Gordon Igesund said in a statement issued through the national football association: “The decision gives us a second bite at the cherry.

Read more at BB News.
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Related:
Ethiopia sanctioned for fielding ineligible player (FIFA)
Ethiopia stripped of win in World Cup qualifying (Sports Illustrated)
Ethiopia Penalized in World Cup Qualifying for Ineligible Player (New York Times/AP)

Senior Ethiopian Football Federation Official Sacked Over World Cup Gaffe (Euro Sport)

(Image credit: FIFA.com)

Euro Sport

Updated on 25/06/2013

In a raucous meeting, Ethiopian football’s governing body voted to sack Ashenafi Ejigu but rejected the resignation offer by vice president Berhanu Kebede, who had previously been blamed by the body for the mix-up.

Some members of the football association and journalists at the meeting called for the whole management to be sacked.

Sahilu Gebremariam, the federation’s president, said he was likely to submit his own resignation in an upcoming election for seats in the body’s executive committee.

“This was a massive blunder so we all should have resigned,” he told Reuters. “But we have responsibilities ahead so we voted to stay until September.”

Ethiopia’s 2-1 win over South Africa in Addis Ababa on June 16 had given them an unassailable five-point lead in their group and place in the final phase of African qualifiers for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

But hours later, world governing body FIFA said it was investigating allegations Ethiopia had played suspended midfielder Minyahile Beyene against Botswana on June 8.

Minyahile had been booked twice in previous matches and World Cup rules state a player who receives two cautions in the qualifying campaign must serve an automatic one-match ban.

He was shown a yellow card in the 1-1 draw with South Africa a year ago and again in a 1-0 win over Botswana in March.

Ethiopia, who have never qualified for the World Cup finals, are expected to be docked three points meaning a place in the final qualifying round will be up for grabs in Group A.

If the points are redistributed, Ethiopia will have 10, South Africa will be on eight and Botswana on seven with each team having one match left to play in round two.

Officials said they mistakenly fielded the midfielder. Vice-president Berhanu, also team leader during the match against Botswana, said he had lost a letter from FIFA that notified the Ethiopian body of Minyahile’s bookings.

“I never use pens and papers during matches, let alone keep records of cautions,” said team coach Sewnet Bishaw. “I only focus on ways to win the match.”

Ethiopia play the Central African Republic on Sept. 6, while South Africa lock horns with Botswana.
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Related:
Ethiopia Admits Using an Ineligible Player (BBC News)
World Cup: Fifa probe casts Ethiopia progress into doubt (BBC News)
In Pictures: Ethiopia Celebrates 2-1 Victory Over South Africa (TADIAS)
Disciplinary proceedings opened against three member associations (FIFA)
Ethiopia Qualify for 2014 African Nations Championship | Walyas in Pictures (BBC)
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The Associated Press

By Kirubel Tadesse

July 3, 2013

ASSOSA, ETHIOPIA – The book, a history of Hoover Dam, fell from the dashboard as Simegnew Bekele drove through the rugged mountains where the engineer is leading construction work on Ethiopia’s massiveNile River dam.

“This book,” he said, picking it up, “I am reading it now … It’s a fascinating story. This dam too (has) a history one day someone will write about.”

Simegnew’s sentiment illustrated the great expectations of a dam that has raised tensions between this Horn of Africa nation and Egypt, which is concerned the ongoing project will diminish its share of Nile River waters. Reading the book, a gift from Ethiopians he met in New York recently, the engineer has come to see similarities between the Ethiopian dam-in-progress and Hoover Dam, the Great Depression-era project that in its time became an icon of American enterprise under difficult economic conditions.

Read more at CSM.

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Related:

Ethiopia’s Grand Renaissance Dam is Compared to Hoover Dam (AP/FOX News)

Foreign Minister Tedros Adhanom Says Ethiopia Wants to Resolve Nile Dam Dispute with Egypt

Ethiopian Foreign Foreign Minister Tedros Adhanom is pictured in Addis Ababa, on May 25, 2013. (AFP)

ALGIERS (AFP) – Ethiopia is hoping that talks with Egypt will ease a row over sharing the waters of the Nile, Foreign Minister Tedros Adhanom said on Sunday during a trip to Algeria.

But Tedros did not rule out “international mediation” if the talks founder.

The dispute erupted after Ethiopia last month began diverting the Blue Nile River for the construction of its 6,000-megawatt Grand Renaissance Dam.

Read more at Fox News.

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Ethiopia’s Plan to Dam the Nile Has Egypt Fuming (TIME Magazine)

By William Lloyd George

Addis Ababa — The heat is stifling but the construction workers and red-hatted engineers don’t let up. Mechanized excavators batter into the mighty, arid peaks on either side of the site of Ethiopia’s Grand Renaissance dam, set to be the largest in Africa. The foundations are growing. The dark brown waters of the Nile River flow through the site. But the punishing sun and tough terrain aren’t the only challenges facing the dam’s progress. Downstream, Egypt is furious — and some politicians there have talked in private of war. Ethiopia is defiant. “There is nothing that will stop Ethiopia now from realizing our country’s dream,” says Bereket Simon, an Ethiopian government spokesman, as he walked around the site on a recent morning.

The Ethiopian government believes that the dam, which is due to start generating electricity next year and will be paid for from the proceeds of government bond sales, will become an image of national pride and a symbol of the country’s recent development. Egypt, a country whose identity and economy are already inseparable from the Nile, feels deeply threatened by the project. Egypt’s President Mohammed Morsi said in a speech in Cairo on June 10, “We will defend each drop of the Nile with our blood,” but he has also said that dialogue is the best means of solving the crisis. Not all of Egypt’s politicians have been so diplomatic; during a cabinet meeting on June 3, which was being broadcast by Egyptian state TV without the knowledge of the political figures attending, several told Morsi that he must destroy the dam through any means available.

Read more at Time.com

—

Related:

Will Ethiopia’s ‘Grand’ New Dam Steal Nile Waters From Egypt? (CSM)

Egypt Should Welcome Ethiopia’s Nile Dam (Bloomberg Editorial)

Maaza Mengiste Says “The Nile Belongs to Ethiopia Too” (The Guardian)

Hydropolitics Between Ethiopia and Egypt: A Historical Timeline (TADIAS)

Visualizing Nile Data – Access to Electricity vs Fresh Water (TADIAS)

Law Professor Urges Ethiopia to Take Nile Issue to International Court (TADIAS)

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CNN

BY Errol Barnett

Lalibela, Ethiopia (CNN) — It’s 4 o’clock on a Sunday morning when a trail of figures dressed in white emerges from the deep darkness. Quietly, the summoned crowd makes its way down a cluster of ancient structures as the slow beat from traditional skin drums beckons.

It’s a common scene here in Lalibela, a small town in northern Ethiopia that’s home to 11 spectacular churches carved both inside and out from a single rock some 900 years ago. The chiseled creations have turned this mountain town into a place of pride and pilgrimage for worshipers of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, attracting 80,000 to 100,000 visitors every year.

“It is one of the very important places for the Ethiopian Orthodox Church people,” says local guide Fikru Woldegiorgis, who’s lived here most of his life. “There is a belief that Lalibela pilgrims share the same blessing as pilgrims to Jerusalem,” he explains. “They have to come at least once in a lifetime.”

And they come from all over.

Read more at CNN.

Watch: Part One – Ethiopia’s Monolithic Churches

Watch: Part Two – Protecting Ethiopia’s Religious Sites

Watch: Part Three – Ethiopia’s Orthodox Christians

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Related:
Rock-Hewn Churches, Lalibela – UNESCO World Heritage Site

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BBC News

By Jonathan Kalan

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – When it comes to technology and innovation, Ethiopia appears a long way away from the rest of Africa’s rising “silicon savannahs.”

The most advanced form of banking in Africa’s second most populous country is an ATM – there are no credit cards and no international banking systems.

This makes app stores like Google Play and Apple’s Appstore inaccessible.

Mobile money, which has taken off places like Kenya, has only just arrived, but with significant limitations.

Skype and other VoIP (voice over internet protocol) services are banned for business purposes.

Read more at BBC News.
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VOA News

BY Dan Robinson

June 29, 2013

JOHANNESBURG — U.S. President Barack Obama engaged young people from South Africa and three other African nations for more than an hour Saturday, taking questions on issues ranging from economic growth and job opportunity in Africa to countering extremism in a town-hall style meeting that followed talks earlier in the day with President Jacob Zuma.

The condition of former South African leader Nelson Mandela was a key topic, and Obama praised the ailing anti-apartheid icon in emotional terms at both events on Saturday, saying Mandela’s personal courage and South Africa’s historic transition are a personal inspiration to him and to the world. The president will visit Robben Island in South Africa Sunday, the prison where Mandela spent nearly 20 years for fighting to overturn the country’s apartheid regime.

The president appeared at ease and energized for his exchange with the young people in his audience at the University of Johannesburg in Soweto.

Africa is “on the move,” he said, but the continent faces great challenges “that can’t be papered over.” The president said Africa’s young people will lead the way.

Watch: Video report by Dan Robinson of VOA News

“Even as too many Africans still endure tremendous hardship and great injustice, there is, as the song says, a new Africa — more prosperous, more confident — taking its place on the world stage,” he said. “And one of the reasons is because of your generation.”

Paying tribute to heroes of the anti-apartheid movement including former president Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Obama also recalled Hector Pieterson, a boy killed by police gunfire during a protest in 1976.

“During my first visit to South Africa, I was able to go to Hector Pieterson’s memorial and pay tribute to an African boy who moved the world,” Obama said, adding that he was “humbled by the sacrifices of all who have gone before us, so we can stand here as free men and women.

“I am honored to return to Soweto now as president of the United States of America.”

What followed was a wide-ranging question and answer session with young people gathered from Kenya, Uganda and Nigeria on issues ranging from the need for accountable governments and jobs to climate change and threats from extremist groups.

One Nigerian woman asked: “Considering how long the war on terror has been on for, would you say that we are winning the war on terror, seeing as how there are new terrorist groups developing in Africa. One of which is in Africa?”

Obama said groups like Boko Haram are “doing great harm,” taking advantage of weak African governments, but that the United States is helping to build African governments’ capacity to respond to extremism.

“We want the African union and other regional organizations to build up the capacity to send in peacekeepers, to be able to nip terrorist cells that may be forming before they start and gain strength,” he said.

Answering a question from Kenya, Obama said Africans are beginning to demand accountability from their governments.

“You are starting to see more and more a norm, a standard, take hold in Africa,” he said. “And young people, I think, especially have high expectations about how government should function, and it should function for the public good, not for the benefit of just a few.”

Earlier in the day, President Obama and President Jacob Zuma discussed conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the political situation in Zimbabwe and South Africa’s progress in fighting HIV/AIDS.

Zuma urged further relaxation of U.S. sanctions against Zimbabwe, and Obama said elections there scheduled for next month must be credible.

Obama said the U.S. does not feel threatened by aggressive investment in Africa by China and other countries, but he urged Africans to carefully consider what they are getting from investment partners.

Obama also praised South Africa’s role in the African Union and regional mediation efforts, and shared his vision for enhanced U.S. economic engagement and trade with Africa.

On the situation in Egypt, Obama said the U.S. is watching the situation there closely and ensuring its diplomats and facilities are protected. He called for restraint without violence.

Meets with Mandela family

President Obama did not visit ailing former president Nelson Mandela in his hospital bed, instead meeting privately with Mandela’s daughters and grandchildren. He also spoke by telephone with the 94-year-old leader’s wife, Graca Machel.

The president, his wife and their daughters fly on Sunday to Cape Town, where he will deliver a major speech expected to frame his goals of increasing investment and empowering the youth of Africa to take hold of their future.
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Obama Praises Senegal, Calls Mandela ‘Hero for World’ (VOA News)

President Obama arrives in Senegal on Jun. 26, 2013 (VOA News/Reuters)

VOA News

By Dan Robinson

June 27, 2013

DAKAR — In Senegal on the first leg of a three-nation Africa trip designed to demonstrate his re-engagement with the continent, U.S. President Barack Obama praised democratic progress made by African nations. He also spoke about former South African president Nelson Mandela.

Obama and first lady Michelle Obama were welcomed by President Macky Sall at the presidential palace.

