Man arrested for allegedly raping Ethiopian woman

BEIRUT: Police detained two employees at an employment agency for domestic workers over the rape of an Ethiopian woman, the Internal Security Forces said in a statement Sunday.

On March 17, a 33-year-old Ethiopian woman, identified as B.E., on a domestic worker contract in Lebanon, filed a complaint at the Tripoli police station, claiming she was raped by an employee at the agency.

B.E. and her employer had gone to the agency’s office in the northern town of Koura in a bid to resolve problems between them, the ISF said. The agency’s secretary, identified as L.S., 24, phoned A.Z., 40, an employee at the office, to settle the dispute.

Ethiopia insistent on dam talks with Egypt: MENA

Ethiopia's foreign minister says his country insists on continuing talks with Egypt on controversial dam issue
Ethiopian Minster of Foreign Affairs
Tedros Adhanom said on Thursday that his country is adamant about holding talks with Egypt about Ethiopia’s controversial Grand Renaissance Dam.

In a meeting with a European Parliament delegation, Adhanom said that Ethiopia must find a solution on water allocation based on mutual benefit, Egypt's state news agency MENA reported.
Egypt insists that the hydroelectric dam, currently under construction on the Blue Nile in Ethiopia, may have negative consequences for Egypt’s share of the Nile waters.

Ethiopia however has repeatedly claimed the dam will not harm Egypt.

Recent talks between both countries fell through.

Cairo Analyst Says Ethiopia Dam Won’t Hurt Egypt

VENTURES AFRICA – A water expert from the AUC University in Cairo has confirmed that Ethiopia’s hydroelectric dam will not hurt Egypt’s share of the Nile waters. According to the Egypt-based water resource management specialist Richard Tutwiler, the Ethiopian dam will never stop the flow of water downstream to Egypt.

“It is unlikely that Ethiopia will severely choke or stop the flow of water. Ethiopia needs the electricity…and hydroelectric dams don’t work unless you let the water through” said Mr. Tutwiler.

The Sudanese government has also supported the Ethiopian dam because “the dam would have minimal impact on its (sudan’s) water allotment…and the mega-project’s other benefits became clear. ”

The In-Between Space of Meklit Hadero

Ethiopian music, jazz, and Eighties radio hits find their way onto the singer-songwriter's second solo album.

Meklit Hadero's singing voice has a fast-fluttering vibrato that's reminiscent of a cat's purr. Some have likened it to that of Eartha Kitt, the seductive 1950s chanteuse of "C'est Si Bon" and "Santa Baby" renown. Meklit (who recently stopped using her last name professionally) is flattered by the comparison, but she considers her tone to be more akin to those of the Ethiopian singers she heard as a child growing up in Brooklyn.

"I bring an influence of Ethiopia into everything I sing, whether it's in Amharic or English," the 33-year-old Addis Ababa-born singer, guitarist, and songwriter said over a dinner of pizza and gnocchi at a cafe just down the hill from her Bernal Heights home in San Francisco.

       
          

"Another thing is that I'm really interested in expressing multiple tones," she added, naming veteran East Bay jazz and blues singer Faye Carol as one of her "vocal heroes." "She blows my mind every time I see her — not just her range sonically, but her capacity to express different tones is remarkable," Meklit said. "Another singer who is like that is Lila Downs. You have to be able to express very different types of sounds, to capture a kind of wide breadth of what you sing about. That's a goal of mine."

Ethiopia lashes out at Eritrea, Egypt

ADDIS ABABA – An Ethiopian foreign ministry spokesman has lashed out at longstanding rival Eritrea, accusing the latter of destabilizing the East Africa region, while also blasting Egypt for the latter's "malicious" media campaign against Ethiopia's multibillion-dollar hydroelectric dam project.
"Eritrea's involvement in regional conflicts has been the case for long now," Ambassador Dina Mufti told foreign journalists at a weekly press briefing on Thursday.
According to Mufti, Eritrea has played a role in the ongoing conflict in South Sudan.
"We have circumstantial evidence of Eritrea's involvement [in the South Sudan crisis]," the spokesman said.
Tensions between Addis Ababa and Asmara have persisted since a bloody two-year border war – in which tens of thousands were killed – ended in 2000.
As for the row with Egypt over the Nile dam, Mufti said Cairo had launched a media campaign aimed at turning international opinion against the dam project.

