Nahom Beyene’s Company ‘Navity’: Changing the Future of Driver Safety

New York (TADIAS) — At this year’s Digital Health Summit, held in early January in Las Vegas, Nahom Beyene’s mobility advocacy company Navity, Inc., which created the NAVISection System, was selected as an ‘Emerging Tech Finalist’ in the Everyday Health Awards for Innovation. Nahom’s doctoral research in Rehabilitation Science at the University of Pittsburgh led him to develop the NAVISection System that is described on the 2014 Digital Health Summit site as an “integrated technology for driving programs to collect measures of driver capability and reinforce licensing recommendations.” The NAVISection System assists in collecting data that helps with the evaluation of the driving capability of teenagers and older drivers.
In a statement Nahom said Navity’s goal is “to provide objective evidence for families to understand when it is time to start or stop driving, and why. Driving is a public health issue as human error is responsible for 93% of collisions.

Ethiopia's renewable energy revolution shouldn't fail to empower its poor

Will Ethiopia's renewable energy project light up poor communities? Photograph: Rebecca Blackwell/AP

Large-scale clean energy projects shouldn't eclipse the urgent need to provide electricity to low-income and rural communities

Katie Auth in Washington, DC
The 84 wind turbines erected just south of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's capital, tower above an arid landscape of grassland and unpaved roads, inhabited mostly by small-scale farmers, who – along with 77% of population – lack access to electricity.

The Ashegoda wind farm, launched in November, will produce an estimated 400 GWh of electricity per year, and forms just one piece of the Ethiopian government's strategy to harness indigenous energy resources for development. When – and to what extent – the country's rural population will benefit depends on striking a balance between investing in new grid-connected generation and effective strategies for expanding access.

New report calls on Ethiopia to reform repressive anti-terror law

IPI is urging Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, pictured here in October 2013, to release imprisoned journalists and to reform the country's anti-terrorism law. Tiksa Negeri/Reuters

IPI and partners also call for immediate release of five imprisoned journalists

VIENNA, Jan 14, 2014 - Ethiopia’s use of sweeping anti-terrorism law to imprison journalists and other legislative restrictions are hindering the development of free and independent media in Africa’s second largest country, according to a report published today by the International Press Institute (IPI).

Dozens of journalists and political activists have been arrested or sentenced under the Anti-Terrorism Proclamation of 2009, including five journalists who are serving prison sentences and who at times have been denied access to visitors and legal counsel. The report, “Press Freedom in Ethiopia”, is based on a mission to the country carried out in November by IPI and the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA).

Ethiopia - Land for Sale

As the economy thrives, we examine the plight of Ethiopians forced from their land to make way for foreign investors.

Just a few decades ago, Ethiopia was a country defined by its famines, particularly between 1983-1985 when in excess of half a million people starved to death as a consequence of drought, crop failure and a brutal civil war.

Against this backdrop, it is impressive that in recent years, Ethiopia has been experiencing stellar economic growth. The headline statistics are certainly remarkable: the country is creating millionaires faster than any other in Africa; output from farming, Ethiopia’s dominant industry, has tripled in a decade; the capital Addis Ababa is experiencing a massive construction boom; and the last six years have seen the nation’s GDP grow by a staggering 108 percent.

But it is not all positive news, because for all the good figures there are still plenty of bad ones.

Around 90 percent of the population of 87 million still suffers from numerous deprivations, ranging from insufficient access to education to inadequate health care; average incomes are still well below $1500 a year; and more than 30 million people still face chronic food shortages.

Ethiopians developing app aimed at athletes

Ethiopian mobile app startup AhadooTec is developing an app aimed at top athletes, with a view to helping local talent step up to the international arena.

In an interview with HumanIPO, AhadooTec founder Amanuel Abrha said the app will serve as an important tool for local sportsmen by providing access to information and facilitating interaction between athletes.

The app will also enable athletes to record and track their performance.

“ICT and especially mobile phones are becoming more and more ubiquitous in Africa. They can help sportsmen to access in
formation, record their performance and interact with other sportsmen,” said Abrha.
“The app helps athletes to track their performance, get information about up-to-date training methods and nutrition, interact with coaches as well as exchange experience and ideas with their peers.”

2014 Golden Pen of Freedom awarded to jailed Ethiopian journalist

Eskinder Nega, an Ethiopian publisher, journalist and blogger who is serving an 18-year jail sentence under anti-terror legislation, has been awarded the 2014 Golden Pen of Freedom, the annual press freedom prize of the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WA
N-IFRA).
Mr Nega was arrested on September 14, 2011 after publishing an article criticising his government's use of the 2009 Anti-Terror Proclamation to jail and silence critics, including Ethiopian actor and activist Debebe Eshetu. He was sentenced on 23 January 2012 and denounced as belonging to a terrorist organisation.

Recognising his work

In making the award, the WAN-IFRA Board sent a message to the Ethiopian government that misusing anti-terror legislation to jail journalists and those critical of his government is unwarranted and against international protocols, including the Vienna Declaration on Terrorism, Media and the Law.

Police investigating alleged abduction of two Ethiopians in Nairobi

By Cyrus Ombati Nairobi, Kenya: Kenyan police are investigating alleged abduction of two top officials of Ethiopia’s Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) from outside a popular restaurant in Upper Hill, Nairobi.
The two who were identified as Mr Sulub Ahmed and Ali Hussein were members of the ONLF negotiation team that was in Nairobi for a proposed third round of talks. Other officials said the two were members of ONLF central committee. ONLF officials who asked not to be named claimed security agencies from Ethiopia and Kenya were involved in the kidnapping. They had been invited for a lunch date at a restaurant near TSC headquarters on Sunday afternoon when they were abducted by men who were in three waiting cars. One of the cars, a black Toyota Prado was seized and detained at the Turbi police station on Monday but the two were missing amid speculation they had been taken across to Ethiopia.