Obama’s motorcade drove through streets lined with thousands of people holding signs welcoming the first African-American U.S. president back to the continent, reading: “Yes we can – President Obama and Macky Sall.”

One of Obama’s objectives is to recognize democratic progress in this small Muslim-majority nation, and across Africa.

Lauding Senegal’s progress

He called Senegal an inspiring example.

“Senegal is one of the most stable democracies in Africa and one of the strongest partners that we have in the region. It is moving in the right direction, with reforms to deepen democratic institutions, and as more Africans across this continent stand up and demand governments that are accountable and serve the people, I believe Senegal can be a great example.”

Obama said the world too often overlooks “amazing progress” Africa is making to improve democratic governance and empower citizens. He also mentioned Sierra Leone, Liberia, Cote d’Ivoire, Niger and Ghana.

In translated remarks, Sall praised Obama for his determination to give new energy to relations between the U.S. and Africa.

“We have a historic opportunity here to open new prospects for our relations on the basis of complementarity, by offering greater opportunities to our youth and by stimulating trade and investments for shared prosperity,” said Sall.

Answering a U.S. reporter’s question, Sall said Senegal is a tolerant country, but is still not ready to decriminalize homosexuality. He said homosexuals are not discriminated against.

Obama said the issue did not come up in their talks, but said he believes in equal treatment for all under the law.

“My basic view is that, regardless of race, regardless of religion, regardless of gender, regardless of sexual orientation, when it comes to how the law treats you, how the state treats you, the benefits the rights and the responsibilities under the law, people should be treated equally,” said Obama.

Honoring Mandela

Obama next went to Senegal’s Supreme Court, where he addressed judicial system leaders from across the West African region about the importance of the rule of law.

He also commented on 94-year-old anti-apartheid icon Mandela, who is in critical condition in a hospital.

Saying his thoughts and prayers are with Mandela and his family, Obama said Mandela’s life provided an example to the world.

“I think he is a hero for the world, and if and when he passes from this place, one thing I think we will all know is that his legacy is one that will linger on throughout the ages,” said Obama.

The rest of Obama’s schedule Thursday included a visit, with his family, to Goree Island, site of a museum dedicated to the history of the West African slave trade.

His visit there with civil society leaders reflects another major objective of underscoring the importance of empowering citizens to play a role in their governments and work to demand accountability of their leaders.

Obama’s daughters Malia and Sasha are traveling with the president and the first lady. Separately, Michelle Obama visited an all-girl’s school in Dakar named in honor of the late African-American U.S. civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

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Related:
Obama Africa Trip Highlights Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania (TADIAS)
Obama to Discuss Trade, Investment in Africa (VOA News)
Obama’s Africa Trip to Focus on Democracy, Development (VOA News)

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Businessweek

By Rudy Ruitenberg

Ethiopia’s child malnutrition costs the country an estimated 55.5 billion birr ($3 billion) a year, or 16.5 percent of gross domestic product, according to a study backed by the United Nations’ World Food Programme.

More than two out of every five children in Ethiopia suffer from stunting, meaning they’re short for their age after missing out on critical nutrients while in the womb or the first five years of their lives, the Rome-based WFP wrote in an online report dated yesterday.

Child mortality has reduced Ethiopia’s workforce by 8 percent, and under-nutrition costs the country billions of dollars every year in lost productivity, according to the WFP. Of the adult population, 67 percent suffered from stunting as children, the report showed.

Read more at BusinessWeek.
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Related:
Hunger Costs Ethiopian Economy Billions Of Dollars (VOA News)

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France 24

AFP – When Tadiwos Belete moved to Ethiopia from the United States a decade ago to open a luxury spa, his relatives thought he was crazy.

He built an office block on a crumbling congested thoroughfare in the centre of Addis Ababa, where there were few other businesses and seemingly few opportunities for a successful entrepreneur.

Now from his fourth floor office overlooking the newly-refurbished, six-lane Bole Road, today crammed with cafes, hotels and shopping centres — a sign of Ethiopia’s thriving economy — Tadiwos recalls almost despairing of finding other businesses to rent space in his office block.

“I remember, we were almost praying whether we could get someone to rent this building,” Tadiwos said.

“It’s amazing, I never believed it would grow this much, but it’s happened,” he added, looking down at the busy street below.

Tadiwos is part of a burgeoning diaspora community returning to Ethiopia to invest in its booming economy.

Read more at France 24.
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By Associated Press

Published: June 20th, 2013

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — Ethiopia’s main opposition party says it will launch what it said will be a sustained national campaign against the country’s ruling party.

The announcement Thursday follows a peaceful demonstration on June 2. It was the first public protest since 2005 when security forces killed hundreds of protesters in postelection violence.

Read more at The Washington Post.
—
Related:
Watch: U.S. Congress Hearing on Democracy & Human Rights in Ethiopia (Video)
Peaceful Opposition Protest Could Mark Change in Ethiopian Policy (VOA)
Ethiopia opposition threatens protests over anti-terrorism law (Reuters)
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Sydney Morning Herald

By Kylie Northover

With headlines increasingly dominated by disheartening stories about asylum seekers, Multicultural Arts Victoria’s annual Emerge Festival acts as a hopeful counterpoint, celebrating the diversity refugees create here.

Now in its 10th year the festival, which officially launched last month in Footscray, runs over 10 weeks and commemorates the United Nations’ World Refugee Day and Refugee Week while celebrating the talents of new refugees and emerging artists who have recently settled in Australia. The festival also aims to help artists and musicians break into the local industry.

Bitsat Seyoum is well known in the local Ethiopian community and to fans of her renowned Footscray restaurant Addis Abeba. But before settling in Australia five years ago, she was a famous performer in the Ethiopian capital. Singing traditional Ethiopian popular songs, she has performed and recorded with some of the country’s biggest names: Ethio-jazz king Mulatu Astatke (arguably the country’s most famous musical export) arranged her first album, and she has teamed up with singer Tilahun Gessesse, composers Teddy Afro and Moges Teka, and lyricist Mulugeta Tesfaye.

Read more at Sydney Morning Herald.

BBC News

As many as 250,000 Ethiopians live in and around Washington DC, more than in any urban area outside of the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa itself.

There are so many restaurants, shops and businesses catering to Ethiopians that the community has its own 1,000-page telephone book.

The following video is produced by the BBC’s Sam Farzaneh and Bill McKenna.

Click here to watch at BBC News.

VOA News

June 13, 2013

The South African government says former president and anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela continues to recover from a lung infection, but it says his condition remains serious.

In a statement Thursday, President Jacob Zuma appealed to the people of South Africa and beyond to keep Madiba — Mandela’s clan name — in their prayers, and to wish him a speedy recovery.

The 94-year-old icon was hospitalized in Pretoria last week in serious but stable condition. It was his fourth such hospitalization since December.

Mr. Mandela has a history of lung problems dating back to the tuberculosis he contracted during his 27-year imprisonment under South Africa’s apartheid system. He was released in 1990, and four years later was elected president in the country’s first democratic polls.

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VOA News

Marthe van der Wolf

June 07, 2013

ADDIS ABABA — Ethiopian opposition supporters carried out their first peaceful protest against the government in eight years last week. The demonstration has raised hopes the ruling coalition will give political opponents more room to operate. Three opposition leaders from the past said that no matter what happens, the opposition faces major challenges.

Thousands of Ethiopians took to the streets last week in the capital, Addis Ababa, in a demonstration against Ethiopia’s government. It was the first time authorities had allowed such a protest since the disputed 2005 elections and was organized by the Blue Party, a relatively new party with many young active members.

Hailu Shawul is one of the opposition leaders imprisoned following post-election demonstrations in 2005 that turned violent. He said last week’s demonstration was a huge success but he questions the long-term effect.

“I can assure you, not much will change, but it encourages us to probe the people into action,” Shawul said. “The whole point of the demonstration is for people to steam off, it’s for the government to listen and maybe change their policies, but here, this has never happened.”

Ethiopia has been ruled by the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) since 1991. The four-party coalition controls virtually all of the seats in parliament, and critics have accused it of turning Ethiopia into a one-party state.

Opposition leader Asrat Tassie shared his prison days with Hailu and is still politically active as secretary-general for UDJ (Unity for Democracy and Justice), the only opposition party with a seat in parliament. He too believes the demonstration was a big achievement.

“I hope this new spirit after 2005 will gain momentum, and hope all the others will follow. There is no choice for the opposition parties but to keep on pressuring the government,” stated Tassie.

Beyene Petros, an opposition leader since 1991, also applauds the efforts of the Blue Party and its young members, but said there are many challenges ahead.

“It may sound like it is an easy road to ride on; they need to be seasoned. They need to be addressing these complex Ethiopian political parties within a broader perspective, and not only narrow interests,” Petros said. “I see their likes simply pick one line of thinking and then try to harp it. And that will not be a solution.”

During the 2005 elections, four opposition parties worked together and won a large block of seats in parliament. After disputes over the election results, massive protests broke out and hundreds of demonstrators and opposition members were either imprisoned or killed.

Asrat reminds the younger generation in the opposition that fighting for their beliefs comes with many sacrifices. “We have to struggle for our freedom, and freedom is not free. There are going to be risks, otherwise we have to close our shops if we are not able to courageously confront the government,” he said.

The Blue Party says it will hold another demonstration in three months if their demands, such as releasing political prisoners and more political freedom, are not met. Because of the big turnout of last week’s protests, other opposition parties are currently also looking into organizing public protests.
—
Related:
Could political demonstrations in Ethiopia herald greater freedom? (The Economist)
Peaceful Opposition Protest Could Mark Change in Ethiopian Policy (VOA News)
Thousands Hold Peaceful Demonstration in Rare Ethiopia Protest (VOA News)
Ethiopia: Free to protest (The Economist)
Thousands march for rights in rare Ethiopia protest (Reuters)
Ethiopian protesters take to streets (BBC News)
Ethiopia: Thousands Protest Political Repression (AP)
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VOA News

Marthe van der Wolf

June 06, 2013

ADDIS ABABA — Tensions between Egypt and Ethiopia are rising after Ethiopia began diverting the water of a Nile River tributary to build the continent’s biggest hydroelectric power plant. Despite criticism from Egypt, Ethiopia says construction of the dam will proceed.

Ethiopia summoned the Egyptian ambassador this week to demand an explanation after Egyptian politicians were overheard on a live broadcast discussing ways to sabotage the Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.

The spokesperson of the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dina Mufti, says Ethiopia is surprised by the tone of Egyptian officials.

“Whether those propaganda that are coming from that corner are the government’s position or not, we have asked for verification. We are caught by surprise because some government officials, party leaders and civil society leaders, they were talking about Ethiopia violently and we were surprised. We are waiting for this tone to be watered down very soon,” said Dina Mufti.

Watch: Egyptian Politicians caught on Air Discussing to Sabotage Ethiopia

Egyptian concerns

Ethiopia started diverting a part of the Blue Nile last week for the construction of the $4.7 billion dam. The dam, scheduled to be completed by 2017, will transform Ethiopia into Africa’s biggest power producer.

While the construction started almost two years ago, it was not until last week’s diversion that tension between Egypt and Ethiopia broke into public view. The government in Cairo said it has not approved the building of the dam, and vowed to prevent the dam from reducing Egypt’s water supply.

Dina says Ethiopia will not consider halting the construction of the dam.

“The halting of the construction is unthinkable. We hear two voices; one is a very backward voice of the 19th century. And there is another voice, with sanity, also a voice that is looking for corporation, for good relationship. So we hope the sane voice will prevail,” said Dina.

Both Egypt and Ethiopia are part of the Nile Basin Initiative, a group of nine countries that have agreed to “develop the river in a cooperative manner.”

An international panel of experts released a report last weekend, concluding that construction of Ethiopia’s dam will not harm downstream countries such as Sudan and Egypt. But the conclusions of the report did not convince Egypt.

Fear of military action

The words of some Egyptian leaders and the media sparked fears about possible military actions. Nile expert Wondwosen Michago says other scenarios are more likely to happen before any type of army intervention will take place:

“The first scenario for me is resorting to the Nile Basin Initiative, coming to the roundtable and discussing under the umbrella of the Nile Basin Initiative. The other scenario is accepting the international panel of experts’ reports. The other one is, as some people say, going to the international courts and putting that on the table,” said Wondwosen Michago.

