Friday, August 30, 2013

Ethiopian food goes mainstream?-CNN Video

Marketplace Africa meets Hiyaw Gebreyohannes, an Ethiopian entrepreneur cooking up a successful business in America.

የዩኒቨርሲቲና የመሰናዶ መግቢያ ውጤት ይፋ ሆነ

አዲስ አበባ ፣ ነሃሴ 24 ፣ 2005 (ኤፍ.ቢ.ሲ) የትምህርት ሚኒስቴር ወደ ከፍተኛ ትምህርት ተቋማት እና መሰናዶ መግቢያ ውጤትን ዛሬ ይፋ አደረገ።
የዩኒቨርሲቲ መግቢያና ወደ መሰናዶ ማለፊያ ነጥብን ለመወሰን ፥ የዩኒቨርስቲዎችን ቀጣይ የመቀበል አቅም ከግምት ውስጥ በማስገባት መወሰኑንም ነው ሚኒስቴሩ የገለጸው። የትምህርት ሚኒስቴር የኮሚዩኒኬሽን ጉዳዮች ዳይሬክተር አቶ ደሳለኝ ሳሙኤል እንዳሉት ፥ ዘንድሮ ወደ ዩኒቨርሲቲ የገቡ ተማሪዎች ቁጥር ከአምናው የ95 554 ብልጫ አሳይቷል። በዚህም መሰረት 10ኛ ክፍል ተፈትነው ወደ መሰናዶ ለመግባት ፥ ለወንዶች 2.71 እና ከዛ በላይ ለሴቶች 2.29 እና ከዛ በላይ ። ለሁሉም ክልሎች ማየትና መስማት ለተሳናቸው ፥ 2.14 እና ከዛ በላይ ፤ ልዩ ድጋፍ ለሚሹ ክልሎች ለወንድ 2.29 እና ከዛ በላይ ፣ ለሴት 2.14። ለግል ተፈታኞች ፤ ለወንድ 2.86 እና ከዛ በላይ ፣ ለሴት 2.29 እና ከዛ በላይ ሆኖ ተወስኗል። 12ኛ ክፍል ተፈትነው ወደ ከፍተኛ የትምህርት ተቋማት 265 መቁረጫ ነጥብ ሆኖ ተወስኗል።

Thursday, August 29, 2013

Boston Marathon bombing suspect's friend Robel Phillipos indicted

Prosecutors portray a friend of the surviving Boston Marathon bombing suspect as a liar who misled terrorism investigators, but his lawyers said after his indictment Thursday it'll be clear in time that authorities shouldn't have charged him.
Authorities said
Robel Phillipos faces up to 16 years in prison in connection with two federal counts of lying to authorities investigating the deadly April attack. Defense lawyers Derege Demissie and Susan Church said the 19-year-old will continue to fight the allegations against him after efforts to get authorities to dismiss the charges failed.
"In time, it will be clear that this prosecution should not have been brought in the first place," they said in an emailed statement.

Defar and Dibaba renew rivalry

A lot of the pre-meeting attention at the IAAF Diamond League final in Zurich was rightfully focused on Usain Bolt and Bohdan Bondarenko, two giants of global athletics literally and metaphorically, but they were upstaged by two diminutive, if only in height, Ethiopians: Merseret Defar and Tirunesh Dibaba.

Defar and Dibaba, the 5000m and 10,000m gold medallists respectively from the 2013 IAAF World Championships, were brought together to battle for supremacy over the shorter distance, something that didn’t happen in Moscow earlier this month owing to both of them deciding to only have one bite of the cherry in the Russian capital. It was just their fourth race against each other since the Beijing Olympics five years ago.

Hailu Mergia Taxi Driver, Keyboardist Reinvents Music Career-VOA


               

Ethiopian Airlines says set to boost Dreamliner fleet

AFP - Ethiopian Airlines will increase its fleet of 787 Boeing Dreamliner airplanes despite the difficulties the aircraft had faced this year, the airline's CEO said on Thursday.
"We like the airplane, it is our future, we are going to order more and we are going to enjoy the benefits of this airplane," Tewolde Gebremariam told reporters.
Boeing's 787 Dreamliner has suffered a series of problems since coming into service, including a global grounding of its fleet this year and a fire on board a parked Ethiopian Airlines flight at London's Heathrow Airport in July.

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

New rail project in Ethiopia evoke memories of glory days

By Matthew Newsome in Addis Ababa
In the first of a five-part series on railways in Africa, we visit Ethiopia, the first country in Africa to have a railway. The French-built railway connected the capital Addis Ababa to the Red Sea port of Djibouti. However, the old diesel railway is now being replaced by a Chinese-built electrified railway, a grand plan that seeks to transport the country’s commercial exports to its neighbouring countries.
A train hasn’t left Addis Ababa for six years. But this major new train line is expected to open between Addis Ababa and the port of Djibouti in 2016.