Ethiopia rule supreme in Dubai Marathon

Tsegaye Mekonnen Asefa of Ethiopia, touching the finishing line during the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon at Umm Suqeim Road in Dubai on Friday,  January 24, 2014. KT photo by Juidin Bernarrd

18-year-old Tsegaye Mekonnen Asefa returns best time ever for juniors.

Ethiopia claimed the top five positions in the men’s section and the top nine spots in the women’s category in the 15th Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon on Friday.

In conditions totally conducive for a marathon, the runner friendly flat course brought out the fastest overall timings for the second straight year.

In the process, Ethiopia introduced to the world another great in the making, when 18-year-old Tsegaye Mekonnen Asefa crossed the finish line in 2 hours 4 minutes and 32 seconds, well ahead of team-mates Markos Geneti Guteta and Girmay Birhanu Gebru, who were both a minute adrift off the winning time.

Tsegaye, who was running his first ever fully serious international marathon after specialising in the half marathon in recent months, also returned the best time ever for a junior in the world.

“The first 30km was well paced and competitive but after our main pace maker reduced his pace due to a thigh strain, I was all alone for the final stages, which definitely must have slowed me down a lot,” said Tsegaye, who now plans on buying a car and a house for his high altitude training in Ethiopa with his $200,000 first prize money.

Mula Seboka Seyfu of Ethiopia, touching the finishing line during the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon at Umm Suqeim Road in Dubai on January 24. KT photo by Juidin Bernarrd

Mula Seboka Seyfu led the Ethiopian rush to the podium in the women’s category with a 2:25:01 effort to push aside her team-mates Meselech Melkamu Haileysus (2:25:23) and Firehiwot Dado Tufa (2:25:53) into the silver and bronze berths.

Somali Islamists vow to boost attacks as Ethiopia join AU force

Pictured released by the African Union-United Nations Information Support Team shows Ethopian soldiers, wearing their new African Union berets, after a ceremony in Baidoa, Somalia on January 22, 2014 (AFP Photo/Tobin Jones)

Mogadishu (AFP) - Somalia's Shebab insurgents called Saturday for renewed attacks against foreign forces, after arch-enemy Ethiopia joined the African Union force battling the extremists.

Top commanders of the Al-Qaeda-linked group, including insurgent supremo Ahmed Abdi Godane, met this week after Ethiopia formally joined the UN-backed mission known as AMISOM, Shebab spokesman Ali Mohamud Rage told AFP.

"They have declared that the Somali people must intensify their war against AMISOM," Rage said.

"We defeated Ethiopia before and we know how to battle them now," he added.

Ethiopian troops moved into Somalia in 2006 in a US-backed invasion, but pulled out three years later in the face of stiff opposition. They formally crossed back into Somalia in November 2011, where units have remained ever since.

ስዊስ ክሬዲት ለባቡር ፕሮጀክት 1.4 ቢሊዮን ዶላር ብድር ሊሰጥ ነው

የገንዘብና ኢኮኖሚ ልማት ሚኒስቴር ከስዊስ ክሬዲት ጋር ሲያካሂድ የቆየው የ1.4 ቢሊዮን ዶላር ብድር ድርድር በመጠናቀቁ፣ የፊታችን ረቡዕ የፊርማ ሥነ ሥርዓት ይካሄዳል፡፡

ሰሞኑን ዘጠኝ አባላት ያሉት የስዊስ ክሬዲት ልዑካን ቡድን አባላት ለፕሮጀክቱ በሚሰጠው ብድር የወለድ ምጣኔና ብድሩ እንዴት እንደሚከፈል ከገንዘብና ኢኮኖሚ ልማት ሚኒስቴር ባለሙያዎች ጋር የመጨረሻውን ውይይት አካሂደዋል፡፡

የስዊስ ክሬዲት ዳይሬክተሮች ቦርድ ቀደም ብሎ ይህንን ብድር ያፀደቀ በመሆኑ፣ ገንዘብ ሚኒስቴር የስዊስ ክሬዲትን ማኔጅመንት ከሚወክለው የልዑካን ቡድን ጋር ስምምነቱን እንደሚያደርግ ይጠበቃል፡፡

ብድሩ የሚውለው ከመቐለ በወልድያና በሰመራ በኩል ጂቡቲ ታጁራ ወደብ ድረስ የባቡር መስመር አካል ለሆነው ከአዋሽ ወልዲያ (ሃራ ገበያ) ድረስ ለሚዘረጋው የባቡር መስመር ፕሮጀክት ነው፡፡

All eyes on debutant Tsegay, Ethiopian women duel in Dubai

A combination of the biggest pot of prize money and most pancake-flat course among the major marathons means that extraordinary results can be expected in Dubai. The Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon has maintained that sequence and the tantalising prospect of a world record remains.

The 15th edition will feature a men’s race where two sub 2:05 runners return to the premier running event of the region: Markos Geneti (Ethiopia) and Jonathan Maiyo (Kenya) are among the favourites for the 200,000 Dollar first prize.

The women’s race looks like an Ethiopian duel between Meselech Melkamu and Meseret Hailu. The Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon is an IAAF Gold Label Road Race.