Mehari Taddele Maru, an international consultant based in Ethiopia, says military action is highly unlikely. But he believes the dam would be the first target if the situation were to escalate.

“If bombing happens, basically Egypt would bomb the dam. That is probably the clear target they may have. Or send a commando, some Wikileaks stuff has indicated, to try to destabilize the area where the dam is. And the response from Ethiopian side would also similarly be to use air force and to inflict as many attacks as possible on Egyptian interests,” he said.

Ethiopian officials would not say whether the country has increased security around the dam. They said only that they are following the rising tensions with Egypt closely and carefully.
—
Related:
Ethiopia says it won’t bow to Egyptian pressure over Nile dam (Reuters)
ABC News: Egyptian politicians caught discussing plan to sabotage Ethiopian dam
Egyptian politicians caught in on-air Ethiopia dam gaffe (BBC News)
Report Finds Renaissance Dam Won’t Significantly Affect Egypt, Sudan (AP)
Ethiopia studies on Nile dam fall short, Egypt says (Reuters)
Ethiopia to Accommodate Nations Concerned by Nile Dam Project (Bloomberg News)
Nile River Dispute Between Egypt, Ethiopia Sparks Tensions (VOA News)
Ethiopia Diverts Flow of Blue Nile to Build Dam (AP)
Ethiopia diverts Blue Nile for controversial dam build (BBC News)
Fear in Egypt as Ethiopia builds giant dam on Nile (The Boston Globe)

Watch: Communications Minister Bereket Simon on the Nile issue (Al Jazeera English)

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AFP

A bell rings and the floor of Ethiopia’s Commodities Exchange is flooded with traders dressed in coloured coats, waving hands and shouting bids for coffee, sesame seeds or haricot beans.

Following a feverish shouting match, prices are agreed upon and the deal is sealed with a high five between buyer and seller.

Established in 2008, the ground-breaking ECX has boosted exports in Ethiopia, improved conditions for producers and is now inspiring other countries in resource-rich Africa to set up their own exchanges to ensure they are the main beneficiaries of commodity exports.

It has allowed “price discovery” for farmers, ECX chief executive officer Anteneh Assefa said, explaining that previously producers had little knowledge of international market prices and could only rely on middlemen who pocketed hefty profits by selling on heavily marked up goods.

Read more at France 24.

By Associated Press

Updated: Wednesday, June 5th

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — Egyptian officials tried to cool tensions with Ethiopia Wednesday over the new Nile River dam project by highlighting its “neighborliness” as the Ethiopian prime minister’s spokesman insisted that nothing would stop the dam from being completed upstream from Egypt, which is wholly dependent on Nile River water.

Egypt fears a diminished flow from Africa’s largest dam and hydropower station but Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi said Egypt respects Ethiopia and will not engage in any aggressive acts against the East African nation. Egyptian politicians had suggested the country should sabotage the project in a meeting with the president Monday.

Getachew Reda, a spokesman for Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, said late Tuesday that Egyptian leaders in the past have unsuccessfully tried to destabilize Ethiopia.

Read more at The Washington Post.

FOX News: Egyptian politicians caught on air threatening, taunting Ethiopia
Daily Nation: Egypt warns ‘all options open’ on Ethiopia dam
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Egypt Presidential Aide Apologizes After Ethiopia Remarks Caught on Live TV (VOA News)

June 04, 2013

Egyptian politicians have proposed ways to sabotage an Ethiopian dam project in talks that were televised live without the politicians’ knowledge.

An aide to Egypt’s president apologized for failing to tell the politicians they were on the air Monday during the meeting with President Mohamed Morsi in Cairo.

The aide said on Twitter that a decision was made at the last minute to air the meeting live, due to the importance of the topic.

Ethiopia has angered Egypt with its plans to construct a massive hydroelectric dam on the Blue Nile, a key Nile River tributary.

During Monday’s meeting, an Islamist party leader suggested Egypt support Ethiopian rebels to exert pressure on Addis Ababa. A liberal politician suggested spreading rumors that Egypt was buying military planes for possible airstrikes.

The Associated Press reports President Morsi did not directly react to the suggestions. He did warn that he would not allow Ethiopia’s dam project to reduce his country’s share of water from the Nile.

Last week, Ethiopia began diverting water from a Nile tributary to allow for construction of the nearly $5 billion dam. The country’s water minister has said the dam poses no threat to Egypt or Sudan, which both depend heavily on the Nile for their water supply.

More than two-thirds of the Blue Nile tributary originates in Ethiopia. But colonial-era treaties gave Egypt and Sudan the majority of the Nile’s water.

Ethiopia began constructing the dam two years ago with the goal of producing power for itself and nearby countries.

ABC News: Egyptian politicians caught discussing plan to sabotage Ethiopian dam
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Egyptian Cabinet Caught On Camera Telling President Morsi To Sabotage Ethiopia

Associated Press

Published: June 3rd, 2013

CAIRO – Politicians meeting with Egypt’s president have proposed hostile acts against Ethiopia, including backing rebels and carrying out sabotage, to stop it from building a massive dam over the Nile River.

Some of the politicians attending Monday’s meeting with President Mohammed Morsi appeared unaware it was being carried live on TV. Morsi did not directly react to the suggestions. Morsi called the meeting to review the impact of Ethiopia’s dam on Egypt’s share of the Nile’s water.

Read more.
—
Related:
Egyptian politicians caught in on-air Ethiopia dam gaffe (BBC News)
Report Finds Renaissance Dam Won’t Significantly Affect Egypt, Sudan (AP)
Ethiopia studies on Nile dam fall short, Egypt says (Reuters)
Ethiopia to Accommodate Nations Concerned by Nile Dam Project (Bloomberg News)
CPJ: Reporter Covering Evictions Near Renaissance Dam Detained (Africa Review)
Nile River Dispute Between Egypt, Ethiopia Sparks Tensions (VOA News)
Ethiopia Diverts Flow of Blue Nile to Build Dam (AP)
Ethiopia diverts Blue Nile for controversial dam build (BBC News)
Fear in Egypt as Ethiopia builds giant dam on Nile (The Boston Globe)

Watch: Communications Minister Bereket Simon on the Nile issue (Al Jazeera English)

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CNN

CNN’s African Voices is a weekly show that highlights Africa’s most engaging personalities, exploring the lives and passions of people who rarely open themselves up to the camera.

It was another December afternoon back in 2000, spent like hundreds of others combing the rocky hills of the Dikika region, when Ethiopian scientist Zeray Alemseged heard one of his assistants nearby calling him.

“He said ‘oh, doctor I see something there,'” recalls Alemseged, who’d been excavating the hot and dry landscape for over a year, helped only by a small inexperienced crew of locals. “And I went there and I see the cheek bone part … sticking out of the rock. I turned it upside down and my jaw literally dropped.”

Instantly, Alemseged realized this was an extraordinary discovery that could make scientific history.

“Right away I could tell this is a child of a human ancestor,” says the paleoanthropologist. “You have this child in a block of sandstone, with the baby teeth still visible, very vertical forehead, small canine,” he adds. “But it’s so rare and so unbelievable that I just couldn’t accept that was the case.”

Read more at CNN.com »

—
Related:

‘Lucy’ Fossil Returns Home in Ethiopia (CBS Video)

Interview with Paleoanthropologist Zeresenay Alemseged (TADIAS)
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Investigating

Ethiopia Refuses to Cooperate With Probe on World Bank Funding
Bloomberg News

By William Davison

Ethiopia’s government said it won’t cooperate with a probe into whether the World Bank violated its own policies by funding a program in which thousands of people were allegedly relocated to make way for agriculture investors.

Ethnic Anuak people in Ethiopia’s southwestern Gambella region and rights groups including Human Rights Watch last year accused the Washington-based lender of funding a program overseen by soldiers to forcibly resettle 45,000 households. The Inspection Panel of the World Bank, an independent complaints mechanism, began an investigation in October into the allegations, which donors and the government have denied.

“We are not going to cooperate with the Inspection Panel,” Getachew Reda, a spokesman for Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, said in a phone interview on May 22. “To an extent that there’s a need for cooperation, it’s not going to be with the Inspection Panel, but with the World Bank”

Read more at Bloomberg News.
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Related:
Ethiopia: Forced Relocation Bring Hunger, Hardship (HRW)
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Associated Press

By KIRUBEL TADESSE

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia – The African Union on Saturday marked 50 years since the founding of a continentwide organization that helped liberate Africa from colonial masters and which now is trying to stay relevant on a continent regularly troubled by conflict.

Opening a summit of the African Union in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn said the organization’s original pan-Africanist aspirations remain relevant for a continent where many states are still struggling to overcome rampant poverty and violence.

“This historic day marks not only a great leap forward in the Pan-Africanist quest for freedom, independence and unity but also the beginning of our collective endeavor for the realizations of Africa’s socio-economic emancipation,” he said. “The major responsibility of the current and future generations of Africans is.to create a continent free from poverty and conflict and an Africa whose citizens would enjoy middle- income status.”

Read more at ABC News.

Watch: Leaders open landmark AU summit (Al Jazeera English)

Video: Al Jazeera’s Nazanine Moshiri reports from Addis Ababa

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Related:
African Union leaders mark 50th anniversary in Ethiopia (BBC)
The African Union Turns 50: Voices From Ethiopia (TADIAS)
The OAU: Fifty years on (BBC News)
African Union Celebrates 50th Year (AP)
Watch: AU anniversary video spotlight (Economist)
Yadesa Bojia Reflects on African Union Flag on 50th Anniversary (TADIAS)
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VOA News

Marthe van der Wolf

ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA — An Ethiopian journalist has been arrested and interrogated for writing an article about the wife of late prime minister Meles Zenawi. Wednesday’s arrest came as a surprise since the article was published seven months ago.

Ethiopian journalist Ferew Abebe, editor-in-chief of the weekly publication Sendek, said he was summoned Wednesday to the Federal Police Crime Investigation Department office. He was interrogated about an article he wrote and published seven months ago and was accused of defaming the former first lady, Azeb Mesfin.

Ferew said he was very surprised about the interrogation and being treated like a criminal. He said the federal police asked him many questions and wanted him to reveal his sources. They then took his fingerprints, personal details and photos before releasing him on $265 bail.

Asked for comment, an official in the Ethiopian prime minister’s office, Getachew Redda, said he has no knowledge about journalists being interrogated for writing rumors about the former first lady.

According to the published article, the wife refused to leave the prime minister’s palace weeks after the death of her husband, making it impossible for Meles successor Hailemariam Desalegn to move in.

The federal police say someone filed a complaint about the article, but would not say who.

Ferew was summoned Wednesday morning to appear at the police office and he said he was not told why. By the time the interrogation started, he said, he did not get the chance to contact his lawyer. Ferew said he was not intimidated by the government’s actions. He said that he knows he did his work professionally and that this gives him strength to not hold back in the future.

Prosecutors say they are looking into the case and will take Ferew to court if there is enough evidence.

Rights groups say Ethiopia has a poor record when it comes to freedom of speech for local journalists. The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists says seven Ethiopian journalists currently are in prison. The appeal of prominent blogger Eskinder Nega was denied earlier this month, meaning he has to serve an 18-year jail sentence.
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Read more news at VOA.

By Associated Press

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — An Ethiopian court ruled Tuesday that prosecutors have two weeks to finalize corruption charges against two dozen people who have been arrested, including a senior Cabinet minister.

The 24 people charged include the head of Ethiopia’s revenue and customs authority, Melaku Fenta. They are accused of illegal trading and tax evasion.

Ethiopia’s top anti-corruption official, Ali Sulaiman, told parliament Tuesday that the suspects had been under surveillance for over two years.

Read more at The Washington Post.
—
Tax Chiefs Arrested for Corruption

(Photo: Walta)

Tadias Magazine
News Update

Monday, May 13, 2013

Addis Ababa – A Minister and his deputy in charge of the Revenues and Customs Authority, as well as a number of business owners, investors and middlemen were among some two dozen people held on corruption charges in Ethiopia last week.

“Melaku Fenta, the director general of the revenue and customs was arrested on Friday alongside two other officials from the authority,” government spokesman Shimeles Kemal told the media.

Ethiopia ranks 113 out of 176 countries in the Corruption Perception Index of Transparency International.

Per Reuters ” that ranking puts Ethiopia above most nations in the Horn of Africa and east Africa regions, although Rwanda is ranked 50.”

