Ethiopians excel in Germany

Ethiopians Shami Dawit, pictured, and Seboka Diriba Tola broke local marathon records in winning the men's races in Hamburg and Dusseldorf.

Hamburg – Ethiopians Shami Dawit and Seboka Diriba Tola broke local marathon records in winning the men's races in Hamburg and Dusseldorf Sunday.
Dawit posted 2 hours 5 minutes 58 seconds over the 42.195
kilometres in Hamburg, bettering the previous best mark in the northern German city of 2:06.52 set by Julio Rey of Spain in 2006.
Ethiopian Dadi Yami was second in 2:07:01, with Augustine Ronoh of Kenya third in 2:07:23. The women's race was won by Rael Kiyara of Kenya in 2:23:47.
Tola and Kenyan Agnes Jeruto set course records in winning the men's and women's races in Dusseldorf.
Tola crossed the line in 2:08:27, edging Duncan Koech of Kenya (2:08:33) and Abraham Kiprotich of France (2:08:35).
Jeruto clinched the women's race in 2:25:49 ahead of Nastassia Staravoitava of Belarus (2:27:24) and Melkam Gisaw of Ethiopia (2:27:50).http://www.iol.co.za

Ethiopian Yonas Seifu who was shot in the head 6 years ago works to become whole

Meeting new people is always a little tricky for Yonas Seifu, and it starts with his handshake. He uses his left hand because the bullet that remains lodged in his brain severed

many of the neural pathways controlling the right side of his body.

If he reveals he was shot, he can tell from the reaction that people immediately think, "I'm a gangster or something," said Seifu, 32. "It's kind of awkward. I'm still trying to figure out the best way to do it."

It's been six years since Seifu was critically injured when someone walked or drove by a house in Lake City and fired a single gunshot through a window early on April 23, 2006. The bullet penetrated a wall and struck Seifu, then 26, who was sitting on a couch as a party hosted by a couple of University of Washington fraternity brothers was winding down.

Seattle homicide detectives investigated the shooting, but with no known motive their case went cold. No one was ever arrested for the seemingly random shooting that has forever changed Seifu's life.

He's had dark days when he wondered if it would have been better had he not survived. Friends who surrounded and supported him during his two-month stay at Harborview Medical Center have gradually faded away and moved on with their lives, while Seifu struggles to rebuild his own.

He and his girlfriend, whom he had hoped to marry and have children with, broke up a year after he was shot, and he hasn't dated since.

But Seifu, an exceptionally bright, articulate man who exudes a gentle calm, strives to find meaning and leave a positive mark on the world, despite his continuing pain and uncertainty for the future.

"It's a struggle, and he's reminded of it every day. Yonas looks different, he walks different, he talks different. It's not something he can put behind him," said Dr. Kathleen Bell, medical director of the brain-injury rehabilitation program at the University of Washington, who has treated Seifu since his release from Harborview.

በቴዲ አፍሮና በአዲካ መካከል አለመግባባት ተፈጠረ

ድምፃዊ ቴዎድሮስ ካሳሁን (ቴዲ አፍሮ) ከአዲካ ኮሙዩኒኬሽንና ኢቨንትስ ጋር ውዝግብ ውስጥ መግባቱን የሪፖርተር ምንጮች ገለጹ፡፡

ቴዎድሮስና አዲካ ውዝግብ ውስጥ የገቡት ‹‹ጥቁር ሰው›› በተሰኘው የቴዎድሮስ አዲሱ አልበም ከስፖንሰርና ከሽያጭ ጋር በተያያዘ ነው፡፡ ቴዲ አፍሮና አዲካ መጋቢት 1 ቀን 2004 ዓ.ም. ባደረጉት ውል፣ ቴዎድሮስ የአልበሙን ዋና ሲዲ (ማስተር ሲዲ) በአራት ሚሊዮን ብር ሸጧል፡፡ ክፍያውም በሁለት ጊዜ ተፈጽሟል፡፡ 

በዚህ ውል መሠረት አዲካ ያወጣውን ሙሉ ወጪ ከመለሰ በኋላ ከሚገኘው የተጣራ ትርፍ ቴዎድሮስ 20 በመቶ ገቢ ያገኛል፡፡ ይህም ለአምስት ዓመታት የሚቀጥል ሆኖ፣ ከአምስት ዓመት በኋላ በሲዲው ላይ ያለው ሙሉ መብት ከአዲካ ወደ ቴዎድሮስ ይዛወራል፡፡ ከዚህ በተጨማሪ በውሉ መሠረት አዲካ ስፖንሰር የመፈለግና በህትመቱ ላይም የስፖንሰሩን ማስታወቂያ የመጠቀም መብት ይሰጠዋል፡፡ በቴዲና በአዲካ መካከል በዋናነት አለመግባባቶች የተፈጠሩት በእነዚህ ነጥቦች ዙርያ ሲሆን፣ አለመግባባታቸውም እየከረረ መምጣቱን ምንጮች እየገለጹ ነው፡፡ በአለመግባባቱ ውስጥም የሦስትዮሽ ውል የፈረመው ቤሌማ ኢንተርቴይመንት ኩባንያም ሌላኛው ተዋናይ ነው፡፡