Ethiopian Film ‘Difret’ Wins World Cinema Dramatic Audience Award at Sundance

New York (TADIAS) — Difret, an Ethiopian film directed by Zeresenay Berhane Mehari, won the World Cinema Dramatic Audience Award at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival Saturday evening.

The ninety-nine minute drama is based on the true story of Aberash Bekele (Hirut), a 14-year-old from a small, rural village — not far from Addis Ababa — whose widely publicized arrest for murder in the late 1990s ensued an epic court battle that resulted in her acquittal on the grounds of self-defense. The case and ordeal of Hirut (played by teen actress Tizita Hagere) legally ended the long-upheld cultural tradition of marriage by abduction in Ethiopia. Difret is the first Ethiopian film to be featured at the Sundance Film Festival.

Ethiopia joins Somalia's African Union force

More than 4,000 Ethiopian troops have been formally absorbed into the African Union force in Somalia.

They will be responsible for security in the south-western regions of Gedo, Bay and Bakool, the AU said.

Ethiopia's contribution takes the AU force to the 22,000-strong level mandated by the UN Security Council.

Et
hiopian forces have been operating in neighbouring Somalia for several years, helping the UN-backed government fight the al-Qaeda-aligned al-Shabab group.

Last year, the UN chief Ban Ki-moon asked for a "surge" of extra troops for the AU force in Somalia, known as Amisom, fearing reversals in advances made over the last few years.

Move over quinoa, Ethiopia's teff poised to be next big super grain

Rich in calcium, iron and protein, gluten-free teff offers Ethiopia the promise of new and lucrative markets in the west

At Addis Ababa airport, visitors are greeted by pictures of golden grains, minute ochre-red seeds and a group of men gathered around a giant pancake. Billboards boast: "Teff: the ultimate gluten-free crop!"

Ethiopia is one of the world's poorest countries, well-known for its precarious food security situation. But it is also the native home of teff, a highly nutritious ancient grain increasingly finding its way into health-food shops and supermarkets in Europe and America.

Teff's tiny seeds – the size of poppy seeds – are high in calcium, iron and protein, and boast an impressive set of amino acids. Naturally gluten-free, the grain can substitute for wheat flour in anything from bread and pasta to waffles and pizza bases. Like quinoa, the Andean grain, teff's superb nutritional profile offers the promise of new and lucrative markets in the west.

In Ethiopia, teff is a national obsession. Grown by an estimated 6.3 million farmers, fields of the crop cover more than 20% of all land under cultivation. Ground into flour and used to make injera, the spongy fermented flatbread that is basic to Ethiopian cuisine, the grain is central to many religious and cultural ceremonies. Across the country, and in neighbouring Eritrea, diners gather around large pieces of injera, which doubles as cutlery, scooping up stews and feeding one another as a sign of loyalty or friendship – a tradition known as gursha.

Yosef Tulu, Ethiopian gas station clerk murdered

GARLAND, Texas -

Police are investigating the murder of a store clerk in Garland early Tuesday morning.

The shooting happened at the 7-Eleven on Firewheel Parkway, south of the President George Bush Turnpike about 3:30 a.m. on Tuesday. Police said a delivery man called 911 to report finding the clerk dead behind the counter.

The victim was Yosef Tulu, 31, of Dallas, according to police. 7-Eleven officials said he was working to save money for his wedding this spring, and he had dreams of becoming a nurse.

Robbery was likely the motive, but police would not comment on how much, if any, money was taken.

Surveillance cameras captured the attacker as he entered the store. He charged the counter toward Tulu.

The gunman appeared to use a hunting rifle-style gun with a scope and was wearing a wrap or hood over his head.

Dubai court sentences housewife to 15 years for torturing Pinay, Ethiopian maids

 A United Arab Emirates court on Monday sentenced an Emirati housewife to 15 years in jail for torturing her Ethiopian and Filipina maids.

The Ethiopian maid died after she was forced to drink pesticide and developed pneumonia due to her infected wounds, UAE-based news site Gulf News reported.

In its decision, the Dubai Court of First Instance also found the housewife prevented the Ethiopian from “getting proper and timely medication” for her infected wounds.

The Filipina maid, 30, was also unfed and locked up in the housewife's Al Rashidiya residence for more than a month.

Ethiopians win Houston Marathon; US best is 7th

HOUSTON (AP) - Ethiopians swept the Houston Marathon again Sunday.

Bazu Worku successfully defended his Houston title, breaking away in the last mile to win with the third fastest time in the marathon’s history. Abebech Bekele won the women’s race for her first marathon title.

This was the sixth straight year an Ethiopian man won in Houston and the eighth straight year an Ethiopian woman did so.

Worku and countryman Getachew Terfa were running side by side approaching the last mile when Worku pulled away to finish in 2 hours, 7 seven minutes, 32 seconds. The race record is 2:06:51, by Ethiopia’s Tariku Jufar in 2012.


Worku said through an interpreter he wanted to break the race record but was slowed by wind near the end.

“The course is very good,” Worku said. “I’m really happy to win this time. Last year it was very difficult because of the wind and the rain.”


Terfa finished 22 seconds behind Worku. Jose Antonio Uribe of Mexico finished in third.

Ethiopian Air Seeks Fleet Upgrade as It Studies U.S. West Coast

Ethiopian Airlines Enterprise is looking to add single-aisle and wide-body planes to feed an expansion as it studies Los Angeles, Madrid and Jakarta for future destinations, its chief executive officer said.