This will be the first train line that forms a major piece of the 5,000 km transportation network planned to connect the landlocked country to neighbouring countries.
Abebe Meheret, the head of communications for Ethiopia’s National Railway Corporation, has high hopes for the new project.

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

New Strategy Penned For Diaspora Housing Registration-FORTUNE


The first round of Diaspora registration saw many challenges caused by the lack of adequate guidelines
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) and the Ministry of Urban Development & Construction (MoUDC), together with the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia (CBE), are finalising a new strategy following the controversies surrounding the registration of Ethiopian Diasporas in the 40/60 housing scheme, last week.

The registration for the 40/60 housing scheme for the Diaspora community, ran from August 12 to August 23, 2013. It was marked by numerous challenges, caused by a lack of guidelines to identify qualified Diaspora for the registration.

Monday, August 26, 2013

NESEHNUTÍ: the stop arms exports to Egypt, to be followed by Ethiopia and other countries

In response to the recent bloody events suspended the European Union and the Czech Republic exports arms to strife-torn Egypt. NESEHNUTÍ welcomes this decision and also calls for a reassessment of Czech exports to other troubled countries. As demonstrated by the now published report on exports of military equipment last year , the Czech Republic with the consent of state authorities militarily supports other non-democratic regimes trampling human rights. These include the supply of military regime in Algeria, Ethiopia, Bahrain and Azerbaijan.

Interventions Egyptian army and police against protesters in which the last two weeks killed at least 900 people, re-opened the question of arms exports in unstable countries, or to countries grossly violate human rights. As pointed NESEHNUTÍ [1] Czech Republic Egypt armed the long term, both for the government of Hosni Mubarak, and after his resignation. According to the newspaper Guardian Czech Republic was also one of the leading exporters of ammunition in this country [2]. Czech arms factory supplied the country tens of thousands of guns just weeks before the occurrence of the military regime's massacres of hundreds of anti-government protesters . [3] The total volume of exported military equipment to the Republic of Egypt was EUR 5.5 million (approximately CZK 140 million). It is very likely that the bloody massacres in the country killed and Czech weapons and ammunition. The recent decision of the Czech authorities to suspend exports to Egypt [3] NESEHNUTÍ therefore welcomes and feels right, but it also points out that you can not only stay with him: " At the moment, the Czech Republic should reconsider also export to other countries grossly violate human rights. You can not wait to be somewhere with Czech weapons committed another massacre , "says Peter Tkac of NESEHNUTÍ.

Saturday, August 24, 2013

Ethiopia polio case signals expanding African threat

Ethiopia recently detected a polio infection in a young child, the country's first case since 2008 and an event thought to be part of a growing outbreak across the Horn of Africa.

The case was detected in an 18-month-old child from the Warder district, which borders Somalia, where 108 polio infections have
already been detected this year, according to the latest update from the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI). The illness involved wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1).

Carol Pandak, who leads Rotary International's polio eradication program, said the detection of a case in Ethiopia isn't surprising, the Voice of America (VOA) reported yesterday. "This area has been considered high risk because of its proximity to Somalia," she said.

The GPEI update also noted that eight new WPV1 cases have been reported over the past week in districts in Somalia that have already reported infections.

From Cement plant to the Hotel business-China Chuanhui Group in Ethiopia

An artist's impression of the proposed Chuanhui Group hotel in Addis Ababa. Provided to China Daily
Five years ago a chinese property magnate sensed an opportunity to build up business in africa
Property developer China Chuanhui Group plans to build a 320-meter-high hotel, office and shopping complex in Addis Ababa that would become the tallest building in the Ethiopian capital.
"Ethiopian media have reported that it would be the highest building in Africa but I have not done any research on the high rises in Africa," says Liu Yanlin, chairman of the group, based in Huizhou, Guangdong province. "Since Addis Ababa is the highest city above sea level in Africa, it could be No 1 building in this sense."
In the five years since he started to invest in a cement plant in Ethiopia, Liu has noticed a lack of accommodation for business travelers and those attending international meetings in its capital, a popular center for conventions in Africa.

Friday, August 23, 2013

The History of Ethiopian Music: Book Event in Falls Church, Virginia

Tesfaye Lemma in Addis Ababa in 1967 & his book entitled 'Ye Itiyopia Muziqa Tarik'
Tadias Magazine
By Charlie Sutton

Updated: Thursday, August 22nd, 2013

Washington, D.C. (TADIAS) – The first-ever comprehensive history of Ethiopian music, Ye Itiyopia Muziqa Tarik by Tesfaye Lemma, has finally been published. It is a book well worth waiting for.

Ye Itiyopia Muziqa Tarik, which initially went on sale at the ESFNA Soccer Tournament at the beginning of July, will again be made available for purchase at a special event to be held at Meaza Ethiopian Restaurant, 5700 Columbia Pike, Falls Church, VA, on Tuesday August 27th, at 7pm.