ለቴዲ ቅርብ የሆኑ የመረጃ ምንጮች እንደሚገልጹት፣ ቴዲ በሲዲው ላይ የሜታ ቢራ ማስታወቂያ ይለጠፋል ብሎ አላሰበም፡፡ ነገር ግን ሲዲው በሚታተምበት ወቅት የሜታ ቢራ ማስታወቂያ በዋናው ሲዲ ላይ ተለጥፎ የተመለከተው ቴዲ ‹‹ሙዚቃዬን ትልልቅ ሰዎች ብቻ ሳይሆኑ ሕፃናትም ያዳምጡታል፤ ለሕፃናቱ የመጠጥ አርዓያ መሆን አልፈልግም፤›› የሚል ሐሳብ በመሰንዘሩ፣ የሜታ ቢራ ማስታወቂያ የተለጠፈበት ኮፒ እንዲወገድ ብሎም ለገበያ እንዳይቀርብ ስምምነት ላይ ይደረሳል፡፡ በቴዲ በኩል ያሉ መረጃዎች የሜታ ቢራ ዓርማ የተለጠፈባቸው ሲዲዎች ብዛት 120 ሺሕ ነው ቢባልም፣ በአዲካ በኩል ግን 87 ሺሕ ኮፒዎች ናቸው፡፡

A New Ethiopian Sound via Teddy Afro

Samuel Getachew

A noted blogger was once asked to describe music by a certain Ethiopian musician after hearing it for the first time. He explained his first reaction as feeling as if he [had] died and returned from the dead. He said it took him on a journey of "deep bass, some jazz/rock funk mixed with Ethiopian melody (tizita) from a distance future."

This is a wonderful compliment for music that has yet to be discovered by the rest of world. The fact is that Ethiopian music has been undiscovered partly because Ethiopia was never a colony of the outside world. While there have been superstar Ethiopian artists such as Mohamud Ahmed and Aster Aweke, their success remained within Ethiopia and did not translate onto the international market.

The young and gifted Ethiopian artist Tewodrose Kassahun (a.k.a. Teddy Afro) might just be the one who can help introduce Ethiopian music to the world. His latest CD, which is entitled Tikur Sew (Black person), is perhaps the most anticipated, controversial and scrutinized album in Ethiopian music history. In just one week, it sold well over a million copies and took Ethiopian social media by storm.

Amanuael - I Have nothing -Young Talent Time 2012 Wildcard Semi final

       

Migrant domestic workers in Arab nations are dying – it's time to act

The suicide of an Ethiopian domestic worker in Lebanon highlights the abuse of migrants given no rights or safeguards

Tourists cool off in a pool in Beirut, but anti-racism campaigners say Lebanon also has a darker side. Photograph: Joseph Barrak/AFP/Getty Images

The Lebanese Anti-Racism Movement is organising a "die-in" this Saturday in Beirut and London, with protesters lying in front of the Lebanese embassy to highlight the maltreatment of migrant domestic workers.

While several local organisations have been working tirelessly for some years to bring attention to the plight of migrant workers, the aim of this protest is to push the Lebanese government into measureable positive action.

The recent suicide of an Ethiopian domestic worker, Alem Dechasa, who had suffered a very public beating from her employer in front of the Ethiopian consulate that she had been trying to escape to, was the latest case to generate public outcry and a call for action.

Support for migrant domestic workers has also come from several international organisations. In 2010 Human Rights Watch criticised the Lebanese judiciary's failure to hold abusive employers accountable and last year the International Labour Organisation's (ILO) adoption of a convention on domestic workers set the first international labour standards for such workers. But the convention's efficacy is only guaranteed once member states ratify it – none has yet done so.

Ethiopia's women - Maid in Ethiopia

IN LATE February 2012, Alem Dechasa, an Ethiopian maid working in Lebanon, was video-taped being beaten and dragged into a car. On March 14th, she committed suicide. Her story has drawn attention once again to the plight of migrant workers in the Middle East. But Ms Alem’s fate has also highlighted a more unpleasant side of Ethiopia’s impressive growth story.

Ethiopia’s economy is based on small-scale agriculture. More than 85% of the country’s 80m people live in the countryside. Most have limited or no access to such basics as clean drinking water, health-care facilities and education. Helen Gebresillassie, a lawyer who teaches at Stony Brook University’s School of Social Welfare in New York and a former legal advisor to the Forum on Street Children in Ethiopia, an NGO, says that high inflation and market inefficiencies keep most farming household incomes so low that everyone must work, including children. When children are sent to school, parents worry about their daughters’ safety getting there. More often boys get to study while girls are expected to do housework or get married.