The airline has asked Airbus Group, Boeing Co. (BA) and Bombardier Inc. (BBD/B) for proposals for the purchase of 10 to 20 single-aisle planes, and is also considering twin-aisle planes, either the Boeing 777X or Airbus’s A350, of which it has already ordered 14, CEO Tewolde Gebre Mariam said today.

The Addis Ababa-based airline has 62 aircraft in its fleet, including 13 Boeing 737 new-generation planes and five 787 Dreamliners and wants to increase its stable in part to replace older Boeing 767s on lease and to expand across the globe, Gebre Mariam said in an interview at an aircraft finance conference sponsored by Airline Economics in Dublin.

ዶ/ር ነጋሶ ጊዳዳ ራሳቸውን ከፖለቲካ አገለሉ

‹‹የሕዝብ መብት ከሚቃወም የፖለቲካ ድርጅት ጋር መሥራት አስቸጋሪ ነው››  ዶ/ር ነጋሶ ጊዳዳ

‹‹የአንድነትን አቋም ሳያውቁ የፓርቲው አባል ሆነዋል ለማለት ያስቸግራል›› m አንድነት ለዲሞክራሲና ለፍትሕ ፓርቲ

ላለፉት ሁለት ዓመታት የአንድነት ለዲሞክራሲና ለፍትሕ ፓርቲ (አንድነት)
ሊቀመንበር የነበሩትና ለ45 ዓመታት በፖለቲካ ውስጥ እንደቆዩ የሚናገሩት ዶ/ር ነጋሶ ጊዳዳ፣ ከጥር 8 ቀን 2006 ዓ.ም.

ጀምሮ ከማንኛውም ዓይነት የፖለቲካ እንቅስቃሴ ራሳቸውን ማግለላቸውን አስታወቁ፡፡ በአሁኑ ወቅት ከፖለቲካው ዓለም ለመሰናበት የወሰኑት አንድነት ፓርቲ እያደረገ ያለው እንቅስቃሴ ስላልተመቻቸው ለብሔራዊ ምክር ቤቱ ጥያቄ ቢያቀርቡም፣ ምላሽ ባለማግኘታቸው መሆኑን በተለይ ለሪፖርተር ተናግረዋል፡፡

Egypt may take Nile dam dispute with Ethiopia to UN

After all attempts to solve the Egyptian-Ethiopian crisis over the Renaissance Dam at the negotiating table ended in failure after a third round of negotiations on Jan. 4, with Egypt withdrawing from the discussions and conferences being held in Khartoum, there is now talk at the governmental level about internationalizing the issue. At the same time, Egypt is witnessing rising popular demands to resort to the UN Security Council to establish Egypt’s right to veto the establishment of the Renaissance Dam, given the potential danger it represents to Egyptian water security.
Khalid Wasif, the official spokesman for the minister of irrigation and water resources, revealed to Al-Monitor that Egypt has “begun to explore international channels for setting up alternative diplomatic and political tracks to ward off the dangers that might afflict the country if the Renaissance Dam is built, in light of the announced specifications of the dam.” He emphasized, “Egypt will not allow the dam to be built and will move to rally international pressure to prevent it from being funded. Moreover, Cairo will work [to secure] a public declaration by the international community rejecting the dam’s completion, in the absence of [Ethiopian] guarantees that Egypt and Egyptians will not suffer any loss in water security, nor will the other states of the Nile Basin. Egypt has rights guaranteed by international law and agreements, which the Ethiopian side is not respecting.”

Ethiopian filmmaker hopes 'Difret' will make a difference

Sundance Film Festival: Zeresenay Berhane Mehari's film about the tradition of bride abductions is powerful enough to have attracted the support of Angelina Jolie

PARK CITY, Utah — When Zeresenay Berhane Mehari, newly arrived in the United States to continue his education, wrote to his father in Ethiopia that he'd decided to study film, the reaction was not exactly positive.
"He wrote back a two-page letter outlining what a big mistake it was," says Mehari, smiling at the memory. "He felt that was what other people did, not Ethiopians. There were no filmmakers in the country, he didn't have anything to relate to. He wanted me to study to be a doctor, a lawyer, an engineer. He gave me an ultimatum."
Fortunately, that was a demand that the 37-year-old Mehari, who tells people to call him Z, chose to ignore. A graduate of USC film school, he wrote and directed the compelling "Difret," the first Ethiopian film to be accepted at Sundance, a drama about the Ethiopian tradition of abducting young girls into marriage that is strong enough to have gotten the support of Angelina Jolie as an executive producer.

Ghana coach Maxwell Konadu anticipates tough Ethiopia clash

The Ghana manager has admitted that their final group match against Ethiopia could be their most difficult task at the group stage of the CHAN tournament

Ghana coach, Maxwell Konadu is anticipating a very difficult game against Ethiopia in the final Group C encounter today.

The Ethiopians have no chance of making it to the next stage after losing their two previous games. The Local Black Stars on the other hand need just a draw to push them to the quarter-finals.

But Konadu thinks his opponents could be dangerous and possibly “party destroyers.”

Congo, Ethiopia square off in crucial clash

 Congo and Ethiopia will both be in search of their first points at the 2014 African Nations Championship when they meet at the Free State Stadium on Friday night, kick-off at 20h00.

The Red Devils are currently in third place in Group C with zero points after kicking off the tournament with a narrow 1-0 loss to Ghana on Monday.