The government expands the mobile-phone network but tightens its grip


Ethiopia’s authoritarian leaders are as keen as any on the economic benefits of modern telecoms but fear the political ramifications; pesky dissidents become even more irritating when wired. That explains a $1.6 billion agreement with China’s two leading telecoms-equipment companies to upgrade its network. The deal with Huawei and ZTE will preserve Ethiopia’s state dominance and further put off the opening up of one of Africa’s largest economies.

Emahoy Tsegue-Maryam Guebrou receives Israeli tribute with Jerusalem concert


Thursday, August 22, 2013

Ethiopian girl died from abuse, not child-rearing gone wrong

A Seattle Times story updates the public about Larry and Carri Williams, the couple on trial in Skagit County Superior Court, charged with homicide by abuse, manslaughter and child assault in the death of their adopted daughter.

The girl was Ethiopian and the trial is being closely watched by Ethiopians in America and Seattle. Ethiopia is the second largest source of adoptions by U.S. parents after China, according to the article. For context, the number of international adoptions by American parents has fallen by almost 60 percent, according to National Public Radio.

Road deaths, cancer and diabetes becoming Africa's hidden epidemics

Urbanisation accelerating rise in health problems, while more cars on the road are pushing up accident rates, says World Bank
Road traffic deaths in sub-Saharan Africa are predicted to rise by 80% by 2020, according to a World Bank report, which found the region to have the highest number of accidents, but the fewest vehicles on the road.

An estimated 24.1 people per 100,000 are killed in traffic accidents every year, according to the bank. Younger and poorer people are disproportionately vulnerable: accidents on the road are expected to become the biggest killer of children between five and 15 by 2015, outstripping malaria and Aids.

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Egypt uses violence to press Ethiopia over Nile water

ADDIS ABABA: According to Ethiopian government officials, the Egyptian interim government has been pressing officials here in Addis Ababa to stop construction of the Renaissance Dam along the Nile River. It comes as Egypt finds itself in a messy internal conflict that threatens the stability of the country.

“We have been talked to over the past few days by top Egyptian officials who have urged us to stop the dam and they are using the recent clashes in their country as a way of not being seen internationally,” a top diplomat in the foreign ministry told Bikyanews.com on Tuesday.

A Defar v Dibaba duel at Great North Run

Ethiopia’s Meseret Defar and Tirunesh Dibaba set to go head-to-head in Newcastle on September 15

Ethiopia’s Meseret Defar and Tirunesh Dibaba may have avoided a clash at the recent IAAF World Championships, but the 5000m and 10,000m champions respectively are set for a mouthwatering duel at the Bupa Great North Run in September.
The Ethiopian team management kept the two apart in Moscow apparently to allow younger team members the chance to get on the podium and, as a result, both won easily.
The two most successful female endurance runners in recent years are next due to meet at Zurich’s Weltklasse – the first of two finals in the 2013 IAAF Diamond League series - on August 29, before competing over longer than the distances they are used to as they take on the half-marathon from Newcastle to South Shields on September 15.
Dibaba will be defending the title she won last year in 67:35 when she made her debut at the distance. The race for her will be a step towards the marathon debut that was delayed from this year’s London because of injury.

ETHIOPIAN FOOTWEAR OFF TO RUNNING START

Ethiopian shoe companies offer it all – fine-dress, casual, and sport footwear. Because of its fine leather and commitment to top quality, Ethiopia has recently become a sourcing destination for international buyers looking for high-end shoes. In one year, Ethiopian shoe exports through the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) rose from US $630,000 in 2011 to nearly US $7 million in 2012.

The USAID East Africa Trade Hub began working in Ethiopian footwear in 2012. In just over a year, they facilitated over US $1.5 million in sales to the U.S. The Trade Hub accomplished this through a combination of technical assistance, such as trainings on how to meet the technical specifications required by U.S. companies, and market connections made possible through AGOA.

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

A year after longtime leader's death, Ethiopia has seen little change

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia –  Candlelit vigils and the launch of over two dozen parks are taking place in Ethiopia on the first year anniversary of the death of long-time ruler Meles Zenawi.
Tuesday's rituals underscore the approach Meles' successors have employed during the last year: a continued lionization of the late prime minister.
During a ceremony attended by regional leaders such the presidents of Somalia and Sudan, Meles was praised as "Africa's voice." His successor, Prime Minister Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, praised Meles as a "champion of the poor."
Critics say that Ethiopia has maintained the same oppressive anti-free press policies that Meles put in place.
Meles became president in 1991 and prime minister in 1995, a position he held until his sudden death last year.
http://www.foxnews.com

Ethiopians believed to be behind Riyadh serial thefts

Saudi Gazette report


RIYADH — Two men are wanted in connection with a number of thefts at a Riyadh shopping center recently, Al-Watan reported Monday.

A number of salesmen in the center said they noticed unusual movements by two people, whom they believed to be Ethiopians, at the places were the thefts occurred.