Regarding the accused, “they were under investigation on suspicion of corrupt practices,” Shimeles told Reuters, without giving details.

Read more at Reuters.
—
Related:
How Big is Corruption in Ethiopia? (TADIAS)
Melaku Fanta and other 12 detained on corruption charges (Walta Info)
Ethiopia’s Expanding Sectors Prone to Corruption (VOA News)
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Ottawa Citizen

BY TERESA SMITH

OTTAWA — As the Senators face off against the Canadiens in Game 5, and hundreds of thousands of fans cheer them on in Canada, one woman, lying on her bed in the dark on Ethiopia’s night, will be listening intently to the game streamed live over the Internet, yelling just as loudly when the boys in red score a goal.

Former Ottawa resident Lily Kassahoun, 41, moved home to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, almost two years ago to be closer to her family after two decades in Ottawa.

But while in Ottawa studying at Algonquin College and running Memories restaurant in the ByWard Market, Kassahoun fell in love — with Canada, with winter and, most of all, with the Ottawa Senators.

So, when she decided to open a restaurant and café in her home and native land, she wanted to pay homage to the true north strong and free by calling her business Oh Canada.

Read more at Ottawa Citizen.
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The Associated Press

May 8, 2013

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — The chief executive of Ethiopian Airlines says his company will seek compensation from Boeing for the grounding of its 787 Dreamliner planes.

Tewolde Gebremariam told The Associated Press on Tuesday his company will soon start discussions with Boeing over compensation.

Read more at USA Today.
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Related:
Passenger Enjoys Return of Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner (VOA News)

By James Butty

April 29, 2013

Ethiopian Airlines over the weekend became the world’s first carrier to resume flying Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner, since it was grounded in January with battery problems.

Stella Sabiiti, an international peace and security consultant with the African Union Commission for Peace and Security, was a passenger aboard a 787 flight from Nairobi to Addis Ababa.

Sabiiti said it was smooth and gentle. She also said she likes the inside of the plane, particularly the windows which, she said, change colors with the push of a button.

“It was one of the smoothest flights I have ever been on. The takeoff was so smooth, so gentle. Mid-air, we flew very well, very comfortably, and the landing was just as smooth as the side of a little baby,” she said.

Sabiiti said she had no idea she would be flying on the Dreamliner.

“No, I didn’t know, but the whole morning I was listening to the radio, and I was following events about the Dreamliner testing its flight, and I was thinking, ‘Well, good to those people.’ And, the news was unfolding very slowly, every half hour, every hour. Eventually, I heard something like Ethiopian Airlines from Addis (Ababa) to Nairobi, and it took time to sink in. Then, I realized, ‘Oh my, that’s the flight that will take me back from Nairobi to Addis, so I’ll be on the Dreamliner,’” Sabiiti said.

The Ethiopian flight was the first since regulators grounded the Dreamliner in January after two battery warnings on two separate planes. The battery faults raised fears of a possible mid-air fire.

Sabiiti said she offered a little prayer when she learned she would be flying on the Dreamliner.

“At first, I was thankful I would be on that flight. Then, after a few hours, I realized I would on that flight. So, I prayed for myself, as well as whom else would be on that flight. And, as we were boarding, we were joking with strangers. We didn’t know each other, but we were making jokes,” Sabiiti said.

She said the jet was being highly photographed by passengers and television crews.

Sabiiti also said she likes the inside of the jet, particularly the windows which can change colors with the push of a button.

“It’s beautiful, especially it’s wide inside, and it’s quite long and it’s high. But, what I love most about it are the windows. They change colors. You just press a button and it becomes dark blue, then you press the button and it becomes light. Everything is so smooth, everything is so automatic. But, I think also the air [in the cabin] is very user friendly. You don’t feel the dryness on the plane,” Sabiiti said.
—
Related:
When will United, others will resume Dreamliner flights? (USA Today)
Ethiopian Airlines Becomes First to Resume Flying Grounded Dreamliner (Reuters)
Ethiopia flies first Dreamliner since grounding (AP)
Ethiopian Airlines Ready to Return 787 Dreamliner Service (TADIAS)
Exclusive: FAA nears decisive step in restoring 787 to flight (Reuters)
Ethiopian Airlines Grounds 787 Dreamliner

In Pictures: Ethiopian airlines 787 Dreamliner lands in D.C. (Photos: Tadias File – Aug 2012)

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VOA News

U.S. citizen Robel Phillipos is to be released to home confinement and monitoring with an electronic bracelet.

Phillipos is charged with lying to investigators looking into the deadly April 15 bombings.

Two other friends – Azamat Tazhayakov and Dias Kadyrbayev, originally from Kazakhstan – are to appear in court next week on charges of obstruction of justice and destroying evidence. Investigators charge the three lied about visiting Tsarnaev’s dorm room three days after the bombings and removing evidence.

Meanwhile, the funeral home holding the remains of bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev cannot find a place to bury him and may seek help from state officials. Tsarnaev’s parents in Dagestan say they will not fly his body back to Russia.

The 26-year-old Tsarnaev died after being shot by police and run over by a vehicle driven by his brother Dzhokhar four days after the marathon attack.

If convicted, Phillipos could go to prison for eight years and be fined as much as $250,000. Tazhayakov and Kadyrbayev face five-year prison sentences and $250,000 in fines.
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Related:
Audio: Reaction From Ethiopian Community Leader – VOA

Tadias Magazine
News Update

Published: Thursday, May 2nd, 2013

New York (TADIAS) – 19-year-old Robel Phillipos is one of three college friends of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the surviving suspect in the Boston Marathon bombing case, who was arrested Wednesday on charges related to cover-up and misleading investigators after the incident on Monday, April 15th. While Robel is a U.S. citizen the other two, Azamat Tazhayakov and Dias Kadyrbayev, both 19, are foreign students from Kazakhstan.

According to the criminal complaint Azamat and Dias are accused of removing evidence including a backpack and laptop from Dzhokhar’s dorm room following the marathon day bombings, which killed three people and wounded more than 260. Robel, who is said to have been aware of Azamat’s and Dias’ actions, is charged with lying to federal agents about it. And, if convicted, he faces up to eight years in prison along with a $250,000 fine.

The trio were students with the bombing suspect at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth in 2011. Robel was also a high school classmate of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Per CNN: “A yearbook photograph shows a smiling Phillipos. Almost directly in front of him, Tsarnaev stares at the camera — his hand gently resting under his chin. A friend described Phillipos as a ‘good kid. He went to school, never got in trouble, took care of his mom,’ James Turney told CNN affiliate WBZ. “He was not really outgoing, stayed in the house a lot, did homework, got good grades.”

The CNN report noted that Robel plays basketball. He doesn’t have “any anti-American thing about him,” Turney said. “It just doesn’t make sense. Robel doesn’t have anything to do with this, or what happened, so I don’t see why he’s being arrested,” he told WBZ.

Police say the accused, who appeared before a federal judge in Boston on Wednesday afternoon, did not aid Tsarnaev in the bombings.

Click here to read the criminal complaint (PDF).

Watch: 3 Friends Of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev Arrested (CBS)

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Related:
Who are Azamat Tazhayakov, Dias Kadyrbayev and Robel Phillipos? (CNN)
How the Name “Mulugeta” Got into Social Media Frenzy (TADIAS)
Suspect Charged in Boston Bombing (VOA News)
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Cisse’s late header in Ethiopia lifts Zamalek to Champions League group stage (Al Ahram)

By Hatem Maher

In-form striker Abdoulaye Cisse headed home at the death to lift Egypt’s Zamalek to the African Champions League group stage on the away goal rule following a 2-2 draw at Ethiopia’s Saint George on Saturday.

The Burkinabe put the visitors in front after two minutes but St. George’s Shimelese Bekele levelled the aggregate score on the quarter hour mark.

St. George were on course to cause an upset and eliminate the five-time African Champions after Isaac Isinde gave them the lead on the stroke of halftime but Cisse came to Zamalek’s rescue with a close-range header two minutes from time.

Cisse, who is enjoying a new lease of life under Brazilian coach Jorvan Vieira, got the nod ahead of Ahmed Gaafar after putting in some efficient displays lately, including scoring another late winner over Dakhleya in the Egyptian Premier League last week.

He also netted with eight minutes remaining to help Zamalek salvage a 1-1 draw at home to St. George in the first leg two weeks ago.

Read more at english.ahram.org.
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Related:
BBC Sport: Saint George Aim for Champions League first (BBC Sport)

Ethiopia is on the rise with a Saint George-dominated national squad reaching the 2013 Cup of Nations after a 31-year absence and topping a World Cup qualifying group that includes South Africa. (Photos courtesy Saint George Football Club)

BBC News

Saint George hope to become the first Ethiopian club to reach the Champions League group stage when they host Zamalek of Egypt.

The Addis Ababa outfit exceeded expectations with a 1-1 draw against the five-time African champions in Cairo two weeks ago, taking the lead through Oumed Oukri before Abdoulaye Cisse snatched a late equaliser.

After decades in the football doldrums, Ethiopia are on the rise with a Saint George-dominated national squad reaching the 2013 Cup of Nations after a 31-year absence and topping a World Cup qualifying group that includes South Africa.

Having fired eight unanswered goals past Jamhuri of Zanzibar and comfortably disposed of Djoliba of Mali, the Saints find themselves in unchartered territory with a lucrative mini-league slot tantalisingly close.

“It would be amazing to make the group stage,” admits German coach Michael Kruger, who guided Egyptian club Arab Contractors to the 1996 African Cup Winners Cup title.

“We must be cautious and determined as Zamalek will come to Addis searching for a win and their continental experience is much broader than that of my players,” he warned.

Read more at BBC News.
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Young Ethiopian American Uses Soccer to Give Back to Ethiopia — Video
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TC DAILY PLANET

BY LOLLA MOHAMMED NUR

Mikyas Woldemichael is a 22-year-old Ethiopian American who isn’t afraid to follow his dreams. The University of Minnesota student is the founder of Ra’ey Youth Soccer Organization, which support kids in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in training and improving their soccer skills.

He started Ra’ey, which stands for “better vision” in Amharic, a year ago when he went to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to volunteer for Ethiopia Reads. His goal with Ra’ey is to help kids who live in poverty by getting them physically active, involved in their community, and focused on academics.

Read more at TC Daily Planet.

Watch: OUR STORIES | Young Ethiopian American uses soccer to give back to Ethiopia

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Related:
A Personal Note from Mikyas Woldemichael
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Global Post

The United States Thursday slammed “harsh” sentences handed down to an Ethiopian blogger and an opposition leader, voicing concerns about the “politicized prosecution” of government critics.

An Ethiopian court dismissed the appeals of blogger Eskinder Nega and opposition leader Andualem Arage, jailed last year for terror-related offenses.

Read more at Global Post.
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Related:
Ethiopia: High Court Dismisses Appeal by Eskinder Nega & Andualem Arage (AFP)
Eskinder Nega: An Ai Wei Wei Story in Ethiopia (TADIAS)
United Nations Find Detention of Eskinder Nega Arbitrary (UN)
Prisoners of conscience in Ethiopia by Birtukan Mideksa (Al Jazeera)
Letter from Ethiopia: Regarding The Case Against Eskinder Nega
Video & Photos: Eskinder Nega Honored With Prestigious PEN Award
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Indie Wire

BY TAMBAY A. OBENSON

A year ago, Yidnekachew Shumete Desalegn was one of 3 Ethiopian filmmakers selected for a week-long visit to Monaco and Cannes for workshops, programs and events happening during the 2012 Cannes Film Festival in May.

Desalegn, along with Henok Mebratu and Olisarali Olibui Tongolu, were selected by the International Emerging Film Talent Association (IEFTA) and the Ethiopian Film Initiative (EFI). On their trip to Cannes, they met a range of international distributors, sales agents, producers, directors and film commissioners at the festival, and also had one-on-one sessions with established producers and production companies.

The goal of the ongoing initiative is to help raise the international profile of Ethiopian films, by presenting the country’s best young filmmakers and helping them establish themselves in the international film marketplace.

Read more at Indie Wire.

Watch: ‘Nishan’ Ethiopian Film Trailer

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NBC News

By Meredith Clark

It may sound like a nightmare, but it happened to Tarikuwa Lemma, who told her story on Sunday’s Melissa Harris-Perry. Lemma came to the United States from Ethiopia for what she and her family thought was an educational exchange program when she was 13-years-old; after she arrived, she was told she had been adopted.