However, coach Sebastian Migne says his side have to put the first game behind them and focus on winning their next two games.

“The competition is not over, I spoke to my boys by giving them the example of Spain, who lost their first game in the 2010 World Cup and ultimately went on to be champions,” he said.

“We will fix some errors we identified from the first game before facing Ethiopia and hopefully we’ll qualify after the third match.”

China condemns Japan leader on visit to Ethiopia

Elias Asmare/Associated Press - Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, center, sits between Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, right, and Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission Erastus Mwencha, left, during Abe’s visit to the African Union (AU) headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2014. The visit comes at the end of Abe’s weeklong African tour designed to restore Japan’s global 

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — China’s diplomatic assault on Japan’s prime minister moved to another continent Wednesday, as China’s top official at the African Union called the Japanese leader a troublemaker just after his three-country visit to Africa.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited Ivory Coast, Mozambique and Ethiopia over the last week, pledging hundreds of millions of dollars in aid and trying to shore up relations on a continent where China has made deep inroads in recent years.


Abe’s Africa trip follows his visit last month to a World War II shrine in Tokyo that China views as a memor
ial to war criminals who assaulted the Chinese people.

From refugee to leader: an Ethiopian woman shows the way in Kenya

Alemnish Tefera Abebe smiles as she stands on the balcony of her brightly coloured building complex in Ruiru, which is located on the edge of Nairobi. The area is home to hundreds of refugees from Ethiopia.

RUIRU, Kenya, January 16 (UNHCR) – On the outskirts of Nairobi, Alemnish Tefera Abebe sits in her living room, curtains drawn to block out the invasive midday heat. The cool darkness contrasts with bright yellow cushion covers that adorn her sofa and chairs. "I sell them for a living," she says, to support herself and her 13-year old daughter, Gloria.

Alem is one of 5
00 refugees from Ethiopia who have settled in Ruiru, a dormitory town just three kilometres outside the Kenyan capital. It is at once a bustling industrial area and home to lush green coffee plantations. Just off a major highway, swarms of people kick up dust from red dirt roads. Stalls and shops are alive with colour, as men push carts, selling chickens trapped in cages.

In Ruiru, Alem is a well-known and beloved figure. "She has the trust of the whole community," says Ojuni Ojulu, who serves with her on the Ethiopian refugee community council. "When mothers give birth, she's always there, making sure they get to the hospital. She's also a leader at the church she attends."

Gorilla to Save the Ethiopian Lion from Extinction

Ambitious Private Public Partnership to Rescue Vulnerable Panthera Leo Species

Gorilla Corporation, the pioneer and leader in channel sales and marketing since 1992, today announced a strategic alliance with the African Lion & Environmental Research Trust (ALERT), a recognized leader in lion conservation, in order to execute the Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority (a government agency), “National Lion Action Plan."
The alliance will be launched under the “Defend the Lion” banner. According to Gorilla Corporation CEO, Carlo Tortora Brayda di Belvedere: “Our challenge is to secure and restore sustainable lion populations throughout the present and potential ranges in Ethiopia, this can only be achieved through community development programs, entrepreneurship initiatives, and first class wildlife conservation.” He continues: “With recent reports of the West African Lion being decimated to near extinction, our resolve is stronger than ever - we will not let this happen also to East African Lions”."
Entrepreneurship development programs to alleviate poverty in rural East Africa are the hallmark of Gorilla Corporation’s Corporate Social Responsibility efforts, traditionally deployed through its associated humanitarian development arm Alchemy World NGO, whilst LionALERT is recognized as the leader in Lion conservation.

Angelina Jolie Joins Ethiopian Film 'Difret' as Executive Producer

Angelina Jolie has a new credit to add to her resume – executive producer of the Ethiopian movie Difret!

The film will be heading to the 2014 Sundance Film Festival this week as an entry in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition and now it has one
of the world’s biggest stars putting her support behind it.

Angelina will be taking a presentation credit on the film and there is no word yet if the title will be changed, according to Deadline. The movie tells the story of a girl and a female lawyer who take on the Ethiopian tradition of “telefa,” which means marriage by abduction.

Ethiopian Dereje Kinfe takes off with $5 million jackpot

Dereje Kinfe knew it would happen one day.

So when he finally won the lottery last week, he did exactly as he had promised and paid his wife a visit at her workplace.

“I always told her, one day I’m going to win big and then I will come to your work and tell you,” said Kinfe, 44.

His wife Hiwot spotted him outside her salon last week and could tell something was up.

"He couldn’t wipe the smile off his face and I knew he had won something,” she said.

Kinfe was the $5 million jackpot winner in the Jan. 4 Lotto 6/49 draw. He had bought his ticket before work that day and checked the numbers right away the following day.

Princeton Lyman: Previous attempts to ‘bring Eritrea in from the cold’ have proved difficult, but we should still try

Ambassador Cohen is right that ending the conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea is long overdue and would be of great benefit to both countries and the region. The same is true for better relations between Eritrea and the US. But Ambassador Cohen does not mention that the African Union was instrumental in calling for United Nations Security Council sanctions against Eritrea. Not a few Africa countries have been upset by perceived Eritrean actions either in Somalia or elsewhere in pursuing its conflict with Ethiopia. Eritrea has become somewhat of an outlier. And rapprochement has proved difficult.