With little education, young women in rural Ethiopia struggle to compete in the labour market. The only realistic employment opportunity for most of them is more of the same domestic work they have done their whole lives.

Ms Alem’s case is not uncommon, explains Ms Gebresillassie. Traffickers specifically target uneducated and poor young women from rural areas in order to lure them to big cities in Ethiopia and the Middle East, she continues. That combined with the cultural expectation that children must help support their entire family means that young women are easy prey for traffickers’ with their empty promises of higher income and a better life.

The Economist Intelligence Unit, our sister organisation, forecasts real GDP growth of 8% for Ethiopia in the fiscal year 2011/2012, mostly due to hikes in agricultural prices. That eclipses the OECD’s predictions of less than 2% GDP growth for the same period. That bodes well for the country’s future, but Ethiopia’s government will need to ensure that growth rates are sustainable by cultivating one of the country’s most valuable resources—its women.

http://www.economist.com

Ruth Negga Ethio-Irish Movie Celebrity On The Samaritan

Ruth Negga with the award for Best Actress in Television for Shirley in the Winners Room at the Irish Film and Television Awards 2012 at the Dublin Convention Centre on February 11, 2012 in Dublin, Ireland

If you keep on doing what you have always done…You keep on being what you always been. Nothing changes unless you make it change.”

Abby Minda[MT]:Ruth Negga is a famous Holywood movie star. She was born in 1982 in Dublin, Ireland. Ruth has an Irish mother and Ethiopian father.

She was nominated for a 2004 Laurence Olivier Theatre Award for Most Promising Newcomer of 2003 in a Society of London Theatre Affiliate Theatre for her performance in Duck at the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs at the Jerwood Court.

She has been chosen as the Irish Shooting Star for the Berlin Film Festival.

Ruth Negga has starred in Irish films such as Capital Letters (2004), Isolation (2005) and Breakfast On Pluto (2005).

The Samaritan 2012

”If you keep on doing what you have always done…You keep on being what you always been. Nothing changes unless you make it change.”

 is the inspirational quote used to show the major theme of the movie.

IFC Films has debuted the official trailer for The Samaritan, a new dramatic thriller starring Samuel L. Jackson as a former grifter fresh out of prison, looking to take his life on a new path. But he meets another young woman /RUTH NEGGA The young half Ethiopian Half Irish Blood actress. / And things get a bit out of hand when he gets in with the wrong guy.

The cast includes Luke Kirby, Ruth Negga, Tom Wilkinson, Aaron Poole and Martha Burns. This trailer reveals a big plot twist, unnecessarily I’d say, and makes it almost look like The Game meets Death Sentence.

The movie depicts how Ruth is becoming a famous and successful movie star from the beginning and I hope she has a lot to offer for the Hollywood cinema industry.

Ruth Negga is awarded for Best Actress in Television for Shirley in the Winners Room at the Irish Film and Television Awards 2012 at the Dublin Convention Centre on February 11, 2012 in Dublin, Ireland.
/www.maledatimes.com

             
                             
                                         The Samaritan (2012)

አለማየሁ ቴውድሮስ ስደተኛው ልዑል

አባቱ በእንግሊዞች እጅ መውደቅን የጠሉት ለህይወታቸው ሳይሳሱ ቀርተው አልነበረም፡፡በንጉሰ ነገስትነታቸው ግን የኢትዮጵያ ልዕልናም ጉዳይ ሆኖባቸው እንጂ፡፡አጤ ቴውድሮስ በመቅደላ ሲወድቁ ከሁለተኛ ባለቤታቸው እቴጌ ጥሩወርቅ የሚወለደው ልዑል አለማየሁ እድሜው ስምንት ብቻ ነበር፡፡ራሳም ለጄኔራል ሜርዌዘር በላከው ወታደራዊ የሚስጥር መልዕክት የዘውዱን ወራሽ አግኝቼዋለሁ አለ፡፡ ልዑል አለማየሁም ከእናቱ እቴጌ ጥሩወርቅ ጋር በእንግሊዞች እጅ ወደቀ፡፡ጄኔራል ናፒር ከእቴጌ ጥሩወርቅ(የደጃች ውቤ ልጅ) ጋር ባደረገው ስምምነት መሰረት አጤ ቴውድሮስን በቅርበት ያውቃቸው ለነበረው እና አማርኛን አቀላጥፎ ለሚናገረው ካፒቴን ጄ.ሲ. ስፒዲ ተሰጠ፡፡ስለ ስፒዲ ብዙ የሚታወቅ ነገር ባይኖርም ከአውስትራሊያ የናፒርን የመቅደላ ዘመቻ እንዲቀላቀል እንደተላከ ይነገራል፡፡ናፒርም አማርኛን አቀላጥፎ የሚናገር ሰው በማግኘቱ ደስተኛ ሳይሆን አይቀርም፡፡