Once she learned what her adoption meant for her future, Lemma felt “a lot of grief and anger.”

“I didn’t want a new family because I had a family in Ethiopia,” said Lemma, who will start her freshman year at college in the fall. The family that tried to adopt Lemma and her two younger sisters changed their names and even stopped them from speaking their native language.

Adoption is a multi-billion dollar industry, rife with corruption and dissemblance, and in recent years it has morphed into an evangelical movement.

Read more.

Watch:

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The Guardian

German photographer Michael Poliza took to the skies by helicopter to capture the extraordinary landscapes of the Rift Valley in Kenya and Ethiopia from the air. These images appear in his books Kenya and Eyes Over Africa.

Click here to view the photos: Africa’s Rift Valley from above – gallery
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Related:
Ethiopia enlists help of forest communities to reverse deforestation (The Guardian)

Watch: How Ethiopia is Tackling Deforestation

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The Armenian Mirror-Spectator

By Gabriella Gage

WATERTOWN — Tezeta is a word of great significance in Ethiopia. In Amharic it means memory, nostalgia or longing. It is also the name of a type of Ethiopian jazz and the ballads in that style that have been sung by countless Ethiopian singers. More recently, it has served at the linguistic inspiration for “Tezeta [The Ethiopian Armenians,]” a documentary by Armenian-American filmmaker, Aramazt Kalayjian.

The film, currently in production, explores the historic connection between Armenians and Ethiopians, with music serving as the main cultural bridge between the communities. Through the film, its creators hope to preserve the culture legacy of the small, relatively unheard of Armenian community in Ethiopia. “From 40 Armenian orphans adopted by Emperor Haile Selassie after the Genocide to perform as the first imperial orchestra of Ethiopia in 1924, to Alemayhu Eshete, the ‘Elvis’ of Ethiopia, Armenians have left their imprint on the cultural and musical landscape of Ethiopian society,” said, Kalayjian, creator and director of the project.

Read more at The Armenian Mirror-Spectator.
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Related:
A Film Project to Document History of Armenians in Ethiopia (TADIAS)

Watch:

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The Associated Press

Published Sunday, Apr. 21 2013

LONDON – Tsegaye Kebede claimed a second London Marathon title on Sunday, cheered through the streets by thousands of spectators reassured by enhanced security at the first major race since the twin bombings at the Boston event.

A race that started with a tribute to the Boston victims with a moment of silence ended with a thrilling conclusion under clear blue skies.
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Related:
London Marathon: Ethiopia’s Tsegaye Kebede wins for second time (BBC)
Ethiopia’s Kebede Wins London Marathon, Beating 2011 Champ Mutai (Bloomberg)
Ethiopian Kebede overhauls rival for London Marathon victory (Irish Independent)
London Marathon 2013: Tsegaye Kebede of Ethiopia wins men’s race (The Telegraph)
Ethiopia’s Lelisa Desisa, Kenya’s Rita Jeptoo Win Boston Marathon (CNN)
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IOL News

April 18 2013

Washington – US Secretary of State John Kerry on Thursday revealed he will attend an African Union summit in Ethiopia next month, and said Washington had be more engaged with Africa.

The May 19-27 summit in Addis Ababa will mark the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Organization of African Unity, the predecessor to the AU.

Kerry told US lawmakers he was concerned by China’s growing influence in Africa, and viewed a recent tour of three African nations by Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as a “negative development.”

“China is now out-investing the United States significantly in Africa,” Kerry told his former colleagues on the Senate foreign relations committee.

Although China was principally focused on resources which did not pose direct competition to the United States, Kerry said he was worried about possible negative consequences.

“Between Iran, China, other countries… they’re having an impact on the business practices and on the choices… some of the governments there are facing. And it’s not been a positive one in some regards.

Read more at IOL News.

CNN

A strong kick won the Boston Marathon for Ethiopia’s Lelisa Desisa.

Bunched up with two competitors with a mile left, Desisa pulled away in the last few blocks, winning the men’s division Monday with a time of 2:10:22.

Kenya’s Micah Kogo (2:10:27) and Ethiopia’s Gebregziabher Gebremariam (2:10:28) finished second and third. American Jason Hartmann, of Colorado, finished fourth (2:12:12).

Click here to read more.
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Related:
After Finish, Bombs Shatter Boston Marathon
Tilahun Regassa wins Rotterdam Marathon

Tilahun Regassa of Ethiopia, pictured above in 2010, won the 33rd edition of the ABN AMRO Marathon in Rotterdam, Netherlands on Sunday, April 14th, 2013. (Photo: The Times-Picayune)

By Associated Press

ROTTERDAM, Netherlands — Tilahun Regassa led an Ethiopian 1-2 finish at the Rotterdam Marathon on Sunday, breaking away with 3 miles left.

He won the title in just his second marathon, finishing in 2 hours, 5 minutes and 38 seconds. That was 11 seconds slower than his personal best set in Chicago last year.

Regassa’s countryman Getu Feleke was second for the second straight year in 2:06.45. Sammy Kitwara of Kenya finished third in 2:07.22.

Click here to read more at The Washington Post.
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Related:
Ethiopian Gebrselassie wins Vienna half marathon (Bangkok Post)
Vienna City Marathon Results (San Francisco Chronicle)
Ethiopia’s Gebre Gebremariam is a closely followed favorite (The Boston Globe)
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The Daily Beast

By Don Futterman

Yityish “Titi” Aynaw was crowned “Miss Israel” just in time to be invited to meet with President Obama on his first presidential visit to Israel. Titi is the first black “Miss Israel,” and the first from Israel’s 130,000-strong Ethiopian immigrant community.

Titi has a compelling story. She lost her father as an infant and her mother at age 10 while still in Ethiopia, and came to Israel to join her grandparents who had previously made aliyah. In one decade, she became an officer in the Israeli Defense Forces, returned to Ethiopia to discover her parents’ story, and is now one of the most famous Ethiopian immigrants in Israel. A striking woman, at 5’9” and in heels, Titi towered over Israeli president Shimon Peres and even topped Obama.

Read the full article at The Daily Beast.

Watch: Yityish Aynaw — first Ethiopian-Israeli to win beauty title (Jewish News One)

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Related:
Miss Israel Meets President Obama: CNN Video & Interview
Yityish Aynaw: First black Miss Israel will go to the ball (BBC)
First Ever Ethiopian-Born Miss Israel to Meet With President Obama (ADW)
Miss Israel 2013 is Ethiopian Immigrant (The Times of Israel)
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Tadias Magazine
News Update

Published: Monday, April 8th, 2013

PARIS — 24-year-old Ethiopian long-distance runner Feyse Tadese Boru won the 2013 Paris Marathon on Sunday.

In the men’s race fellow countryman Tadese Tola finished second behind Kenya’s Peter Some who won the 37th annual competition in the second-fastest course record time.

Feyse set her own record in the women’s race finishing in a historic time of 2:21:06, two minutes ahead of the runner-up, her teammate Merima Mohammed. Kenyan Eunice Kirwa came in third.

Kenya’s Peter Some & Ethiopian Feyse Tadese Win Paris Marathon (The Washington Post)
Paris Marathon: Men’s winner posts second-fastest time ever, women’s winner sets record (AP)
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Related:

Carlsbad 5000 thrice as nice for Ethiopia’s Gebremeske (UT San Diego)

Dejen Gebremeskel, of Ethiopia, celebrates with the crowd after winning his third consecutive Elite Men segment of the Carlsbad 5000. (Andy Wilhelm)

CARLSBAD — Dejen Gebremeskel came to Carlsbad wanting to add his name to the Carlsbad 5000 record book.

“I wanted to make history for Carlsbad,” Gebremeskel said after becoming just the fourth man to become a three-time winner of the Carlsbad 5000. “This is one of the big races for 5K, so to win two times was big for me. And now to win again, it’s even bigger.”

Read more at U-T San Diego.
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The Economist | From the print edition

Mar 23rd 2013 | ADDIS ABABA

THE brightly lit bars lining alleys off Bole Road in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital, come to life around midnight. Folk melodies mix with electronic beats. Customers wiggle posteriors and rotate shoulders in fast dance-bursts derived from traditional music. Some disappear with hand-holding waitresses through a narrow door to a “kissing room”, only to return a quarter of an hour later more exuberant than ever. And it’s only Monday.

Illicit joys are proliferating in Ethiopia, even if its prim statist government sees pleasure as an enemy of development. Nightclubs are hazy with marijuana smoke. Qat, the leaf of a mildly narcotic plant, is ubiquitous; drivers talk of “taking a short qat” when stopping their cars to stock up. Two years ago non-medical massage parlours were confined to hotels frequented by foreign businessmen. Now Addis may have about 200 such establishments. Gratification costs the equivalent of three packs of Western-brand cigarettes.

Read more at The Economist.

Tadias Magazine
News Update

Friday, March 22, 2013

Miss Israel 2013 met with President Barack Obama on Thursday at a gala dinner hosted by Israel’s president Shimon Peres. The 21-year-old former IDF officer, Yityish Aynaw, was crowned on February 27th becoming the first Ethiopian-born Israeli to win the pageant.

Yityish told CNN that she was excited because President Obama is her role model. “I did a research project about him when I was in High School,” she said. “I know that he is a very powerful man, charismatic and he achieved a lot on his own by the virtue of the fact that he believed in himself, and this stuck with me.”

Miss Israel attended the gala after the White House requested her presence.

Watch:

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Related:
Yityish Aynaw: First black Miss Israel will go to the ball (BBC)
First Ever Ethiopian-Born Miss Israel to Meet With President Obama (ADW)
Miss Israel 2013 is Ethiopian Immigrant (The Times of Israel)

By Associated Press

Published: February 28

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — Ethiopia’s orthodox church has elected a new leader of the influential body in the predominantly Christian nation.

Abune Matias, 71, was Thursday named the 6th Patriarch of the church officially known as the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. Abune Matias, currently serving as Archbishop of the church in Jerusalem, accepted the appointment.

Read more at The Washington Post.
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NOLA

By Rachel Whittaker

Meseret Defar cruised behind Shalane Flanagan for the first third of the Rock ‘n’ Roll New Orleans Half Marathon. But by the 10K mark, there was no stopping the Ethiopian Olympic gold medalist.

Running on a sun-splashed course along majestic St. Charles Avenue and through the French Quarter, Defar set a new personal-best in just her second career half marathon, winning the female field in 1 hour, 7 minutes and 25 seconds. She finished a comfortable margin of 1 minute and 6 seconds ahead of Flanagan, who clocked in at 1:08:31 as the female runner-up.

Defar, 29, set her half marathon personal-best by 20 seconds Sunday, faster than her 2010 Rock ‘n’ Roll Philadelphia race (1:07:45). She also broke the previous Rock ‘n’ Roll New Orleans female record with her time, edging New Zealander Kim Smith’s 2011 mark of 1:07:36.

Read more at NOLA.com.
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Related:
Defar and Farah Set Course Record in New Orleans (IAAF)
Mo Farah of Britain wins New Orleans half marathon;
Ethiopia’s Merest Defar wins women’s title (AP)
Second Olympic Gold for Meseret Defar (Runner’s World)
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VOA News

By Marthe Van Der Wolf

ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA — The Ethiopian government and the United Nations want to train more than 200,000 entrepreneurs in the East African country. Both believe Ethiopia needs a stronger private sector to maintain its fast economic growth.

The Ethiopian government and the United Nations Development Program, UNDP, have launched a three-year program to train the entrepreneurs. The say the businesses established by these new entrepreneurs potentially could create about 1.2 million jobs.

Ethiopia’s minister of urban development and construction, Mekuria Haile, said the mindset of Ethiopians needs to be changed.

“In spite [instead] of looking for jobs and living as employees, to challenge their attitudes to become social and economic entrepreneurs who will create jobs for others. Viable and competitive enterprises that will become the backbone and foundation of the country’s industrial growth and transformation,” said Mekuria.

The focus is both on start-up entrepreneurs and small and medium enterprises. The development program is based on four pillars: institutional development, entrepreneurial development training, business development services and partnerships.

UNDP resident representative to Ethiopia, Eugene Owusu, said the four areas deal with the key challenges that entrepreneurs face in Ethiopia.