In 2008, when I was at the Council on Foreign Relations I made a major effort to bring Eritrea and the US together. After months of discussion on how to do this, I suggested to the Eritrean ambassador the Council sponsor a meeting between Eritrean officials and a distinguished group of Americans no longer in government, but with strong backgrounds in the region, to discuss the whole range of issues between our two countries. The idea was that if the meeting were to go well, someone from the administration would join opening the way to more formal government-to-government meetings.

የኦሮሞ ዴሞክራሲያዊ ግንባር ወደ ኣገር ቤት ለመግባት መወሰኑን ኣስታወቀ

የኦሮሞ ዴሞክራሲያዊ ግንባር በእንግሊዝኛ ምህጻሩ «ኦ ዲ ኤፍ» ወደ ኣገር ቤት ተመልሶ በሰላማዊ መንገድ ለመታገል መወሰኑን ኣስታወቀ። የግንባሩ ፕሬዝደንት አቶ ሌንጮ ለታ እንደገለጹት ግንባሩ ከምስረታው ኣንስቶ ወደ ኣገር ቤት ለመመለስ ግልጽ አቐም ይዟል። ለኢትዮጵያ ህዝቦች አዲስ ራዕይ ኣለኝ የሚለው የኦሮሞ ዲሞክራሲያዊ ግንባር ህጋዊ መሰረት ያለው ኣገራዊ ኣንድነትን ለመመስረት እንደሚሰራም ኣስታውቐል።
«ኦ ዲ ኤፍ» በይፋ ከተመሰረተ ገና ኣንድ ዓመቱ ሲሆን ፕሬዝደንቱ አቶ ሌንጮ ለታ ለረጅም ጊዜ የዓማጺው ኦሮሞ ነጻነት ግንብር ከፍተኛ ዓመራር አባል እንደነበሩ ኣይዘነጋም።
http://www.dw.de

A healthy exchange - learning from Ethiopia's maternal care system

At a time when South-South cooperation is being feted as a new model in development, it was insightful to get an opportunity to study Ethiopia’s maternal and child healthcare system on a recent trip to Africa. Designed on similar lines as India’s National Rural Healthcare Mission (NRHM), Ethiopia too locates women healthcare workers at the centre of its maternal health system and hinges on a bottom-up approach.

Comparing India and Ethiopia might be unfair on many counts given that the latter is much smaller in size despite being Africa’s second most populous country. It is home to 47 million women, nearly one-tenth of India’s 586 million female population. Comparisons then are questionable as the scale of challenges and outcomes is often linked to a country’s size, topography and social dynamics.

Ethiopian Airlines high-risk landing - result of an investigation

On December 18 eTN reported about a high-risk landing of an Ethiopian Airlines commercial plane in Arusha, Tanzania. Ethiopian Airlines is a member of the Star Alliance.

ETN acknowledges Mr.Richard Gomes’ as the source of this information. The findings shown below refer to the Arusha incident of Ethiopian Airlines’. The information is relayed here without any alterations or additional comments.

Yoseph H. Bekele: Ethiopian bass player's fresh start brings musical challenges

Yoseph H. Bekele with horn player Harry Angus. Photo: Eddie Jim

Music may be the universal language, but Ethiopian musician Yoseph H. Bekele shows us cultural differences.

Yoseph H. Bekele was touring with a celebrated Ethiopian singer, US-based Aster Aweke, when he sought asylum in Australia about 18 months ago.
The bass guitar player, who prefers not to say too much about his refugee status, sings of the challenge of beginning again on a new compilation of "Persian hip-hop, Hazara beats, Ethio-pop and Arnhem Land roots and soul".
"If you go somewhere to a new place, it feels
like [you are] being born again," he says, interviewed at the Melbourne home trumpeter friend Harry Angus shares with his wife, Tinpan Orange lead singer Emily Lubitz and their toddler, Louis. ''Everything is new - the language, the food, the weather, the culture."
Angus is best known for his work with the Cat Empire. He collaborated with the musician from the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, on the song, New Directions, with his band Jackson Jackson, a side project with producer and film composer Jan Skubiszewski.

Samuel Getachew: The king of Little Ethiopia

Samuel Getachew at Rendez Vous, the Ethiopian restaurant at Danforth and Monarch Park Aves., in what he hopes will become Little Ethiopia.

Samuel Getachew is a man with many plans, and 2014 is the year they could bear fruit.
For the Toronto community organizer, journalist, translator, campaigner and activist, the most ambitious is to see the designation of a Little Ethiopia in Toronto, the first official African neighbourhood in a city where Little Italy and Greektown are destinations.
There is also his plan to host a World Cup-like tournament among soccer teams from Toronto’s diverse ethnic communities, which he says he hopes will kick off in August.
But first on the 37-year-old owner of Sterling Janitorial’s schedule is Feb. 6, when he will vie to be elected president of the Black Business and Professional Association.
All that’s not to mention his scholarly plans — he is applying to study law at Osgoode Hall this year.
It is a crowded list for one man, sure. But Getachew has always been busy. A journalist and columnist for the Huffington Post, he also writes features for Indo-Canadian newspaper Generation Next and is a contributor to Ethiopian-Canadian monthly TZTA. He is on the board of Africans in Partnership Against HIV/AIDS.