አጤ ቴውድሮስ ልጃቸው እንግሊዝን እንዲጎበኝ ከፍተኛ ምኞት እንደነበራቸው የልዑል አለማየሁን ታሪክ የፃፉ እንግሊዛውያን ይናገራሉ፡፡እነ ናፒር ልዑል አለማየሁ ከእናቱ እቴጌ ጥሩወርቅ፤ከመምህሩ አለቃ ዛራት የእናቱ አጃቢ ገብረመድህን ጋር ሆኖ ከሃገሩ እንዲወጣ አደረጉ፡፡በመንገድ ላይ እናቱ እቴጌ ጥሩወርቅ ከዚህ አለም በሞት ተለዩ፡፡በመጨረሻዋ የህይወታቸው ቅፅበት ግን ስፒዲ ልዑል አለማየሁን እንደ አባት ሆኖ እንዲያሳድገው ቃል አስገቡት፡፡በአጭር ጊዜ ልዑል አለማየሁ አባቱንም እናቱንም በሞት ተነጠቀ፡፡ወደማያውቀው ሀገርም እንዲሰደድ ሆነ፡፡የስዊዝ ካናልን እንደተሸገሩ የልዑል አለማየሁ መምህር እና አጃቢ ጠፉ፡፡ጄኔራል ናፒር ወደ ሃገራቸው እንዲመለሱ ሳያደርግ አልቀረም፡፡ከዚያን ጊዜ ጀምሮ አንድም የሚያውቀው ሰው በአጠገቡ ያልነበረው ልዑል አለማየሁ ከስፒዲ ጋር የጠበቀ ወዳጅነት መሰረተ፡፡ልዑሉ ከፍተኛ ሀዘን እና ጭንቀት ነበረበት፤ለመተኛት ይቸገራል፡፡ምናልባትም በመቅደላ የተመለከተው ሽብር የእናቱ እና አባቱ ሞት የፈጠረበት ሀዘንም እጅጉን ሳይከብደው አልቀረም፡፡ንግስት ቪክቶሪያ ስፒዲ ነገረኝ በማለት በለት ማስታወሻዋ ላይ “that the poor child has a recollection of the horrid massacre of captives by his father’s orders and having heard their shrieks” ስትል አስፍራለች፡፡

እንግሊዝ እንደ ደረሱ ስፒዲ ወደሚኖርበት ኢዝል ኦፍ ዊት ይዞት ሄደ፡፡ንግስት ቪክቶሪያ የልዑል አለማየሁን መያዝ ከሰማች ጀምሮ የተለየ ፍላጎት አሳድራነበር እና እንደ እናት እንክብካቤ እዲደረግለት ትዕዛዝ ሰጥታ ነበር፡፡ንግስት ቪክቶሪያ ኢትዮጵያዊውን ልዑል እጅግ ወዳው ስለነበር በተደጋጋሚ ወደ ቤተምንግስት ታስጠራው ነበር፡፡የግል ማስታወሻዋ ልዑሉን ማየት የፈጠረላትን ስሜት እንዲህ ይናገራል፡፡”just after luncheon saw the little Alamayou in his picturesque Abyssinian dress, gave the dear little boy a watch and chain.”

ካፒቴን ስፒዲ በህንድ ጦር ሰራዊት በሚያገለግልበት ወቅት ልዑል አለማየሁ አብሮት ተጉዟል፡፡በህንድ በነበረበት ወቅት ዋና ተምሮም ነበር፡፡እንደ ስፒዲ አባባል የባህር ዳርቻ የአየር ጠባይ ለልዑሉ የተመቸ በመሆኑ ደስተኛ እና ቀልጣፋም ሆነ፡፡ልዑል አለማየሁ በእንግሊዝ እንክብካቤ ቢበዛለትም ሙሉ ህይወቱን ደስተኛ ሆኖ የኖረ አይመስልም፡፡በተለያዩ ጊዜያት ከንግስቷ በመጡ ትዕዛዞች የመኖሪያ አካባቢው ይቀያየር ነበር፡፡

I hope you are quite well. I am sorry to say that Mr. Jex-Blake will not let me come to see the match. I have had a letter from Captain Speedy he says he went to India to some of the brave men from here and before he went to fight the Chinese, he asked the Raga of Caroot to ask them if they could have peace but they would not listen and so the Raga told CAPTAIN Speedy to go and take their forts and Captain Speedy and a hundred men went and took six of their forts and mud stockades and Captain Speedy said that the Chinese put sharp bamboo spikes and poisoned them and so the Malays were afraid to go near the forts, but the Indians did not care because they wore boots. What does Sir Stafford Northcote say about my going into the modern? I am going in for a junior race and I am getting on very well in my class.