“More needs to be done to create a more conducive environment to allow business to thrive. The labyrinth of bureaucratic controls, lack of access to credit, a convoluted logistic system, amongst others, all require priority attention,” said Owusu.

Ethiopia is one of the world’s fastest growing economies, but still ranks only 174 out of 187 countries on the UNDP Human Development Index. Although human development has improved by 32 percent in the last two decades, almost a third of the country still lives below the poverty line.

Ethiopia has known double-digit economic growth for the last few years and has implemented the ambitious Growth and Transformation Plan to become a middle-income country by 2025. Much of the projected growth is based on the public sector, an approach that is difficult to maintain according to the International Monetary Fund [IMF].

The goal now, according to Ethiopia’s leaders, is to encourage a bigger role for the private sector in the East African country.

Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn pointed out that the new three-year program will not establish new businesses just for the sake of having more entrepreneurs in the country.

“The government will not be in the business of propping up enterprises that are not competitive in the name of creating employment opportunity. That, we believe, is counterproductive,” said Hailemariam.

Ethiopia is Africa’s second most populous nation after Nigeria. Hailemariam said creating jobs for young workers is imperative, as a majority of the nation is under 25 years old.

“As much as our huge population can be a source of strength and growth, it could also be a source of vulnerability and social tension unless we are in a position to offer job opportunities that can absorb this huge chunk of our population,” said Hailemariam.

The first round of trainees, like marketing entrepreneur Azeb Assefa, ended their training on the day the entrepreneur program was officially launched. She said the training helped her improve her business skills as she learned to work on her improvement areas.

“I have weakness in networking, and I have a weakness in risk-taking and persistence. So the techniques that have been given for us to improve such things helped me,” she said.

Entrepreneurs graduating from the program, such as Azeb, are expected to train others.

The program will cost $26 million. So far, UNDP has allocated only $6 million. The Ethiopian government and UNDP say they will come up with the rest of the needed money.
—
Related:
Ethiopia, UNDP launch entrepreneurship development project (Global Times)
Ethiopian Flower Exporters Cash In on Valentine’s Day (VOA News)
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VOA News
By William Gallo

February 19, 2013

A U.S.-based Internet security group is accusing the Chinese government of involvement in a sophisticated campaign of cyber attacks against American businesses, government and critical infrastructure.

A 60-page report released Tuesday by Mandiant details dozens of attacks by a prolific, China-based hacker group it says is using “direct government support” to wage a “long-running and extensive cyber espionage campaign.”

Mandiant says the group, referred to as APT1, has stolen massive amounts of data from nearly 150 organizations, mostly located in the United States, since 2006. It does not name the targets, but says they span 20 major industries, ranging from IT to financial services.

It says it has traced the activities of the group to a Shanghai neighborhood surrounding the headquarters of the People’s Liberation Army’s secretive unit 61398, which Internet security analysts previously linked to cyber attacks.

Chinese Government Reacts

China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Hong Lei strongly denied the accusations at a regular briefing Tuesday.

“Hacker attacks are an international problem and should be dealt with based on mutual trust and international cooperation,” he said. “It is neither professional nor responsible to make groundless accusations without hard evidence. It is also not conducive to settling the relevant problem.”

When asked about the building Mandiant says is likely responsible for the hacking attempts, Hong said he does not see how the evidence is credible, given the difficulty in tracing the origin of cyber attacks. He also returned the accusation, pointing to a Chinese study that claims the U.S. is the source of most cyber attacks in China.

China has long been viewed as a major source of global hacking attempts. But Mandiant, like many other IT firms, has been reluctant to directly accuse the Chinese government of overseeing cyber attacks. Now, the group says it has acquired evidence to change its mind, saying “It is time to acknowledge the threat is originating in China.”

The Virginia-based company says its seven-year investigation revealed that more than 90 percent of APT1’s cyber attacks originated from the neighborhood of the 12-story PLA building. Although it could not trace the attacks directly to the facility in Shanghai’s Pudong district, it argued it is extremely unlikely the Chinese military would be unaware that hundreds of attackers were operating so closely to its grounds.

Recent Hacking Attempts Revive Concerns

A series of recent China-based hacking attempts on high-profile U.S. media outlets, including the New York Times and Wall Street Journal, have revived concerns about Chinese cyber espionage. U.S. officials have increasingly warned of the threat, but some say Washington has not done enough to discourage the attacks.

Asia security analyst Wendell Minnick tells VOA that he was not surprised by the report. He says there is little incentive for China to discourage computer espionage activity originating from inside its borders.

“There’s no reason for (the Chinese) to behave themselves. They’re a hungry nation and they want to win. And, they want to dominate,” says Minnick.

The Tuesday report said Chinese hackers such as APT1 have traditionally focused on stealing information like technology blueprints, manufacturing processes and other information from foreign companies.

But Mandiant says APT1 recently has become more focused on attacking U.S. infrastructure, such as companies that control electrical power grids, gas lines and other utilities.

Washington this year increased the size of its own cyber security force by more than 4,000 people – up from the current 900. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta recently warned of the vulnerability of critical U.S. infrastructure, saying America faces the possibility of a “cyber Pearl Harbor” attack in the future.

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

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Related:
Chinese Army Unit Is Seen as Tied to Hacking Against U.S. (NYT)
Privacy Advocates Prepare New Fight Against US Cyber Bill (VOA)
Facebook Target of Cyber Attack (VOA News)
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The Economist

Feb 16th 2013 | ADDIS ABABA | From the print edition

DURING his two decades running Ethiopia, Meles Zenawi almost single-handedly engineered its rise from lost cause to model pupil. Even his enemies admit he was both popular and competent. Often working around the clock, he could make complex policy choices and then explain them to ordinary people. He planned meticulously for everything—from road building to oppressing the opposition—except, that is, for his own demise.

It came six months ago on August 20th, following illness at the age of 57, and left the state reeling. Meles, as he is known, had grabbed so much power that many feared his death would spark political chaos and an economic downturn. He alone had the trust of the soldiers, the financiers, the Ethiopian people and the West.

Read more at The Economist.

By Associated Press

Sunday, January 27, 2013

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — African leaders met in the Ethiopian capital Sunday for talks dominated by the conflict in Mali as well as lingering territorial issues between the two Sudans.

The African Union says it will deploy a force in Mali, where French troops are helping the Malian army to push back Islamist extremists whose rebellion threatens to divide the West African nation.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is attending the two-day summit in Addis Ababa, where Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn took over from President Yayi Boni of Benin as chairperson of the African Union.

Read more.
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Related:
Ethiopia’s Hailemariam Elected as African Union Chairman (Bloomberg News)
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The Independent

By ALISTAIR DAWBER

JERUSALEM – Israel has admitted for the first time that it has been giving Ethiopian Jewish immigrants birth-control injections, often without their knowledge or consent.

The government had previously denied the practice but the Israeli Health Ministry’s director-general has now ordered gynaecologists to stop administering the drugs. According a report in Haaretz, suspicions were first raised by an investigative journalist, Gal Gabbay, who interviewed more than 30 women from Ethiopia in an attempt to discover why birth rates in the community had fallen dramatically.

One of the Ethiopian women who was interviewed is quoted as saying: “They [medical staff] told us they are inoculations. We took it every three months. We said we didn’t want to.” It is alleged that some of the women were forced or coerced to take the drug while in transit camps in Ethiopia.

Read more at The Independent.

BY KIRUBEL TADESSE
ASSOCIATED PRESS

Posted on Saturday, 01.26.13

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — A senior Eritrean diplomat denied on Saturday there was an attempted coup early this week in the Horn of Africa nation and said reports to the contrary are a deliberate disinformation campaign.

Girma Asmerom, Eritrea’s ambassador to the African Union, said in a statement that coup reports were “wishful thinking” by people he did not name.

“There has never been an ‘attempted military coup’ and there will never be a coup d’etat in Eritrea,” Asmerom said.

Without explaining the incidents on Monday, Asmerom wrote of acts of terror being called something else.

“As is the case all over the world an armed crazy, stupid and terrorist individual or group can take stupid actions such as kidnapping of individuals or taking hostages by raiding government and private institutions and offices,” he said. “Such isolated incidents which frequently occur in the West are considered terrorist acts. I don’t understand why in Africa they are considered coup d’etats. It is the highest form of double standard and hypocrisy.”

But activists and experts said about 100 dissident soldiers stormed the state broadcasting at Ministry of Information in the capital, Asmara, and read a statement vowing to free all political prisoners and implement the country’s constitution.

Read more at The Miami Herald.
—
Related:
Eritrea Mutiny Shows Growing Military Discontent With Isaias (Bloolmberg News)
Eritrea: Calm After Coup Attempt (NYT)
Coup Attempt Is Said to Fail in Eritrea (The New York Times)

San Francisco Chronicle

NELSPRUIT, South Africa (AP) — The Confederation of African Football has fined Ethiopia’s football federation $10,000 after the team’s fans hurled vuvuzelas and other missiles onto the pitch during Monday’s 1-1 draw with Zambia at the African Cup of Nations.

CAF announced the fine late Tuesday, adding that half of the $10,000 penalty would be suspended on condition that Ethiopia’s fans are not found guilty of a similar offense during the rest of the tournament.

Ethiopia had plenty of supporters for its first African Cup match in 31 years, but the Group C game at Mbombela turned ugly when Gabonese referee Eric Otogo-Castane dismissed Ethiopia goalkeeper Jemal Tassew shortly after the half-hour mark.

Read more at San Francisco Chronicle.
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Obama Stresses Unity in Inaugural Speech (VOA News)

January 21, 2013

U.S. President Barack Obama is calling for united action by a divided America to address a host of domestic problems as he starts his second term in the White House.

Obama was publicly sworn into office Monday on the steps of the U.S. Capitol as hundreds of thousands of people gathered on the Mall, waving American flags and cheering the nation’s 44th president.

In his inaugural address, Obama invoked the enduring rights of the U.S. Constitution for “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” But he said the country needs to adapt to new challenges so that every citizen had a “basic measure of security and dignity.”

“We, the people, still believe that every citizen deserves a basic measure of security and dignity. We must make the hard choices to reduce the cost of health care and the size of our deficit,” Obama told the crowd. “But we reject the belief that America must choose between caring for the generation that built this country and investing in the generation that will build its future. For we remember the lessons of our past, when twilight years were spent in poverty, and parents of a child with a disability had nowhere to turn.”

Obama also said that the U.S. does not believe that “lasting peace” in the world requires “perpetual war.”

“We, the people, still believe that enduring security and lasting peace do not require perpetual war,” the president said. “Our brave men and women in uniform, tempered by the flames of battle, are unmatched in skill and courage. Our citizens, seared by the memory of those we have lost, know too well the price that is paid for liberty. The knowledge of their sacrifice will keep us forever vigilant against those who would do us harm. But we are also heirs to those who won the peace and not just the war, who turned sworn enemies into the surest of friends, and we must carry those lessons into this time as well.”

The president said the U.S. would support democracy across the globe.

“America will remain the anchor of strong alliances in every corner of the globe;” he promised, “and we will renew those institutions that extend our capacity to manage crisis abroad, for no one has a greater stake in a peaceful world than its most powerful nation. We will support democracy from Asia to Africa; from the Americas to the Middle East, because our interests and our conscience compel us to act on behalf of those who long for freedom.”

Swearing In ceremony

Obama took the two-century-old oath from Chief Justice John Roberts. Obama promised to “preserve, protect and defend” the U.S. Constitution “to the best of my ability.”

Earlier, the president attended a church service and then headed to the West Front of the U.S. Capitol building for his public inaugural.

Monday’s crowd, while numbering in the hundreds of thousands, was smaller than at Obama’s first inauguration in 2009, when nearly two million people came to see the swearing-in of the nation’s first black president.

Obama was officially sworn in Sunday in a private ceremony at the White House, to meet the dictates of the U.S. Constitution that the country’s president be sworn in on January 20. But with the date falling on a Sunday this year, the major public inaugural activities are on Monday, including Obama’s inaugural address from a podium on the West Front of the Capitol overlooking the teeming masses on the Mall.

Obama took the oath Monday using two historic Bibles – one owned by 19th-century president Abraham Lincoln, and the other by civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., who was assassinated in 1968.

Monday’s inauguration coincides with the federal holiday marking King’s birthday.