የግል መጽሔት አዘጋጆች፤ “የፅንፈኛ ፖለቲካ ፓርቲ ልሳናት ሆነዋል” መባላቸውን አጣጣሉ

ሪፖርቱ የአደጋ ምልክት ነው ብለዋል

“በኢትዮጵያ የሚታተሙ ሰባት የግል መጽሔቶች የጽንፈኛ ፖለቲካ ልሳናት ሆነዋል፤ በሚያቀርቧቸው የተሳሳቱ መረጃዎች ህዝቡ በስርአቱ ላይ እምነት አጥቶ ለአመጽ እንዲነሳሳ ያደርጋሉ” ሲል የኢትዮጵያ ፕሬስ ድርጅትና የኢትዮጵያ ዜና አገልግሎት በጋራ ያሠሩት የጥናት ሰነድ አመለከተ። የመጽሔቶቹ አዘጋጆች በበኩላቸው፤ ሪፖርቱን ያጣጣሉ ሲሆን ለመጽሔቶቹ የአደጋ ምልክት መሆኑን ግን አልሸሸጉም፡፡ ተቋማቱ ያስ
ጠኗቸው አዲስ ጉዳይ፣ ፋክት፣ ሎሚ፣ ቆንጆ፣ ጃኖ፣ ዕንቁና ሊያ መጽሔቶች ሲሆኑ ከመስከረም 1 ቀን እስከ ህዳር 30 ቀን 2006 ዓ.ም ባወጧቸው ህትመቶች ላይ በተደረገ የአዝማሚያ ትንተና መሠረት፤ መጽሔቶቹ የግል መገናኛ ብዙሃን ሳይሆኑ የጽንፈኛ ፖለቲካ ፓርቲ ልሣናት ሆነዋል ተብሏል፡፡ መጽሔቶቹ በሚያቀርቧቸው የተሳሳቱ መረጃዎች ይዘት፣ ህዝቡ በስርአቱ ላይ እምነት አጥቶ ለአመጽ እንዲነሳሳ የሚያደርጉና የቀለም አብዮት ባስተናገዱ አገሮች የታየውን ቅኝት የሚከተሉ ሆነው ይታያሉ ብሏል - የጥናት ሰነዱ፡፡ “አዲስ ዘመን” ጋዜጣ በረቡዕ እትሙ የጥናት ሰነዱን ጠቅሶ እንደዘገበው፤ “የሁሉም ጽሑፎች ይዘት ያተኮረው አሉታዊ ጉዳዮችን በማራገብ፣ መረጃዎችን አዛብቶ በማቅረብ፣ መንግስት በልማት፣ በሰላምና በዲሞክራሲ መስኮች ያመጣቸው ለውጦች የሌሉ በማስመሰል እንዲሁም ህዝቡ ከችግር ለመውጣት የሚያደርገው ጥረት ላይ በማሾፍና በማንኳሰስ ነው” ብሏል፡፡

ለቴዲ አፍሮ 4.5ሚ. ብር ይከፈለዋል

በደሌ ለኮንሰርቶቹ 25 ሚ.ብር መድቦ ነበር ኮንሰርቶቹ ቢሰረዙም ውዝግቡ አልተቋጨም የቴዲ ደጋፊዎች የአፀፋ ዘመቻ ጀምረዋል

አለማቀፉ የኔዘርላንድ ኩባንያ ሄኒከን ከሚያስተዳድረው በደሌ ቢራ ጋር በመሆን በበርካታ ከተሞች ሊካሄዱ የነበሩ የቴዲ አፍሮ ኮንሰርቶች ቢሰረዙም፣ ቴዲ አፍሮ በውላቸው መሰረት 4.5 ሚ. ብር እንደሚከፈለው ምንጮች ገለፁ፡፡ እስካሁን በአገር ውስጥ ከተካሄዱ ኮንሰርቶች በላቀና ደረጃውን በጠበቀ መንገድ በድሬዳዋ ተጀምሮ በርካታ ከተሞችን እንዲያዳርስ ታስቦ የተፈረመው የቴዲ አፍሮና የበደሌ ቢራ ስምምነት፤ በኢንተርኔት በተካሄደ የተቃውሞ ዘመቻ ታውኮ ነው ሳምንት ሳይሞላው የፈረሰው፡፡ ከ20ሺ በላይ ሰዎች በኢንተርኔት በተሰባሰበ ድምጽ ለተካሄደው የተቃውሞ ዘመቻና ውዝግብ እንደመነሻ ሆኖ የሚጠቀሰው ዐረፍተ ነገር “የአፄ ምኒልክ ጦርነቶች ቅዱስ ናቸው” የሚል አባባል ሲሆን፤ ቴዲ አፍሮ የኔ አባባል አይደለም በማለት ማስተባበሉ ይታወሳል፡፡ በምኒልክ ጦርነት ብዙ ሰው አልቋል በሚል የገፋው ተቃውሞ፤ በደሌ ከቴዲ አፍሮ ኮንሰርት ጋር እንዳይተባበር ለሄኒከን ኩባንያ ጥያቄውን በማቅረብ እንዲሰረዝ አድርጓል፡፡

Four B777 long-range freighters for Ethiopian

Ethiopian Cargo aims to uplift 820,000 tonnes of cargo by 2025

ETHIOPIAN Airlines has ordered four new B777-200 long-range freighters.
The carrier, Africa’s largest cargo operator, with a network covering 24 destinations in Asia, Europe, Africa and Middle East, has agreed a financing arrangement, so that the aircraft will be delivered between the autumn of this year and winter 2015.
"We are phasing-in the latest technology cargo aircraft with the aim of supporting Ethiopia's exports and the booming trade between Africa and the rest of the world,” states Tewolde Gebremariam, the airline’s chief executive.