 I May get the prize I am working very hard. If I stay at Cheltenham I will get my promotion but I should like to know what Sir Stafford Northcote says about it.’

                                  ከልዑል አለማየሁ ደብዳቤዎች አንዱ

ልዑል አለማየሁ በእንግሊዝ በተማረባቸው ትምህርት ቤቶች የነበሩ መምህራን ሁሉ መልካም ወዳጆች ሆነውለታል፡፡እርሱ ግን ከትምህርት ይልቅ ለስፖርት የተሻለ ፍቅር ነበረው፡፡እግር ኳስ እና ራግቢም ይጫወት ነበር፡፡መምህራኑ ወታደራዊ ሳይንስ እንዲያጠናም ግፊት አድርገዋል፡፡እናም እ.ኤ.አ. በመስከረም 1878 ወደ ሳንድረስት ወታደራዊ ትምህርት ቤት ካለ ፈተና እንዲገባ ተደረገ፡፡በወታደራዊ ትምህርት ቤት ደስተኛም ሆነ ውጤታማ አልነበረም፡፡እናም ለእረፍት እንደወጣ አልተመለሰም፡፡አለማየሁ ከኢትዮጵያ ሁለት ደብዳቤዎች ደርሰውት ነበር፡፡አንዱ ከእናቱ እናት ወይም ከአያቱ ሲሆን የሁለተኛው ደብዳቤ ላኪ ማንነት አይታወቅም፡፡ሁለቱም ደብዳቤዎች የአለማየሁን መመለስ የሚናፍቁ ነበሩ፡፡

እ.ኤ.አ. በኖቬምበር 14 1879 በጥቂት ቀናት ህመም ከዚህ አለም በሞት ሲለይ እድሜው 19 ብቻ ነበር፡፡በንግስቷ ፈቃድ በዊንድሶር የቅዱስ ጊዮርጊስ ቤተመቅደስ የቀብር ስነስርዓቱ ተፈፀመ፡፡የኢትዮጵያ ሚሊኒየም ሲከበር የልዑል አለማየሁን አፅም ወደ ኢትዮጵያ ለማስመጣት ጥረት ተጀምሮ የነበረ ቢሆንም ስኬታማ አልሆነም፡፡ ልዑል አለማየሁ ቴዎድሮስ የተወለደው በዛሬዋ ቀን ሚያዝያ 16, 1853 ነበር፡፡

Ethiopian Woman arrested for stabbing her fiance

Yordanos Girmay Gebreegziabher, 31, of Ethiopia, was arrested in connection with first-degree domestic battering.

Police responding Thursday night to a reported stabbing at 3000 S. 28th Place found David Moore, Gebreegziabher's 49-year-old fiance, being treated by a neighbor for a stab wound in his side, according to the news release. Moore was taken to Mercy Medical Center for treatment.

http://www.arkansasonline.com

Ethiopian runner rules Jeddah Mobily Marathon

Open and Professional category winner Darji Tasfal Hewot receives his trophy from Jeddah Gov. Prince Mishaal bin Majed. Others in picture are Mazen Batarjee and Abdullah Bakhashab.

Under the patronage of Prince Mishal bin Majed, Jeddah governor and chairman of the Jeddah Mobily Marathon 2012 Higher Committee, the marathon awarding ceremony was held at Elaf Jeddah Hotel Wednesday, where winners received their prizes.

Participants reached 8,000, according to the organizers who said the size of the field has been increasingly growing each year. The event is annually organized by Al Birr Charitable Society.

First places in the three races received Mazda cars from Haji Husein Alireza and Co.Ltd. in addition to other cash and vouchers from sponsors.

Darji Tasfal Hewot from Ethiopia won the Open (18 above) and Professional category in the 21-kilometer race, finishing the distance in 66 minutes, while Abdullah Al-Bishri finished the distance in 92 minutes to top the Saudi category.

In the under-18 race, Ibrahim Hasan Muhammad from Chad ranked first finishing the 6-kilometer distance in 18 minutes; Muhammad Ismael Alsubiani was first among Saudis as he negotiated the distance in 20 minutes. In the special needs (wheelchair) race, Adam Ahmad Shareef won the first place, finishing the 3 kilometers in 10 minutes. Humoud Al-Ghubaini, Ittihad Ettisalat (Mobily) vice-president for Public Relations, announced the company will continue sponsoring the event in the coming years. “The marathon has become the biggest sport event in Jeddah and participants and private and government sponsors and supporters increase every year,” he said in a speech. “With the support of the government and businessmen the marathon can go international,” he added.

Thamer Shaker, Nesma’s director of Human Resources and Social Responsibility division, said the company looks to have full distance of 42.195 kilometers in future competition.  The annual sport-charity event first started nine years ago in cooperation with Nesma Holding CEO Saleh Al-Turki and Al Birr Society Chairman Mazen Batarjee. “The goal is to encourage organizations and companies to implement the concept of corporate social responsibility as well as encourage sports in the Kingdom,” he said.