Video: Sights and Sounds from the 2013 Inauguration (NBC)

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Inaugural festivities

After the ceremony Monday, Obama and his wife, Michelle, dined inside the Capitol with congressional leaders. They plan to ride in the inaugural parade, returning to the White House in a motorcade. They likely will get out of the car and walk part of the way, as they did four years ago.

Later, the Obamas will attend two official Inaugural balls, in contrast to the 10 balls that were held in 2009.

Vice President Joe Biden, who retook his own oath again Monday, joined the president Sunday for a traditional wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery and attended church with him on Monday.

Both leaders also took part in a National Day of Service on Saturday as part of several days of events related to the inauguration.

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Inauguration: Obama Takes Oath as Capital Prepares for Festivities (The New York Times)

President Obama took the oath of office from Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. at the official swearing-in ceremony in the Blue Room of the White House on Sunday. (White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

By JACKIE CALMES

WASHINGTON — With only his family beside him, Barack Hussein Obama was sworn into office for a second term on Sunday in advance of Monday’s public pomp, facing a bitterly divided government at home and persistent threats abroad that inhibit his effort to redefine America’s use of power.

It was a brief and intimate moment in the White House, held because of a quirk of the calendar that placed the constitutionally mandated start of the new term on a Sunday.

Read more at NYT.

Video: Obama Is Sworn In for Second Term

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Editorial: Our Role in Shaping U.S.-Africa Policy in Obama’s Second Term
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VOA News

Marthe Van Der Wolf

ADDIS ABABA — An Ethiopian court has convicted ten people of having links to al-Qaida, but did not issue life sentences as the prosecution requested. The accused say they will appeal.

Prison sentences ranging from three to 20 years were handed to nine Ethiopians and one Kenyan on Tuesday after they were found guilty of having links with the terrorist organization al-Qaida. One Ethiopian was set free.

Lawyer Temam Ababulga defended one of the Ethiopians who was convicted on charges of terrorism recruiting. He says his client, like all the others convicted, will appeal the sentence.

“As to my client, because the sentence that is given to my client is not legal and based on the evidence,” said the lawyer. “Why the person that my client is said to be recruiting is set free, there is no evidence and legality under which the court can make my client guilty.”

Along with the al-Qaida charges, the ten were convicted for other charges such as recruitment, laundering money and leading terrorism cells. The death penalty can be given in Ethiopia for terrorism crimes but prosecutors requested life sentences.

The judge said the court did not hand out life sentences because of mitigating circumstances, such as the fact that none of the convicted had previous crime records.

Lawyer Temam believes the convicted were arrested for other reasons.

“I think in this particular case, somebody is trying to persuade somebody that there is a danger of terrorism in this country which I don’t think so. There is no proper evidence to persuade me to think in such a way in this particular case,” he said.

The Ethiopians and the Kenyan were arrested in April 2012 and charged under Ethiopia’s strong anti-terrorism law. International human rights organizations frequently criticize the law, saying the Ethiopian government is using it to silence dissident voices.

All the convicted will appeal their sentences in two weeks at the Federal Supreme Court.

This was the first trial in Ethiopia where people were suspected of having links with al-Qaida. But Ethiopian security forces arrested 15 people earlier this month for allegedly having links with al-Qaida and Somali militant group al-Shabab.
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Related:
Ethiopia jails 10 for plotting attacks with Somali Islamists (Reuters)
Ethiopia Jails 10 Terrorists for Plotting Attacks (AP)

Addis Fortune via AllAfrica.com

BY TAMRAT G. GIORGIS

Foreign visitors to Lalibela were in for a nasty surprise on January 8, 2013, when they arrived at the holy churches and were told entrance fees had gone up by 160 percent overnight.

The fee went up from 350 Br to 910 Br to visit the Lalibela churches in the Amhara Regional State, an hour’s flight from Addis Abeba.

The town of Lalibela was buzzing, with numerous people making a living from the tourism industry bracing themselves for the impact of the price increase, amidst concerns over how foreign visitors would react. Over 56,000 foreign visitors were reported to have arrived in the town, 636Km north of the capital, in 2011/12.

Lieuwe Bos, 24, a medical student who has just finished his studies and was travelling across Ethiopia with his girlfriend, was unable to pay the fees last week and did not go in.

“This is a rip-off,” said Bos, a visitor from the Netherlands. “How can they increase it just like this? This is more than three times what you pay at the Louvre in Paris, and that is the best museum in the world.”

Read more.
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Rock-Hewn Churches, Lalibela – UNESCO World Heritage Site

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Rising star Worku wins men’s division at Chevron Houston Marathon

Houston Chronicle

Bazu Worku sported a slight smile as he crossed the finish line in the 41st Chevron Houston Marathon on Sunday.

But that smile broadened considerably as he made his rain-soaked victory lap with the Ethiopian flag draped over his shoulder — the reality of his first marathon win beginning to seep through.

Read more.
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Merima Mohammed perseveres through injury to win women’s Houston Marathon

By Corey Roepken

Merima Mohammed has been leaving her mark all over the world for the last four years. On Sunday, she left a running imprint on Houston that will not soon be forgotten.

Despite suffering from a lingering left leg injury, Mohammed ran away from the lead pack with five miles left and coasted to victory in the 41st Chevron Houston Marathon.

Click here to read more at Houston Chronicle.
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Associated Press

By JASON STRAZIUSO

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) – On the eve of an unimaginably long walk — one that starts in Africa, winds through the Middle East, across Asia, hops over to Alaska, goes down the western United States, then Central and South America and ends in Chile — one question nagged journalist Paul Salopek: Should he take his house keys?

Salopek on Thursday departed a small Ethiopian village and took the first steps of a planned 21,000-mile (34,000-kilometer) walk that will cross some 30 borders, where he will encounter dozens of languages and scores of ethnic groups. The 50-year-old’s quest is to retrace man’s first migration from Africa across the world in a go-slow journey that will force him to immerse himself in a variety of cultures so he can tell a global mosaic of people stories.

The Ethiopia-to-Chile walk — which took human ancestors some 50,000 years to make — is called Out of Eden and is sponsored by National Geographic, the Knight Foundation and the Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting. A two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, the American plans to write one major article a year with periodic updates every 100 miles or so.

Read more at ABC News.

By Reuters

Addis Ababa – Ethiopian police have arrested two men suspected of involvement in the murder of an Austrian rafter shot dead during an apparent robbery of his travel group, an official from the force said on Thursday.

The 27-year-old man was killed as he camped on the banks of the Blue Nile river on Sunday in a remote area near Bahir Dar, about 570 km (350 miles) north of the capital Addis Ababa.

Three other Austrians on the scene were not injured.

“We have caught two suspects who were found in possession of clothing, money and other items that belonged to the victims,” said Solomon Mohammed, spokesperson of the regional police commission in Ethiopia’s northern Amhara region.

Solomon said police were also looking into whether there was a political motive to the killing, but declined to go into details. Rebel groups are active in some of Ethiopia’s remote regions, but there has been no reports of such activity recently in Amhara.

The incident occurred almost exactly a year after five Europeans, including an Austrian, were killed when their travel group was attacked in the northeastern Afar region bordering Eritrea. – Reuters
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Austrian Tourist Killed in Ethiopia Attack (Reuters)

VIENNA | Mon Jan 7, 2013

An Austrian man was shot dead during an apparent robbery of his travel group that was rafting down the Blue Nile river in Ethiopia, the foreign ministry said on Monday.

Three other Austrians accompanying him were unharmed in the incident that occurred on Sunday in remote country near Bahir Dar, about 570 km (350 miles) from the capital Addis Ababa. The gunmen attacked the men as they camped on the shore, a spokesman said.

Ten Austrians in all were taking part in the tour.

The survivors alerted the Austrian embassy by satellite phone about the fatal shooting of the 27-year-old victim. The gunmen eluded a search party.

Read more at Reuters.
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Related
Austrian tourist killed in Ethiopia attack (AFP)

Deutsche Welle

On 21 September 2012 Hailemariam Desalegn was sworn in as Ethiopia’s prime minister. He was regarded as a compromise candidate and many Ethiopians expected more political freedom. 100 days on, hope is fading.

A few days before Ethiopia’s new prime minister, Hailemariam Desalegn, was sworn in, the Ethiopian government pardoned 2,000 political prisoners.

Desalegn’s inauguration coincided with the Orthodox New Year which falls in September. At the same time the Ethiopian government started negotiations in Kenya with the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF), a separatist group based in the eastern part of the country.

The Ethiopian government classifies the armed wing of ONLF as “terrorists”. When the new prime minister hinted at the prospect of peace talks with arch rival Eritrea, many Ethiopians believed they were finally entering a new era of political sunshine.

The 47-year-old engineer and father of three daughters, is considered moderate and affable, compared to Meles Zenawi, Desalegn’s charismatic predecessor. Zenawi ruled the country with an increasingly iron fist following the bloody 2005 elections.

A technocrat, Hailemariam Desalegn was a former provincial governor, foreign minister and deputy prime minister. He was also one of the closest confidants of Zenawi. Since he comes from one of Ethiopia’s smallest ethnic groups, the Wolayta, many saw Desalagn as the best compromise candidate in the midst of political and economic infighting between the dominant Amhara, Oromos and Tigreer ethnic groups.

Read more at DW.

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Video: PM Hailemariam on Peace and Eritrea (Al Jazeera)

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The New York Times

By DENISE GRADY and MARK LANDLER

Hillary Rodham Clinton, whose globe-trotting tour as secretary of state was abruptly halted last month by a series of health problems, was discharged from a New York hospital on Wednesday evening after several days of treatment for a blood clot in a vein in her head.

The news of her release was the first welcome sign in a troubling month that grounded Mrs. Clinton — preventing her from answering questions in Congress about the State Department’s handling of the lethal attack on an American mission in Libya or being present when President Obama announced Senator John Kerry as his choice for her successor when she steps down as secretary of state.

“Her medical team advised her that she is making good progress on all fronts, and they are confident she will make a full recovery,” Philippe Reines, a senior adviser to Mrs. Clinton, said in a statement.

Read more at NYT.
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Watch: Hillary Clinton Hospitalized With Blood Clot (Associated Press Video)

By Matthew Lee

WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton was admitted to a New York hospital Sunday after the discovery of a blood clot stemming from the concussion she sustained earlier this month.

Clinton’s doctors discovered the clot Sunday while performing a follow-up exam, her spokesman, Philippe Reines, said. He would not elaborate on the location of the clot but said Clinton is being treated with anti-coagulants and would remain at New York-Presbyterian Hospital for at least the next 48 hours so doctors can monitor the medication.

“Her doctors will continue to assess her condition, including other issues associated with her concussion,” Reines said in a statement. “They will determine if any further action is required.” Clinton, 65, fell and suffered a concussion while at home alone in mid-December as she recovered from a stomach virus that left her severely dehydrated. The concussion was diagnosed Dec. 13 and Clinton was forced to cancel a trip to North Africa and the Middle East that had been planned for the next week.

Read more at USA Today.
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Related:
Hillary Clinton Is Hospitalized After Exam Finds a Blood Clot (NYT)

The Washington Post

By Lori Montgomery and Rosalind S. Helderman

Congress approved a plan to end Washington’s long drama over the “fiscal cliff” late Tuesday after House Republicans surrendered to President Obama’s demand to let taxes rise on the nation’s richest households.

The House voted 257 to 167 to send the measure to Obama for his signature; the vote came less than 24 hours after the Senate overwhelmingly approved the legislation.

Continue reading at The Washington Post.

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US Senate Vote Averts ‘Fiscal Cliff’ (VOA News)

Representative Nancy Pelosi, Democrat from California and the minority leader, arrived on Capitol Hill to meet with House Democrats and Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. on Tuesday. (Reuters)

By Michael Bowman, VOA News

January 01, 2013

CAPITOL HILL — The U.S. Senate has overwhelmingly approved a bipartisan agreement to spare most Americans from steep tax hikes and delay across-the-board federal spending cuts imposed by the so-called “fiscal cliff”.

The vote of 89-8 early Tuesday came hours after the United States had technically stepped off the fiscal cliff.

President Barack Obama praised the Senate action and urged the House of Representatives to pass the bill “without delay.” The bill needs approval by the House of Representatives before it can be signed into law.

The House plans to convene at noon Tuesday.