Transport: Riding the rails in Ethiopia and Kenya

Ethiopia and Kenya are in a race to complete ambitious railway projects, but while Addis Ababa is in a frenzy of construction its East African neighbour may have hit the buffers.

At Meskel Square, in the heart of Addis Ababa, traffic is even more chaotic than usual as cars, buses and pedestrians weave around the 5.5m-high pillars now straddling an eight-lane highway.
Confusion reigns too at Mexico Square to the west and Megenagna round-about to the east – evidence that work on the city's light rail transit (LRT) system is progressing at a phenomenal pace.
Bringing in the resources from the rural areas for processing is a problem. Part of that is transportation costs being high
East Africa is home to a series of promising rail projects, from Kenya's standard gauge line to the railroad linking the Ethiopian capital to the port of Djibouti.
Ethiopia's projects are far more advanced – they benefit from the wholesale support of the government – while Kenya's are lagging behind.

‹‹ኢትዮጵያ የመድበለ ፓርቲ ሥርዓት የሰፈነባትና ሰዎች በነፃነት ሐሳባቸውን የሚገልጹባት እንድትሆን ምኞቴ ነው››

ዶ/ር ፍራንክ ዋልተር ስተይንመር፣ የጀርመን የውጭ ጉዳይ ሚኒስትር

የጀርመን የውጭ ጉዳይ ሚኒስትር ዶ/ር ፍራንክ ዋልተር ስተይንመር የአንድ ቀን የኢትዮጵያ ጉብኝት፣ በመንግሥት ባለሥልጣናትና በመንግሥት ሚዲያዎች ከፍተኛ ትኩረት የተሰጠው ነበር፡፡

ዶ/ር ስተይንመር ከጠቅላይ ሚኒስትር ኃይለ ማርያም ደሳለኝ፣ ከፕሬዚዳንት ሙላቱ ተሾመና ከውጭ ጉዳይ ሚኒስትሩ ዶ/ር ቴድሮስ አድሃኖም ጋር ተገናኝተው በሁለትዮሽ ግንኙነትና በአካባቢያዊ የደኅንነት ወቅታዊ ጉዳዮች ላይ መምከራቸው፣ ጀርመን ለኢትዮጵያ ያላት ግምት ከፍተኛ መሆኑን አመላካች ነው፡፡

በአፍሪካ በሦስት አገሮች ወሳኝ የተባለለትን ጉብኝታቸውን በኢትዮጵያ የጀመሩት ዶ/ር ስተይንመር፣ አገራቸው ከኢትዮጵያ ጋር የምታደርገው ኢኮኖሚያዊና ፖለቲካዊ ትብብር ከሁለትዮሽ ግንኙነት በላይ መሆኑ አመላካች እንደሆነ ለጋዜጠኞች ተናግረዋል፡፡

በጀርመን ከመራሄ መንግሥት አንገላ መርከል ቀጥለው ወሳኝ እንደሆኑ ተደርገው የሚታዩት ዶ/ር ስተይንመር፣ አንድ ትልቅ የባለሀብቶች ቡድን መርተው የመጡ ሲሆን፣ መንግሥታቸው በኢትዮጵያ ያየው ከፍተኛ የኢኮኖሚ ዕድገት ኢንቨስትመንት እንዲያፈስ አነሳስቶታል፡፡

As BRICS economies grow up, 10 upstarts emerge

Paris — Indonesia, Bangladesh and Ethiopia are among 10 countries set to take over as emerging economies from the powerful BRICS nations as they struggle with growing pains, a French credit body said on Tuesday.
"After 10 years of frenetic growth" the big five emerging economies of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa -- the BRICS -- "are slowing down sharply," the French trade credit and insurance group Coface said.
In a report entitled "Coface identifies 10 emerging countries hot on the heels of the BRICS," the organisation said that average economic growth by the BRICS this year would be 3.2 percentage points less than the average in the last 10 years.
But "at the same time, other emerging countries are accelerating their development," it said.
The growth of emerging economies and the effect this has on world trade flows is closely analysed by economists because of the huge impact on every aspect of the global economy and power balances.
Coface broke the 10 new emerging economies it has identified into two groups.
The first comprises Peru, the Philippines, Indonesia, Colombia and Sri Lanka, which it named the PPICS.
They had "strong potential confirmed by a sound business environment," Coface said.