Saqar Abdullah, one of the victims, said he had immediately informed police when he discovered things had been stolen from his car but it took officers more than an hour to arrive at the crime scene.

According to him, the thieves stole a bag containin
g jewels worth SR9,000 from his car, in addition to about SR5,000 in cash and a mobile phone.
http://www.saudigazette.com.sa

Most Ethiopian women treated at Al-Amal ‘are ill’

Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — The director of Al-Amal psychiatric hospital in Riyadh said about 75 percent of Ethiopian women brought to the hospital suffer from mental illnesses or severe anger issues.

"We have noted that their behavior was
abnormal," Dr. Mohammed Al-Qahtani told Al-Sharq newspaper.

The director, however, said only three Ethiopian women were confined to the hospital among 72 Saudis and one Iraqi.

Human, drugs and arms traffickers targeted in operations across Eastern and Southern Africa-Interpol

KENYA/ZIMBABWE - An operation across Eastern and Southern Africa targeting a range of cross-border crimes has resulted in the rescue of human trafficking victims, the seizure of drugs, guns and stolen vehicles and the recovery of smuggled goods including ivory and diamonds.
Codenamed Usalama – which means ‘safety’ – the operation was led by the Eastern Africa Police Chiefs Cooperation Organization (EAPCCO) and the Southern African Regional Police Chiefs Cooperation Organization (SARPCCO) with support from INTERPOL.
Among the initial results was the rescue of more than 300 victims of human trafficking and 38 suspects arrested in Ethiopia, with a further 28 human trafficking victims rescued and 15 suspects arrested in Uganda. The operation also resulted in the identification of hundreds of illegal immigrants.
AK-47s were among the guns recovered in Tanzania and Uganda with weapons also seized in Burundi and Swaziland. Thousands of checks against INTERPOL’s  stolen vehicle database resulted in a series of matches for vehicles reported stolen from countries including Japan, Malaysia, South Africa and the United Kingdom.

The False Banana, Key to Food Security

Stem of an Enset Plant
Enset is a plant native to Ethiopia that is often referred to as the false banana because, not surprisingly, of its resemblance to the banana plant. It is grown in the less arid highlands of the southwestern region of Ethiopia. Enset contributes to improved food security for approximately 15 million Ethiopians and, according to Ethiopian researchers, there is potential for expanding consumption of the crop. Over the coming weeks, Food Tank will feature different ways in which the enset plant has significant environmental, social, and economic benefits for farmers and consumers.

A recent report from the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) shows that Ethiopia may be facing a famine, based on the coinciding factors of a growing population, detrimental weather conditions, and an unsustainably structured food system. While macro factors like these may be intractable, the production of one native Ethiopian crop has been historically proven to keep food security problems at bay: enset. In a report entitled The Tree Against Hunger from the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), five criteria were listed to evaluate food security: adequate volume of food; adequate nutritional intake; annual stability of food supply; accessibility of food; and long-term sustainability of food production. Enset achieves, or helps to achieve, all of these criteria.

VIDEO: Sobbing teen testifies about night adopted sister Hanna Williams died

On day 15 in the Skagit murder and abuse trial, a teenager described the night he saw his adopted sister die.

Ethiopian reggae singer Eyob Mekonnen dies at 37 - BBC

Popular Ethiopian reggae singer Eyob Mekonnen has died.

Eyob Mekonnen toured the US, Canada, the UK and Holland in June
Fans of the 37-year-old singer helped raise money for his treatment after he had a stroke last Tuesday in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.

He was flown to Kenya on Saturday, but he died in hospital on Sunday.

"He has made such a mark on the Ethiopian music scene, bringing a unique and poetic voice with thoughtful lyrics and a beautiful reggae vibe," a posting on his Facebook fan site said.

“He was one of a kind... humble and extremely loyal”

Eyob Alemayehu
Manager and friend
The page was set up on the social networking site last week called Let Us Pray for Eyob Mekonnen.

Its postings kept fans up-to-date on his condition and appealed for financial help to organise his transfer from hospital in Addis Ababa to the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.

Monday, August 19, 2013

‹‹ካፍ በሰጠኝ ኃላፊነት ፌዴሬሽኑም ሆነ ሥራ አስፈጻሚው የሚመለከታቸው አይመስለኝም›› አቶ ሳሕሉ ገብረወልድ፣ የኢትዮጵያ እግር ኳስ ፌዴሬሽን ፕሬዚዳንት

አቶ ሳሕሉ ገብረወልድ፣ የኢትዮጵያ እግር ኳስ ፌዴሬሽን ፕሬዚዳንት

የአፍሪካ እግር ኳስ ኮንፌዴሬሽን (ካፍ) ሲኤምሲ አካባቢ ለሚገኘው የካፍ የወጣቶች አካዴሚ ማስፋፊያና ማጠናቀቂያ ይውል ዘንድ 3.6 ሚሊዮን ብር፣ ለኢትዮጵያ እግር ኳስ ፌዴሬሽኑ መስጠቱ ይፋ ተደርጓል፡፡