The marathon proceeds will to go to the Al Bir Society to fund its charitable activities including sponsoring orphans and providing medical care for those in need, said Abdullah Bakhashab, head of the organizing committee. Bakhashab hoped to have a Saudi winner at the Open and Professional race.

“Every year international participants finish well ahead of Saudi runners,” he said. He reiterated Prince Mishal’s call for training Saudi runners to perform better in next events.
http://arabnews.com

THE PHENOMENAL! THE LIKEBALE, THE POPULIST, THE QUESTIONABLE

 Partygoers filled Laphto, a multipurpose fitness, entertainment, and shopping facility, on South Africa Street, a commercial centre adjacent to Bisrate Gabriel Church, to the brim in mid-January 2012. It was a concert by Hailemichael Getenet, fondly known by his fans as Haile Roots, whose first album Chiggae was an instant hit.

The concert drew an overwhelming number of fans, some had minor confrontations with police officers deployed at the gate, when they were told tickets were all sold out and space was not available. A little over 1,500 people were dancing to the tune of a vocalist whose brand is blending reggae with chikchika, a genre of music with roots from the north-western part of Ethiopia.

The crowd had on wait for the unscheduled appearance to the stage of what is today the most sensational musician of contemporary Ethiopia to be electrified. Fans of Tewodros Kassahun, a.k.a. Teddy Afro, were thrilled, while thousands of hands stretched to the skies.

The deafening roar muffled the music. Silhouetted on the glittering stage lights, he chanted his signature intro, “Addis Abeba . . . Ethiopia . . . Asmara . . .”

The intensity of the yell was amplified inside the hall. The fans complied with the signal he gave. With the microphone pointed at them so that they would sing, in unison, to the verses he started but left unfinished.

“Never have I seen a crowd go so wild,” said a middle-aged man who went on to see the concert mainly to accompany his two teenage sons.

A teenager of, perhaps, his sons’ age jumped over to the stage, took off his shirt, and hugged Teddy in full force. The stage bouncers rushed to jerk him off of the singer, who composed himself, instantly, and finished his first song.

A crowd far above the ground called his name for a minute long, again in unison, as if superbly composed by a professional conductor.

ኃይል ቴዎድሮስ ካሳሁን

              

Bedrock of Art and Faith-LALIBELA, Ethiopia

The St. George church in Lalibela, dedicated to Ethiopia’s patron saint, is one of 11 Ethiopian Orthodox churches that were carved out of the rock in the 13th century and are literally anchored in the earth.

ON the roads through Ethiopia’s highlands traffic raises a brick-red haze that coats your clothes, powders your skin and starts a creaking in your lungs. Despite the dust people wear white. Farmers wrap themselves in bleached cotton. Village funerals look like fields of snow. At churches and shrines white is the pilgrim’s color.

I wear it too, protectively: long-sleeved white shirt, tennis cap, Neutrogena sun block. A pilgrim? Why not?

I’m here for something I’ve longed to see, Ethiopia’s holy cities: Aksum, the spiritual home of this east African country’s Orthodox Christian faith and, especially, the mountain town of Lalibela, with its cluster of 13th-century churches some 200 miles to the south.

Lalibela was conceived as a paradise on earth. And its 11 churches, cut from living volcanic rock, are literally anchored in the earth. In scale, number, and variety of form there’s no architecture or sculpture quite like them anywhere. They’re on the global tourist route now, though barely. To Ethiopian devotees they’ve been spiritual lodestars for eight centuries, and continue to be.

With No Way Home, Ethiopian Migrants in Yemen Face Growing Health Challenges

GENEVA, Switzerland, April 20, 2012/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- IOM is concerned about...

GENEVA, Switzerland, April 20, 2012/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- IOM is concerned about the wellbeing of thousands of Ethiopian migrants stranded in Yemen's northwest region of Haradh, near the border with Saudi Arabia, following an ongoing outbreak of dengue fever which started last month.

Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne tropical disease caused by a virus. Its symptoms include fever, headaches, muscle joints pains, skin rash and spontaneous bleeding. Depending on individual immune system response, the disease can lead to death, especially in babies and children.

Although no deaths has been reported so far in Haradh, the outbreak is significantly adding to the health problems experienced by the estimated 12,000.stranded migrants, who include an estimated 3,000 Ethiopians registered with IOM wishing return home.

Some 17 cases have already been reported at IOM's Haradh clinic this month, five of whom are IOM staff. The clinic, which is located in IOM's Migrant Response Centre, provides emergency care, assisted medical referrals and psychosocial aid to between 70-100 migrants a day.