Egypt considers referring Renaissance Dam file to The Hague

The Specialized National Councils in Egypt filed an important report to the presidency, including a study about referring the issue of the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam to the International Court of Justice for arbitration. The report was prepared in Egypt by a team of experts in law and international arbitration led by Mufid Shehab. Shehab was part of the international Taba arbitration tribunal, through which Egypt succeeded in recovering the town in 1988.
The report, which is still under examination, included a comprehensive study that was prepared in the same way the file of Taba was prepared. The study documents the damage that would be inflicted on Egypt as a result of the construction of the Renaissance Dam and examines the stance of Ethiopia, which contradicts international law and United Nations principles. The report would be filed by the Egyptian government to the UN General Assembly, which would decide whether to present it to the UN Security Council or refer it to the International Court of Justice.

Hani Reslan, head of the Sudan and Nile Basin Unit at the Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, told Al-Monitor, “The study does not include the issue of direct referral to arbitration through the International Court of Justice, since [arbitration] requires a mutual consent from both parties, and it is unlikely for Ethiopia to accept it. This is why the report will be filed to the UN to be later referred upon its order to the International Court of Justice, in case the presidency decided to put the case in motion.” Reslan participated in a closed workshop with the team that prepared the study under the leadership of Shehab.

Ethiopia shortlist five for top job

The Ethiopian Football Federation (EFF) has shortlisted five coaches from the list of 27 applicants that applied for the national team coaching position.

The biggest surprise was the exclusion of Tom Saintfiet, who formerly coached Walia, and Serbian Petrovic, who had earlier been rated as favourites.

Reports have now placed former Ghana coach Goran “Plavi” Stevavonic as favourite to replace Sewnet Bishaw with the announcement set for Saturday in Addis Ababa.

Among the coaches shortlisted are Serbian Stevanovic, Lars Olof Mattson (Sweden), Diego Garzito (Italy), Mariano Bareto (Holland) and Zoran Filipovic (Portugal).

Profiles of shortlisted coaches:

Goran Stevanovic (Serbia)

He was appointed Ghana coach in 2011 and sacked on March 19 2012. On June 2013 Stevanovic was hired by the Greek Super League side Veria FC and he left the position in August 2013.

Stevanovic signed an one-year deal with Chinese side Qingdao Jonoon in September 2013 and was sacked at the end of 2013 season after Qingdo relegation to China League one.

Ethiopia uses foreign kit to spy on opponents - HRW

The government is accused of installing spyware on dissidents' computers

Ethiopia's government is using imported technology to spy on the phones and computers of its perceived opponents, a Human Rights Watch report says.

The New York-based rights group accuses the government of trying to silence dissent, using software and kit sold by European and Chinese firms.

The report says the firms may be guilty of colluding in oppression.

An Ethiopian government spokesman, quoted by AFP, dismissed the report as a part of a smear campaign.

Security officials have virtually unlimited access to the call records of all telephone users in Ethiopia”

Human Rights Watch
"There is nothing new to respond to," Ethiopian Information Minister Redwan Hussein told the agency.

Ethiopians take top honors at 39th St. Patrick’s Road Race

HOLYOKE — By the first mile marker, the throng of more than 7,000 runners at the 39th St. Patrick’s Road Race was separated by an elite group of eight runners.

Those eight tried to keep pace with one another throughout the 10-kilometer course. As the pack neared the finish line, they became a gang of five.

Then with a late burst, Menistu Nebsi, 36, pulled away and was the first to cross the finish. The native of Ethiopia completed his first St. Patrick’s Road Race in 29 minutes, 42 seconds to take top honors.

“For the first mile, everybody was watching each other,’’ Nebsi said. “When it got down to four or five us, I knew I had to move faster.’’

It was a great day, not only for the Irish, who came out in droves for the event, but for Ethiopians. The female winner, Askale Merachi, 27, is also a native of the African nation and like Nebsi, is a recent immigrant living in New York City.
“I’m proud to have two runners from my country win the race,’’ Merachi said.