ሆኖም ከዚህ ገንዘብ ውስጥ በፌዴሬሽኑ ፕሬዚዳንት አቶ ሳሕሉ ገብረወልድ ትዕዛዝ ያሬድ ኮንትራክተር ለተባለ ድርጅት ምንም ዓይነት ጨረታ ሳይወጣ በቀጥታ 1.3 ሚሊዮን ብር ተከፍሏል መባሉ እያነጋገረ ይገኛል፡፡

የፌዴራሉ ፀረ ሙስና ኮሚሽን የድርጊቱን አሳሳቢነት በመግለጽ፣ የኢትዮጵያ እግር ፌዴሬሽንና ፌዴራል ስፖርት ኮሚሽን በጉዳዩ ዙሪያ ተነጋግረው ማብራሪያ እንዲሰጡበት መጠየቁን መዘገባችን ይታወሳል፡፡

Eyob Mekonen Interview on Guramayle


Ethiopia signs an $800m (£510m) deal with Chinese telecom giant ZTE to expand its mobile phone network.

Ethiopia has signed an $800m (£510m) deal with Chinese telecom giant ZTE to expand its mobile phone network, state-run Ethio Telecom has said.

The agreement would help double the number of mobile phone subscribers to more than 50 million and increase 3G internet access nationwide, it said.

Most people in Ethiopia do not have access to phones or the internet.

Ethio Telecom is the only mobile operator in a country still under tight state control.

Rhythm divine: the Ethiopian nun whose music enraptured the Holy Land

Emahoy Tsegué-Mariam Guebrù: Jersualem's best kept musical secret for 30 years. Photograph: Gali Tibbon
Jersusalem's classical music lovers honour Emahoy Tsegué-Mariam Guebrù, 90, after a life devoted to God and the piano
From a small, spartan room in the courtyard of the Ethiopian church off a narrow street in Jerusalem, a 90-year-old musical genius is emerging into the spotlight.

For almost three decades, Emahoy Tsegué-Mariam Guebrù has been closeted at the church, devoting herself to her life's twin themes – faith and music. The Ethiopian nun, whose piano compositions have enthralled those who have stumbled across a handful of recordings in existence, has lived a simple life, rarely venturing beyond the monastery's gates.

Ethiopian arrivals in Oman show sharp rise

Muscat: There was a noticeable surge in the number of Ethiopians arriving into the Sultanate for employment, compared to other nationals, data released by National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI) revealed.

According to the data, there was an increase of 4.4 per cent in the number of Ethiopians arriving in May when compared to April, a month that registered an increase of 4.1 per cent compared to March.

In May, 40,633 Ethiopians arrived in the Sultanate while their numbers in April and March was 38,915 and 37,394, respectively. Of the 40,633 Ethiopians who arrived in May, 40,170 were women employees while of the 38,915 arriving in April, 38,474 were women.

Sunday, August 18, 2013

አርቲስት እዮብ መኮንን ከዚህ አለም በሞት ተለየ

አዲስ አበባ ፣ ነሃሴ 13 ፣ 2005 (ኤፍ ቢ ሲ) አርቲስት እዮብ መኮንን ከዚህ አለም በሞት ተለየ። አርቲስት እዮብ ባለፈው ማክሰኞ ማለዳ ላይ በድንገተኛ አደጋ ቅዱስ ገብርኤል ሆስፒታል መግባቱ ይታወሳል። ድምፃዊው በዕለቱ በብስክሌት ሰውነቱን አፍታቶ ወደቤቱ ሲመለስ በመውደቁ ምክንያት ሆስፒታል ገብቶ ህክምናውን ሲከታተል ቆይቷል። አርቲስት እዮብ የተሻለ ህክምና ለማግኘት ወደ ኬንያ በመሄድ በህክምና ሲረዳ ቆይቶ ዛሬ ሌሊቱን ከዚህ አለም በሞት ተለይቷል። ፋና ብሮድካስቲንግ ኮርፖሬት ለአድናቂዎቹ እና ለመላው ቤተሰቡ መጽናናትን ይመኛል።
http://www.fanabc.com

Saturday, August 17, 2013

Ethiopian maid ends life inside toilet

An Ethiopian housemaid committed a suicide by hanging herself inside the bathroom at her employer’s house in the Gulf Kingdom, police said on Saturday.

The Saudi employer found the maid, in her 30s, hanging in the bathroom at his house in the eastern Saudi province of Ihsa, they said.

“Forensic examination showed the maid had committed a suicide,” Sabq daily said without mentioning the maid’s motives.

The incident is the latest in a wave of suicide attempts and deadly attacks on employers’ children by Ethiopian housemaids in Saudi Arabia, home to more than two million domestic workers from Africa and Asia.
http://www.emirates247.com

Ethiopia switch a major blow - Igesund

Fifa's decision to switch the crucial World Cup qualifying game between Ethiopia and Central African Republic from CAR's stronghold in Bangui to neutral Brazzaville in the Republic of Congo, is a major blow for South Africa, said Gordon Igesund on Friday.