The Migrant Response Centre, which was set up in 2010 to house 150 vulnerable migrants, now houses over 300. IOM, in collaboration with WHO and local health ministry officials, is carrying out periodic fumigation in and around the building to kill the mosquitos.

Most of the migrants arrive in Haradh hungry, sick and exhausted from their long walk from the Horn of Africa in the hope of reaching Saudi Arabia. Tightened Saudi border controls now make this impossible and the migrants often find themselves stranded in Haradh without adequate shelter, food or water.

To date IOM has helped over 7,000 Ethiopian migrants to return home from Haradh, less than 10 percent of the estimated 82,000 migrants who entered Yemen over the past 18 months.

http://www.starafrica.com

Ejegayehu Dibaba steps up to marathon for second time

By John Mehaffey

LONDON (Reuters) – Ejegayehu Dibaba, the oldest of three Ethiopian sisters who have all made their mark on the track, steps up to the marathon for only the second time in London this Sunday.

Dibaba, 30, has been overshadowed by Tirunesh, a double Olympic champion in Beijing, while a second sister Genzebe emerged this year to win the world indoor 1,500 title in Istanbul.

Last year Ejegayehu clocked two hours 22 minutes nine seconds while finishing second in the Chicago marathon, the third fastest debut ever. It was also her first race beyond 10 kms.

On Wednesday Dibaba, whose best track performance was a silver medal in the 2004 Olympic 10,000 metres final, said the sisters were friendly rivals. The trio are cousins of twice Olympic 10,000 metres gold medallist and 2001 London marathon champion Derartu Tulu

“I hope one day we will all be in a marathon,” Dibaba said.

Sunday’s race will also serve as a trial for the Kenyan Olympic team, with five women competing for three places including defending champion Mary Keitany.

“I will have to work extra hard on Sunday because I know it will be my last chance to impress the selectors,” she said.

Germany’s twice champion Irina Mikitenko said the London race often contained stronger fields than the world or European championships which made it an ideal test for this year’s London Olympics.

“Just as in a championship, you have to be self-reliant,” she said. “Something completely unexpected can happen and you have to radically change your plans during the race. But I like that kind of challenge.”

Emirates Recruits 230 Ethiopians

Including 119 cabin crew a total of 230 Ethiopians are enjoying working for Emirates Group, which currently owns a total of 171 aircraft and 232 on order.

The airline has recruited cabin crews from 120 countries while serving exclusive menu to its passengers. Expanding its global network, Emirates, has announced its plan of launching four additional routes in the coming months of the year 2012.

From June to September 2012, the airline is planning to launch flights from Dubai to Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City, Spain’s Barcelona, Portugal’s Lisbon and Washington DC.

According to Abdalla Al Zamani, Emirates’ Office in Ethiopia Manager, other than the four destinations the airline has started seven new routes in 2012 to different cities of Latin and North America as well as Africa.

“We continue to invest in the future – our expanding network, new aircraft and service commitment,” he said. “Our aircraft order for 50 more Boeing 777s placed in November 2011 demonstrates this commitment to investing in our fleet and ultimately our growth.” The manager also noted that Emirates is the world’s largest airline operator of Boeing 777 aircraft operating every model of the Boeing 777 family.

He also indicated that Emirates is the world’s largest A380 customer and operator worldwide with 21 in operation and another 69 on order. The manager also stated that there has been neither oil money nor government guarantees for Emirates nor the Dubai government’s open skies policy has remained intact. “Emirates does not receive any protection or subsidy. Our profits are earned the old-fashioned way – by increasing revenues and keeping our costs under control,” he said.  

http://www.newbusinessethiopia.com

በከፍተኛ ሁኔታ ስትደበደብ በፌስቡክ የታየችው ሕፃን በድጋሚ ስትደበደብ ተገኘች

ከሦስት ሳምንታት በፊት በበርካታ የፌስቡክ ተጠቃሚዎች በአያቷ ስትደበደብ የታየችው ሕፃን በድጋሚ ስትደበደብ ተገኘች፡፡ በወቅቱ በአሰቃቂ ሁኔታ ወ/ሮ ሐሊማት መሐመድ በተባሉት አያቷ ስትደበደብ የምትታየው ሕፃን፣ በድጋሚ ትናንትና ወሎ ሰፈር አካባቢ በወንድ አያቷ ተደብድባ ፖሊስ ጣቢያ መሄዷ ታውቋል፡፡ አያቷ ወሎ ሠፈር ካለው ዳንዲቦሩ ትምህርት ቤት ጀርባ በሚገኘው ሐምሌ 19 ሕፃናት መዋያ የጥበቃ ሠራተኛ ሲሆኑ፣ ትናንትና ከሰዓት በኋላ የሕፃናት መዋያው በር ላይ ሲደበድቧት ተገኝተዋል፡፡