Simple, Cheap Health Remedies Cut Child Mortality In Ethiopia

Almaz Acha sits with her baby Alentse at her home in the rural community of Sadoye, in southern Ethiopia. Families in rural communities, like this one, have benefited from Ethiopia's health extension program.

Poor countries are starting to realize something that richer ones sometimes forget: Basic, inexpensive measures can have dramatic impacts on the health of a country. And they can save thousands of lives. Take, for instance, the situation in Ethiopia. The country used to have one of the highest rates of child mortality in the world. "If you were a kid born in 1990 [in Ethiopia], you had a 1 in 5 chance of not surviving to your fifth birthday," says Peter Salama, who directs UNICEF's efforts in Ethiopia.
Since then, the country has improved that survival rate by about 60 percent. "So [Ethiopia has made] a tremendous achievement in the space of two decades," Salama says.

This progress isn't a result of expensive international aid or the recruitment of foreign doctors into Ethiopia. Instead, the country has invested in simple, bare-bone clinics scattered around the country, which are run by minimally-educated community health workers.

Foos Muhumed Gudaal is one of 35,000 rural health extension workers in Ethiopia. She practices at a post in the village of Walgo Yar in the eastern part of the country. The clinic is a simple, cement building with only two rooms: one for Gudaal to live in and one that serves as a consultation room. There is no electricity. There are no lights.

Ethiopia Jails Reporter for Spreading Rumors

The Committee to Protect Journalists is urging the release of an Ethiopian journalist who was sentenced to more than two years in jail on the charge of spreading false rumors.

The watchdog group said Asfaw Berhanu, a former contributor to the private paper The Reporter, was convicted on Dec. 25 of charges stemming from a news story he wrote saying three government officials had been removed from their posts. An Ethiopian court sentenced him to two years and nine months in jail.

Berhanu's paper later retracted the story and then fired him, the group said.

Great year for Ethiopian football

It is without doubt that 2013 should be regarded as a vintage year for Ethiopian football as the game had a seemingly endless capacity for delivering excitement, intrigue and fantastic tiki taka football.

The last12 months have seen tremendous growth as the Ethiopian national team nicknamed the Walia were the pride of the country as they qualified for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations hosted in South Africa, reached the playoffs of the 2014 World Cup and qualified for the 2014 Chan.

Supersport.com gives you are a brief round trip of the year that was for Ethiopian football.

January:

Having qualified for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations for the first time in 31 years, the continental tourney opened a new chapter in the history of not only football but sports in Ethiopia.

Ethiopia defied all odd to draw 1-1 with 2012 champions Zambia in their opener, before falling 4-0 to Burkina Faso and another 2-0 to eventual champions Nigeria to end the fairy run.

February:

It was a relatively quiet month as Ethiopia under coach Sewnet Bishaw were quietly preparing for the upcoming 2014 Fifa World cup qualifications in earnest as they hoped to build on the experience gained from Afcon 2013.

March-November

Ethiopia who were in Group A tied with South Africa 1-1 and beat Central Africa Republic 2-0 at home to top the group after the first two matches.

Nigeria to play Ethiopia in friendly on Saturday

The Super Eagles will play against the Walya Antelopes in Abuja as part of warm up for the CHAN tournament that commences on January 11

Nigeria’s Super Eagles Team B will play a friendly match against Ethiopia’s national team on Saturday, January 4, at the National Stadium, Abuja, as part of preparation for the 3rd African Nations Championship (CHAN) in South Africa.

Both teams will play in the championship that's meant exclusively for senior professionals playing in the domestic league of their countries which will take place over three weeks in three South African cities.

The Walya Antelopes will play in Group C of the competition alongside Ghana, Congo and Libya in Mangaung, while the Super Eagles in Group A will confront hosts South Africa, Mali and Mozambique in Cape Town.

General Secretary of Nigeria Football Federation, Barrister Musa Amadu, said on New Year’s Day that the Federation arranged the match in order to give the Eagles an appropriate final build-up session before flying to South Africa.

Ethiopia aims to create new generation of entrepreneurs

Ms Damenech aims to make 5,000 of the pancakes a day by 2015

Damenech Zewudie decided it was time to strike out on her own after 33 years working in secretarial and administrative roles for various employers in Addis Ababa.

Now she is the proud owner of a two-month-old business selling injera, the large, thin pancake-like staple which is the base of almost every Ethiopian meal.

"I never used to think about owning a business," Ms Damenech says. "Then I saw how no-one was selling injera where I live - so I took a chance."

Ms Damenech, who is in her 50s, achieved her late start in entrepreneurship after taking part in a state-run training and support scheme called the Entrepreneurship Development Programme (EDP).



Launched in 2013 and co-funded by the United Nations, it is hoped that the $26m (£16m) initiative will help establish a new generation of entrepreneurs who will create jobs and boost economic growth.

The programme is provided for free, and will eventually be available throughout the whole country.

Although it doesn't offer any financial support, so far it has provided training and advice to 1,000 people in four of Ethiopia's 11 regions.

Ethiopia Mediates S Sudan Conflict Amid Fighting

Ethiopia's Foreign Ministry says delegations from South Sudan's warring factions will meet for the first time Thursday for peace talks in the capital, Addis Ababa.

Ethiopia is playing a leading role in trying to get the two sides to negotiate a peace deal. But those efforts have been overshadowed by continuing violence in parts of South Sudan, which has been hit by unrest since mid-December.

President Salva Kiir on Wednesday declared a state of emergency in Unity and Jonglei, two states where rebels loyal to former Vice President Riek Machar control the capitals.