The Bafana coach said they were relying on Ethiopia either drawing or losing for South Africa to remain in the running for next year's tournament in Brazil.

"Unfortunately, we are not the masters of our own fate going into our last game – with Ethiopia holding a two point advantage over us right now," Igesund said.

Fashion retailer H&M plans Ethiopia expansion

Swedish fashion retailer Hennes and Mauritz (H&M) said Friday it would expand its network of suppliers to Ethiopia, after concentrating 80 percent of its production in Asian countries.

"We are an expansive company and are constantly looking at new potential purchasing markets to guarantee that we have capacity to deliver products to all stores in our expansive markets," H&M spokeswoman Camilla Emilsson-Falk told AFP.

 "We do that by increasing the productivity on the existing production markets as well as looking at new markets," she added.

 Test orders have been placed with Ethiopian suppliers and new factories will be built this autumn, but it is too early to say how many suppliers will be used and when the factories will be ready for production, according to Emilsson-Falk.

19 year old Ethiopian Killer calls Police for help to flee Saudi

An Ethiopian man who lives illegally in Saudi Arabia dialed ‘999’ and asked or help to flee the Gulf Kingdom after killing his uncle, not realising he called the police.

 The 19-year-old farmer used a big stick to club his uncle to death after a heated argument at their employer’s farm in the western town of Medina and then called a known smuggler to seek help in sneaking out of the country.

 “The smuggler told him to dial 999 and they would help him. He called that number and told them what happened,” Al Saudeh daily said.

 “Minutes later, policemen were at the farm, where they fou
nd the man’s 20-year-old uncle lying in a pool of blood. They arrested that man who confessed to the crime.”
http://www.emirates247.com/

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Global Cement-Ethiopia – Failing to launch?

In the January 2013 issue of Global Cement Magazine, we featured a review of the Ethiopian cement industry. At the time we were hopeful with respect to the country's future cement demand, buoyed along by Ethiopia's own bold targets for development of the sector. It seemed only a matter of time before international and regional producers went to Ethiopia and cashed in on a cement plant-building bonanza. 

Ethiopia's government is keen to further develop Ethiopia's cities and infrastructure and wants to increase its per-capita cement consumption from 35kg
/yr at present to ~300kg/yr in the period to 2017. To do this, it is encouraging the cement sector to swell from its current capacity (7.4Mt/yr integrated capacity with additional grinding capability) to over 27Mt/yr by the same year. At the same time, the country has banned cement imports, a bold statement of intent designed to protect its own growing industry.

Meseret Defar Speaks from Moscow


MOHAMMED AMAN A RARE RUNNER AMONG THE ETHIOPIAN ELITE

History, of sorts, was made when Mohammed Aman became the first Ethiopian to win a world outdoor 800m title as he kicked hard coming off the final bend to snatch the gold medal on Tuesday night (13).
The spectacular victory in Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium supersedes his 2012 World indoor 800m title and came against a terrific field. To make the result even sweeter his winning time of 1:43.31 is his fastest of the season.
Until now his countrymen have dominated 5000m, 10,000m and Marathon podiums but Aman, a sprinter turned middle distance star, has ignited a new flame of belief amongst the youth of his country.
Still, only 19 years of age and the youngest man to win a medal in his event, let alone a gold, Aman understands the significance of his accomplishment.
“Ethiopians are known for marathons and for long distance and now middle distances so I am very happy,” said Aman, who learned English in high school and practices by watching movies and reading.
“Anything is possible. I train in Ethiopia and also I have a good Ethiopian coach (Negusse Gechamo). I train in Entoto, Sendafa and also around Addis. I train with the national team. There are many national team members in Addis.”
The race itself was exemplary championship running as Aman escaped from a box created by the two Americans, Duane Soloman and Nick Symmonds, and ran down the latter to steal the gold medal in the last 20 metres.
Asked if he was confident or nervous coming into the final, the native of Assela, a small town south east of Addis Ababa, which is coincidently is Haile Gebrselassie’s home town, he smiled.