አቶ ኃይለ ሚካኤል ጌታቸው የተባለ ቧንቧ ሠራተኛ ግለሰቡ ከሕፃናት መዋያው አንጠልጥለዋት ሲወጡ አይቷል፡፡ አቶ ኃይለ ሚካኤል እንዳለው፣ ‹‹ሕፃኗ በመጀመርያ የሕፃናት መዋያው በር ላይ ነበረች፡፡ ከዚያም ተመልሳ ገብታለች፡፡ በመቅጽበትም ግለሰቡ በዱላ እየደበደቧት አንጥልጥለው አወጧት፤›› በማለት በድርጊቱ የተደናገጠው አቶ ኃይለ ሚካኤል፣ ሕፃኗ ምንም ብታጠፋ ልጅ በመሆኗ ከመደብደብ ይልቅ ቢመክሯት እንደሚሻል ለግለሰቡ ቢገልጽላቸውም፣ ‹‹ልጄ ናት ምን አገባህ፤›› እንዳሉት ተናግሯል፡፡ በነገሩ የተበሳጨው አቶ ኃይለ ሚካኤል ከግለሰቡ ዱላውን እንደተቀበላቸውና በወቅቱ ሕፃኗ መሬት ላይ ስትንፈራገጥ እንደነበር ገልጿል፡፡

ከዚያም አቶ ኃይለ ሚካኤል ከሌላ መንገደኛ ጋር ተባብሮ ደብዳቢ ግለሰቡን ይዘው ወደ ፖሊስ ጣቢያ እያመሩ ሳለ፣ መንገደኛው ሕፃኗን ከዚህ በፊት በቪዲዮ እንዳያት ለደብዳቢው ሲገልጽላቸው፣ ልጅቷ እሷ መሆኗንና በጣም እንዳስቸገረቻቸው መግለጻቸውን አቶ ኃይለ ሚካኤል አስታውቋል፡፡ መንገደኛው ደብዳቢውን ግለሰብ ቄራ አካባቢ ፖሊስ ጣቢያ የወሰዳቸው ሲሆን፣ ቃላቸውን ሰጥተው በዋስ መለቀቃቸው ታውቋል፡፡

ቃላቸውን የተቀበለው ፖሊስ እንዳስረዳው፣ ልጅቷ ከአያቷ ጋር ለመጫወት የሕፃናት መዋያው የሄደች ሲሆን፣ በትምህርት ቤት ውስጥ የነበረውን ስብሰባ ረብሻለች በሚል እንዳስወጧት ግለሰቡ በሰጡት ቃል አረጋግጠዋል፡፡ ፖሊስ ጉዳዩን እየመረመረው እንደሆነ ገልጾ፣ በልጅቷ ላይ ምንም የሚታይ ጉዳት እንደሌለ ማረጋገጡን አስረድቷል፡፡

በሕፃኗ ላይ በመጀመርያ በተፈጸመው ድብደባ ተጠርጥረው ታስረው የነበሩት ወ/ሮ ሐሊማት መሐመድና ወጣት ሜሮን አስናቀ ባለፈው ሐሙስ መፈታታቸው ታውቋል፡፡ ሕፃኗ አሁን ወደደበደቧት አያቷ ዘንድ የሄደችው የሚያሳድጓት ወ/ሮ ሐሊማት መሐመድ በመታሰራቸው ነበር፡፡ በአሁኑ ወቅት ሕፃኗ ትምህርቷን ማቋረጧን ለማወቅ ተችሏል፡፡ ስለጉዳዩ ማብራሪያ እንድትሰጠን ወጣት ሜሮንን ብናነጋግራትም፣ በፖሊስ የተያዘ ነገር ስለሆነ ምንም መናገር እንደማትፈልግ ገልጻለች፡፡

http://www.ethiopianreporter.com

Translator Needed For Ethiopian Maid Accused Of Beheading Sponsor’s Daughter

KUWAIT CITY, April 17: The Criminal Court presided over by Judge Hani Hamdan has set May 16, 2012, to look into the case of an unidentified Ethiopian maid who is accused of allegedly murdering the daughter of her sponsor to give time for the Embassy of the Republic of Ethiopia to arrange for a translator during the session, reports Al-Watan Arabic daily.

Case papers indicate on Nov 17, 2011, the maid killed the victim (her head was separated from her torso) and headed for the airport in a vain attempt to leave the country.

However, personnel from the Criminal Investigation Department were able to take the maid into custody a few minutes before the plane took off from the airport.

According to the victim’s family, 25-year-old daughter was preparing for the wedding ceremony but she was found dead in her bedroom one day earlier.

She was allegedly murdered in her sleep. Reports say the victim might have woken up when the suspect stabbed her and tried to resist but a machete blow to the neck severed her head from the body.

The victim’s family says there was no friction of any kind between the maid and the victim before the incident. The family also says the maid was not subjected to any harassment, whether by the victim or any member of the family.

http://www.arabtimesonline.com