She had every reason to be proud of her effort, which established a new course record. Merachi’s time of 33:14 broke the previous record, held by Leslie Lehane since 1991, by three seconds.

“I waited to make a move and took the lead at the 7-kilometer mark,’’ Merachi said. “There was a lot of competition.’’

Most of the runners were not in the elite class of the Ethiopians. Many, including a large contingent from Hampshire County, came to compete and have fun.

Aurora police arrest Seble Gebreegziadhair and Dowinder Boparai, confiscate 12,000 packets of spice

AURORA, Colo. — Two people have been arrested in a major illegal narcotic investigation that also included the seizure of 12,000 packets of the synthetic drug spice.

Dowinder Boparai and Seble Gebreegziadhair, both from Aurora, were arrested Tuesday.

Investigators said they were led to the duo after seeing a suspected drug engage between the two, said police spokesman Frank Fania.

Police arrested Gebreegziadhair, 28, and police recovered several hundred packets of suspected spice, Fania said. Boparai, 54, was also arrested.

KUWAIT BANS ETHIOPIAN MIGRANTS AND DEPORTS NEARLY 13,000 DOMESTIC WORKERS

Kuwait’s Ethiopian community has become the target of bigoted accusations and vitriolic attacks following the March 16 murder of a 19-year-old Kuwaiti woman by an Ethiopian domestic worker.  The young housemaid murdered her employer’s daughter, child of ex-football player and current Kuwaiti official Humood Flatih al-Shammari, and proceeded to turn herself in at the local police station. One media report claims the murder was a reaction to “mild criticism from the victim regarding the housemaid’s housework.”  According to authorities, she may face the death penalty.
Less than a week after the murder,  Kuwaiti officials, citizens, and media outlets have proposed recruitment bans and even deportations of Ethiopian migrants. The ministry of interior announced an indefinite moratorium on the recruitment of all Ethiopian migrants and yet again, Kuwaiti officials failed to responsibly and reasonably address crimes involving the expatriate community . Parliament members were amongst the first to stoke fear and anger by implicating the Ethiopian community as a whole; parliament members called for a unilateral ban on Ethiopians migrant workers and for the deportation of the estimated 80,000 currently residing in Kuwait.  One parliament member directly called on Kuwaiti families to proactively deport their Ethiopian housemaids, 45,000 of whom work across the country, and to swallow resulting financial losses as though it were a national duty.  MP Talal Al-Jalala  reiterated calls for regular testing of domestic workers to “ensure they are not suffering from psychological diseases” and demanded a tougher punishment for so-called “killer maids.” MP  Humood al-Hamdan  also suggested measures to avoid recruiting workers with “mental or psychological problems” as well as  awareness campaigns to “familiarize the expatriate workers on the local culture and nature of the Kuwaiti society…” Each of these members claims that workers are predisposed towards crime because of mental instability or cultural differences, failing to acknowledge the documented impact of exploitative employment conditions on workers.

“No, Where Are You Really From?”: Dinaw Mengestu’s Novel of Ethiopians in America

Dinaw Mengestu’s 2010 How to Read the Air tells two parallel stories: In alternating chapters, Jonas Woldemariam retells the story of his Ethiopian immigrant parents’ ill-fated road trip through the Midwest, and his own equally ill-starred career as a teacher and husband. But the book is more tangled than most parallel-lines-meet narratives. Jonas is not only retelling the road trip but retracing it; the chapters about his teaching include the many stories he tells his students about his parents’ past; and most of what he tells them, and us, about Yosef and Mariam Woldemariam is made up.
Educated guesses, wishful thinking, fabulation. Jonas lies constantly, instinctively, sometimes to forestall his inevitable and shameful exposure, sometimes to help others get ahead in America, and other times to fill in the huge blank spaces left by his parents’ silence about their pasts and their marriage. These silences seem to have corroded Jonas’s own identity. His wife, Angela, wants him to be honest and yet plays her own games: Her favorite trick is to cap some event or story by saying, “You know that’s how my father left us.”