ብረታ ብረትና ኢንጂነሪንግ ኮርፖሬሽን የሁለት አውሮፕላኖች፤ሁለት መርከቦች እና ሁለት ሆቴሎች ባለቤት


በብርጋዴል ጄነራል ክንፈ ዳኘው የሚመራው የኢትዮጵያ ብረታ ብረትና ኢንጂነሪንግ ኮርፖሬሽን ሁለት አነስተኛ የመንገደኞች ማጓጓዣ አውሮፕላኖችን ከጣሊያን ኩባንያ መግዛቱን ምንጮች ገለጹ፡፡ በአሁኑ ወቅት መንግሥት የጀመራቸውን ግዙፍ ፕሮጀክቶችን፣ የታላቁ ህዳሴ ግድብ የኢንጂነሪንግ ሥራዎችን፣ በተለያዩ አካባቢዎች በመገንባት ላይ የሚገኙ አሥር የስኳር ፋብሪካዎችንና ሌሎችን የመገንባት ኃላፊነት የተሰጠው ኮርፖሬሽኑ፣ ግብርና መር የሆነውን ኢኮኖሚ ወደ ኢንዱስትሪ ለማሸጋገር ለተያዘው ዕቅድ ዋነኛ ኃላፊነት የተሰጠው በመሆኑ፣ ለዚህ ተልዕኮው መሳካት አውሮፕላኖቹ እንዲገዙ ማስፈለጉን የኮርፖሬሽኑ የሕዝብ ግንኙነት ክፍል ለሪፖርተር ገልጿል፡፡

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Could Arsenal’s teenage Gedion Zelalem phenom play for U.S.?

Over the next few days, weeks, months, probably years, you are going to hear a lot about Gedion Zelalem.
He is the 16-year-old Arsenal central midfielder who, while playing for the English club’s first team in preseason, mesmerized unsuspecting observers with his vision, touch and distribution. Without pause, he drew comparisons to Cesc Fabregas, a Spanish innovator with corresponding characteristics who debuted for the Gunners’ senior squad at the same age 10 years ago.
From Pele to Lionel Messi, teenage phenoms have tickled the soccer world for decades.
Zelalem is different from most because:
– He was not nurtured in a prominent academy.
– Until this past spring, his name was largely unknown, even in Arsenal circles.
– He was raised in Germany but draws from family roots in Ethiopia, a nation of 91 million that adores the sport but has never qualified for the World Cup and reached the African Cup on Nations once in the past 20 years. Already, he is inspiring young Ethiopians.
There is something else unique about Zelalem: He sharpened his skills between ages 9 and 15 in the Washington suburbs, playing for an elite club team, Olney Rangers. He also served on Walter Johnson High School’s varsity squad as a freshman in the fall of 2011, earning honorable mention All-Met honors after the Wildcats advanced to the Maryland state final.

Gedion Zelalem Interview-SWOL(Video)


17-year-old Ethiopian housemaid attacked her employer after a phone call: Police

MAKKAH — A 17-year-old Ethiopian housemaid who stabbed her employer several times in Makkah called her home country just before the attack last week, a local police station told Okaz/Saudi Gazette. The victim was stabbed in the hands, neck, chest, and shoulders but survived, sources at Al-Aziziya police station revealed. According to police initial investigations, the maid had worked for a year with her employer, a 40-year-old widow, before she decided to try and kill her. The maid told police the widow treated her well and never did anything wrong to her. Toward the end of Ramadan, she went with her employers to buy Eid groceries. Her employer bought her a calling card to talk to her family in Ethiopia and wish them happy Eid. 

Ethiopian inflation climbs to 8 pct in year to July

ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Consumer price inflation in Ethiopia rose to 8 percent in the year to July up from 7.4 percent in the previous month, the Central Statistics Agency said on Monday. The year-on-year food inflation in July was 5.8 percent from 3.7 percent in June, while non-food inflation was 10.5 percent in the year to July from 11.9 percent in June, the statistics office said in a statement

Monday, August 12, 2013

Hana Williams cousin Kassaye Woldetsidik testifies, then disappears

Kassaye Woldetsidik, to Washington to testify in a high-profile murder trial is now missing.
Mount Vernon, Wash. — A man who flew to Washington to testify in a high-profile murder trial is now missing.
The witness, Kassaye Woldetsidik, is the cousin of Hana Williams, who starved and froze to death at her adopted parent's home two years ago.


Woldetsidik testified Friday in Mount Vernon about Williams' life in Ethiopia before she was adopted.

"I was watching her always. We were close." He said.

Now some think he's using the trip to stay in the U.S. illegally.




Ethiopian dams won't cause harm - ex-EPA head

A man walks over a bridge near the construction site of Ethiopia's Grand Renaissance Dam in Guba Woreda, some 40 km (25 miles) from Ethiopia's border with Sudan, June 28, 2013. REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri
 ADDIS ABABA (Thomson Reuters Foundation) –The former head of the Ethiopian Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), now an advisor to the country’s new environment minister, has told Thomson Reuters Foundation that major dam projects will not cut off water supplies downstream nor worsen living conditions for local people.
The EPA was Ethiopia’s main body for environmental regulation and monitoring for nearly two decades after it was established in 1994. The agency – responsible for developing environmental laws and standards – was upgraded last month to become the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Forestry, with a new minister, Belete Tesfa.
E.G. Woldegebriel spoke with Dr. Tewoldebirhan Gebregzabher, the EPA’s former director-general, about its work, as well as his views on cutting emissions, deforestation and controversies surrounding the country’s hydro-electric dam projects.
TRF: Ethiopia plans to have grid electricity by 2014 that will be produced without using fossil fuels. How will it reach that target?
TG: In 2014, when the 1,870 megawatt Gibe III hydro-electric dam starts to generate power, the electricity in the grid system will be entirely from renewable energy. That is from hydro-power primarily, but also from wind power and some geothermal power.