Senators spent New Year’s Eve preparing to vote on a bill that was the product of months of intensive and often bitter negotiations between Democratic and Republican lawmakers, and the White House.

VP urged compromise

Before the vote, Vice President Joe Biden came to the Capitol to rally Senate Democrats behind closed doors. He emerged with a broad grin, saying, “Happy New Year. I feel very good about how this vote is going to go.”

The agreement preserves current federal tax rates on income up to $450,000 a year. President Barack Obama initially sought a lower income threshold for a tax hike, while many Republicans had argued against raising taxes at all.

The agreement also spares estates valued at less than $5 million from inheritance taxes, and extends unemployment benefits for a year. Deep automatic cuts to federal spending that would have squeezed domestic programs as well as national defense would be delayed for two months, allowing time for further negotiations.

Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer of California expressed optimism, saying, “I feel it is very good for my state, and I think it is good for the country.”

Boxer says, without the agreement, the United States would suffer a devastating economic jolt.

“My main concern here is keeping this economic recovery going, and I think this package does that,” she said.

No one completely happy

The Senate’s top Republican, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, said members of his caucus voted for the common good.

“We [Republicans] do not think taxes should be going up on anyone. But we all knew that if we did nothing, they would be going up on everyone today,” said McConnell. “We were not going to let that happen.”

To be sure, many Democrats believe the deal does not go far enough to boost government revenue, and many Republicans still want deeper spending cuts to reduce America’s trillion-dollar federal deficit.

Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein says the agreement is far from ideal, but preferable to the fiscal cliff.

“There is always going to be some carping [partisan complaints]. But look, we are where we are,” said Feinstein. “The one thing we have now is a bipartisan majority [backing the deal], and that is not to be easily dismissed.”

Whether a bipartisan majority backs the deal in the House of Representatives remains to be seen. Until and unless the measure is passed by both houses of Congress and signed into law, the austerity regime known as the fiscal cliff – which went into effect at midnight Monday – will remain U.S. law.

Watch: Senate Votes on Compromise Fiscal Cliff Deal

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Related:
The Fiscal Deadline in Washington: The New York Times is following the talks between President Obama and Congressional leaders on the so-called fiscal cliff.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Updated: Thursday, January 3rd, 2013

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — Ethiopia’s spy agency says that security forces have arrested 15 people alleged to be members of a terror cell linked with al-Qaida.

The spy agency says military training manuals, videos and weapons were seized from the suspects. The agency announced the arrests late Wednesday.

Authorities said the suspects were trained by al-Shabab militants in neighboring Somalia and Kenya. They alleged the group was planning to launch attacks based in Ethiopia’s Somali and Harara regions.

On Tuesday the country’s federal high court convicted 10 people on similar terror charges.

Read more at The Miami Herald.
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Related:
Court Finds 10 Guilty of Terror Charges (AP)

Nations across Europe, the Middle East and Asia have welcomed in the new year as celebrations unfold around the globe.

Fireworks lit up the sky over dozens of cities to celebrate the arrival of 2013, including festivities in Athens, Moscow and London. Dubai marked the new year with a light show at the world’s tallest building, while in Italy, Pope Benedict visited the nativity scene in St. Peter’s Square. Asian countries were the first to ring in the new year with big fireworks displays in Sydney and Hong Kong.

Read more and view photos at VOA News.

Human Rights Watch

December 20, 2012

New York – Four Ethiopian journalists have received the prestigious Hellman/Hammett award for 2012 in recognition of their efforts to promote free expression in Ethiopia, one of the world’s most restricted media environments.

Eskinder Nega Fenta, an independent journalist and blogger; Reeyot Alemu Gobebo of the disbanded weekly newspaper Feteh; Woubshet Taye Abebe of the now-closed weekly newspaper Awramba Times; and Mesfin Negash of Addis Neger Online were among a diverse group of 41 writers and journalists from 19 countries to receive the award in 2012. Eskinder, Reeyot, and Woubshet are imprisoned in Ethiopia; Mesfin fled in 2009.

Read more.
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Related:
Court delays Eskinder Nega’s appeal (Africa Review)
Update: The Year’s Top 10 ‘Jailers of Journalists’
MEPs urge Ethiopia to release journalist (The Guardian)
Record number of reporters jailed globally (BY kirubel Tadesse/AP)
Federal High Court Expresses Doubts About Eskinder Nega’s Conviction (VOA)
Friends and Supporters React to Reeyot Alemu’s Media Award (TADIAS)
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Watch:

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Related:
John Kerry seen as well trained for world stage (The Boston Globe)
Post-Susan Rice Debacle (TADIAS)
UPDATE: The Horn of Africa Debate About Susan Rice (TADIAS)

In Ethiopia, Trading Poverty for Prosperity Provides Global Success for soleRebels (Wharton)

By Knowledge Wharton Network – University of Pennsylvania

Making recycled tires from Africa into fashionable footwear that sells around the world? That’s the amazing success story of soleRebels, which just opened a second store in Taiwan. The Ethiopian shoe brand sells in over 50 countries and counts Urban Outfitters, Whole Foods and Amazon.com among its retailers. Offering generous benefits to its employees and using only environmentally friendly materials, it is the first company certified by the World Fair Trade Organization for its practices. Stating its ambition, soleRebels hails itself as “Africa’s Nike.”

Just eight years ago, Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu started soleRebels with her first five employees on her grandmother’s plot of land in Ethiopia. She has since seen her business grow, and has received a number of accolades. Forbes recently listed her as one of the most powerful women to watch, along with Kate Middleton and South Carolina governor Nikki Haley. She was recently featured on a BBC series with business leaders around the world.

Alemu aims to pay “proud” wages, offers her employees on-site medical checkups and free transportation for her disabled employees. She explains that having grown up in Ethiopia, the real solution to poverty is to give people jobs that they are proud and happy to do. “The best way to create prosperity is the tried and true method,” she tells Arabic Knowledge@Wharton. “Create amazing products with service to match, pay your workers very well, and operate in a highly ethical and transparent manner.”

Click here to read an edited transcript of the conversation.
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Related:
SoleRebels Opens 2nd Taiwan Store (TADIAS)
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The Washington Post

By — Delece Smith-Barrow

For the millions of Americans who drink coffee every day, grabbing a cup is usually a simple affair. But for the 200,000 Ethiopians who make the Washington area home, coffee is more than just a morning or afternoon pick-me-up: In their homeland, drinking coffee is close to a sacred ritual.

Hoping to explain to Americans how important the coffee-drinking experience is for Ethiopians, local writer Metasebia Yoseph is working on a book titled “From Ethiopia with Love,” which will introduce the warm, family-oriented ceremony that traditionally goes into making, serving and enjoying of coffee in that country.

Yoseph, who is a director for the Ethiopian Cultural Development Corp., a nonprofit organization, is embarking on a three-month journey through Ethiopia to research its coffee-producing regions. She is the creator of cultureofcoffee.com, part blog, part funding engine for her research. In her eyes, coffee is a cultural good, and as Ethiopia becomes more westernized, and the habit of rushing to get and drink coffee becomes more prevalent, the ceremony becomes more special, more sacred. In her words, here’s why:

Click here to continue reading at The Washington Post.
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Related:
Tadias Interview With Metasebia Yoseph
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Euro Sport

06/12/2012

It was not immediately clear if Ethiopia’s request for the match to be played on neutral ground after ruling out travelling to Asmara was behind Eritrea’s move.

Over the weekend, 18 members of the Red Sea state’s national team, including Eritrea’s team doctor, disappeared in Uganda while playing in a regional tournament.

The two east African rivals were set to clash in the Eritrean capital around January 14-16 with the return fixture booked for a fortnight later in Addis Ababa.

“We have just been informed by the Eritrean Football Federation that its national team is withdrawing from the … matches,” said a letter from CAF’s Competitions Deputy Director Shereen Arafa seen by Reuters.

The letter did not mention Eritrea’s reasons for its withdrawal. An Ethiopian FA official confirmed the letter and added that his country was now set to face Rwanda in Addis Ababa on June 21-23 in the next qualification round.

Read more at Eurosport.com.
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Ethiopia Requests Neutral Venue for Eritrea Matches (BBC News)

The Ethiopia Football Association has asked the Confederation of African Football to move its African Nations Championship qualifiers with Eritrea to a neutral venue. (BBC)

3 December 2012

The request comes as the neighbouring countries continue to dispute borders.

The teams are set to play in the Eritrean capital, Asmara, between 14-16 January, with the return tie in Addis Ababa set for two weeks later.

But Ethiopia said they would not travel to the Red Sea state.

“We want the matches to take place, but we’re not willing to travel there and it is obvious their government won’t allow their team to visit Addis Ababa,” said Ethiopian Football Federation spokesman Melaku Ayele.

“So we’ve proposed an alternative venue, neighbouring Sudan, for both matches to be held in.”

Ethiopia and Eritrea fought a border war between 1998-2000 that killed tens of thousands of troops. A Hague-based independent border commission ruled that the flashpoint town of Badme belonged to Eritrea but the village remains in the hands of Ethiopia and the spat remains unresolved.

Asmara is yet to respond to Ethiopia’s request, Melaku said.

Click here to read more at BBC News.
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Related:
Fourteen Eritrean footballers disappear in Uganda (Reuters)
Ethiopia Says Will Not Travel to Asmara For Match, Wants Venue Moved (Reuters)

By Matt Fitzgerald | Competitor.com

His passport says Ethiopian legend is 39, but there’s reason to believe otherwise.

Every morning, Haile Gebrselassie trains with a select group of runners in the Entoto Hills east of the Ethiopian capitol of Addis Ababa. It’s been his routine for many years. One morning in February 2008, Haile’s group, whose composition changes a bit from day to day, included Hirpasa Lemi, husband of Berhane Adere, a multiple world champion on the track and on the roads. Also present — as an observer — was Matt Turnbull, an Englishman who now works as the elite athlete coordinator for the Competitor Group’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series.

After meeting up, the 10 or 12 runners comprising that day’s group separated into smaller packs, each of which went off to do its own workout. Ninety minutes later, everyone reconvened back where they had started. The only non-professional runner in the group, Lemi was proud to have held his own.

“Not bad for an old man,” he said, beaming. Then, turning to Turnbull, Lemi asked, “How old do you think I am?”

“I don’t know — 50,” Turnbull joked.

“Forty-one,” Lemi said. “Same age as Haile!”

Everyone laughed. Everyone except Gebrselassie, whose passport states his date of birth as April 18, 1973, making him officially 34 years old, almost 35, at the time. Lemi knew otherwise. He had grown up with Gebrselassie in the Arsi Province. Like most rural Ethiopians, Lemi could not prove his own exact date of birth, but he knew it was approximately 1967, and he remembered that Gebrselassie had been small when he was small, that Haile had hit puberty when he hit puberty, and so forth.

Lemi was not alone in this knowledge. The extreme “rounding down” of Gebrselassie’s age was the worst-kept secret in the Ethiopian running community. That’s why everyone laughed when Lemi made reference to it. Everyone except Haile.

The discrepancy between Gebrselassie’s stated age and his true age had no real significance before this incident. He was inarguably the greatest runner in history, and the murkiness of his age did not color his achievements one way or the other. But seven months after this episode, Gebrselassie broke his own marathon world record in Berlin, running 2:03:59. If Gebrselassie is even 4½ years older than his official age, instead of the six-plus years that Lemi insinuated, then the fastest marathon at the time was run by a 40-year-old man.

History’s first sub-2:04 marathon is a great accomplishment in itself. But if it was truly run by a Masters athlete, when the recognized Masters world record is 2:08:46, then Gebrselassie’s performance undoubtedly stands as the single greatest running feat of all time — a performance that destroys our existing beliefs about the effects of age on running capacity. And Gebrselassie deserves credit for that. Ironically, however, he doesn’t want it.

Click here to read more at ESPN.

TMZ

TMZ has learned, she was arrested at Dallas airport for public intoxication last weekend … after allegedly raising a drunken ruckus on board an airplane.

According to the police report, obtained by TMZ, 46-year-old Ashenafi was arrested at DFW airport when police determined she was so drunk … she was a danger to herself and others.

Sources on board the airplane tell us, Ashenafi threw a fit while everyone was boarding because she was stuck in coach … instead of first class….Several calls to Ashenafi were not returned.

Read more at Tmz.com.