Ethiopians seek asylum en masse in South Korea

Two-thirds of a group of young professional Ethiopians who went for training in South Korea have stayed to seek asylum, it's reported. Forty chose to apply for political asylum on the grounds of "gross human rights violations", while just 19 returned home, according to London-based Ethiomedia website.

የከባድ ሙስና ወንጀል ተጠርጣሪዎች ምርመራ ተጠናቆ ለክስ ተቀጠሩ

- አቶ እሸቱ ወልደሰማያትን ጨምሮ አሥር ተጠርጣሪዎች በዋስ ተለቀቁ 




በተጠረጠሩበት ከባድ የሙስና ወንጀል ከግንቦት 2 ቀን 2005 ዓ.ም. ጀምሮ ላለፉት ሦስት ወራት፣ ለሰባት ጊዜያት ተጨማሪ የምርመራ ጊዜ እየተጠየቀባቸው በምርመራ ላይ የከረሙት አቶ መላኩ ፈንታና አቶ ገብረዋህድ ወልደጊዮርጊስን ጨምሮ የ33 ተጠርጣሪዎች የምርመራ ጊዜ በመጠናቀቁ፣ በሚቀጥሉት 15 ቀናት ውስጥ ክስ እንዲመሠረት ፍርድ ቤት አዘዘ፡፡ የፌዴራል ከፍተኛ ፍርድ ቤት ሁለተኛ ወንጀል ችሎት ነሐሴ 3 ቀን 2005 ዓ.ም. ትዕዛዙን ያስተላለፈው፣ የፌዴራል የሥነ ምግባርና የፀረ ሙስና ኮሚሽን መርማሪ ቡድን በተጠርጣሪዎቹ ላይ ምርመራውን አጠናቆ፣ ነሐሴ 3 ቀን 2005 ዓ.ም. ለኮሚሽኑ ዓቃቤ ሕግ ማስረከቡን ለችሎቱ ሲያሳውቅ ነው፡፡ ላለፉት ሦስት ወራት በተጠርጣሪዎቹ ተፈጽመዋል ስለተባሉት የተለያዩ የሙስናና የአራጣ ክሶችን ማቋረጥ፣ የተለያዩ ሸቀጣ ሸቀጦችና ዕቃዎች ሳይቀረጡ እንዲገቡ ማድረግ፣ ግብር መሰወር፣ ግብር አሳንሶ መገመት፣ በተከለከለ የፍራንኮ ቫሉታ ፈቃድ ሲሚንቶ ማስገባት፣ ከቀረጥ ነፃ የገቡ የተለያዩ ዕቃዎችን እንዲገቡ ከተደረገበት ዓላማ ውጭ መጠቀምና ሌሎችም በርካታ ምርመራዎች እየተደረጉ እንደነበር መዘገባችን ይታወሳል፡፡

እግር ኳስ ፌዴሬሽን ያለጨረታ በከፈለው 1.3 ሚሊዮን ብር በፀረ ሙስና ኮሚሽን ጥያቄ ቀረበበት

በአፍሪካ እግር ኳስ ኮንፌዴሬሽን (ካፍ) ወጪ ሲኤምሲ አካባቢ እየተገነባ ላለው የካፍ አካዴሚ ብሔራዊ ፌዴሬሽኑ ያለጨረታ በከፈለው 74 ሺሕ የአሜሪካ ዶላር (1.3 ሚሊዮን ብር) ምክንያት፣ በፀረ ሙስና ኮሚሽን ጥያቄ እንደቀረበበት ምንጮች ለሪፖርተር ገለጹ፡፡ ለጉዳዩ እንግዳ የሆኑና የተደናገጡ የፌዴሬሽኑ ሥራ አስፈጻሚ ኮሚቴ አባላት፣ ፀረ ሙስና ኮሚሽን በጠየቀው ማብራሪያ ላይ ተነጋግረው ውሳኔ ላይ ለመድረስ ባለፈው ዓርብ በፌዴሬሽኑ ጽሕፈት ቤት ቢሰባሰቡም፣ ፕሬዚዳንቱ ባለመገኘታቸው ምክንያት ያለ ውጤት መበተናቸው ተሰምቷል፡፡

Turkey’s Genel Energy to farm in to Adigala Block onshore Ethiopia

Genel Energy announces that it has agreed to acquire a 40% interest in the Adigala Block onshore Ethiopia from New Age (African Global Energy) Limited (the "Transaction").
Under the Transaction, Genel Energy plc ("Genel") will acquire a 40% non-operated interest in the Adigala Block from New Age (Ethiopia) Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of New Age (African Global Energy) Limited ("New Age"). The consideration involves a payment in respect of back costs and a contribution to the cost of a 2D seismic acquisition planned before the end of 2013.