Ethiopians overcome elements to dominate Rome marathon

Ethiopian Shume Hailu Legese celebrates as he won the 20th Marathon of Rome on March 23, 2014. Ethiopian Shume Hailu Legese won ahead Ethipian Sisay Jisa Mekonnen and Langat Leonard Kipkoech of Kenya

ROME - Ethiopian runners dominated Sunday's 20th edition of the Rome marathon with Shume Hailu Legese winning the men's event and Ayelu Lemma Geda the women's race.

Under the driving rain, Legese clocked 2hr 09min 47sec to finish ahead of countryman Sisay Jisa Mekonnen (2:11:20) with Kenyan Leonard Kipkoech Langat (2:14:08) crossing the line in a Roman centurion helmet.

In the women's race, Ayelu Geda timed 2hr 34min 49sec to finish over three minutes ahead of Moroccan Janat Hanane (2:38:09) with Italy's Emma Quaglia third (2:43:23).
http://www.enca.com/

Will Ethiopia's Grand Renaissance Dam dry the Nile in Egypt?

Ethiopia is pressing ahead with construction of a major new dam on the River Nile, despite stiff opposition from Egypt. BBC correspondents in both countries report from both sides of an increasingly bitter water dispute.
Emmanuel Igunza, Ethiopia

A vast section of northern Ethiopia has been turned into a giant building site.

Construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (known as Gerd) is now about 30% complete.

The whole project spans an area of 1,800 sq km (695 sq miles).
Continue reading the main story

ከሰው ለሰው ድራማ የሚገኘው ገቢ ለማንም እንዳይከፈል በፍርድ ቤት እግድ ተጣለበት

በየሳምንቱ ረቡዕ ማታና በድጋሚ ቅዳሜ ላለፉት 127 ሳምንታት በመተላለፍ ላይ ካለው ‹‹ሰው ለሰው›› ድራማ የሚገኘው ማንኛውም ዓይነት ገቢ ለማንም እንደይከፈል፣ መጋቢት 2 ቀን 2006 ዓ.ም. በፍርድ ቤት ዕግድ ተጣለበት፡፡

ክፍያው እንዳይፈጸም በፌዴራል የመጀመሪያ ደረጃ ፍርድ ቤት የግልግል ዳኞች ክልከላ የተጣለባቸው፣ አቶ መስፍን ጌታቸው (በአሁኑ ጊዜ የድራማው ፕሮዲዩሰርና ዳይሬክተር) አቶ ሰለሞን ዓለሙ (ስክሪፕት ጸሐፊ ተዋናይ)፣ አቶ ነብዩ ተካልኝ (የኢትዮ ኢንተር ኤጁኬት ፕሮሞሽን ባለቤት)፣ የአቶ ዳንኤል ኃይሌና የአቶ ሰለሞን ዓለሙ ስፓርክ ፊልም ፕሮዳክሽን የሚባለው ድርጅት ናቸው፡፡

የግልግል ዳኞቹ የዕግድ ትዕዛዙን ያስተላለፉበት ምክንያት፣ የሰው ለሰው ድራማ ፕሮዲዩሰርና በድራማው ‹‹ናርዶስ›› የምትባለውን ገጸ ባህሪ ወክላ የምትተውንና በፋይናንስና አድሚኒስትሬሽን ኃላፊነት ትሠራ ከነበረችው ወ/ሮ ብሥራት ገመቹ ጋር በተፈጠረ አለመግባባት ክስ በመመሥረቱ መሆኑን የዕግድ ትዕዛዙ ያስረዳል፡፡

ወ/ሮ ብሥራት ገመቹ፣ አቶ ነብዩ ተካልኝ፣ አቶ መስፍን ጌታቸው፣ አቶ ሰለሞን ዓለሙና አቶ ዳንኤል ኃይሌ ታኅሣሥ 22 ቀን 2003 ዓ.ም. በሰነዶችና ማረጋገጫና ምዝገባ ጽሕፈት ቤት ተከታታይ የቴሌቪዥን ድራማ ለማዘጋጀት ተስማምተው የሽርክና ውል መፈራረማቸውን የክስ ማመልከቻው ያስረዳል፡፡

የግብፅ ኩባንያ በኢትዮጵያ ትልቁን የወርቅ ክምችት አገኘ

አስኮም ማይንኒግ የተባለው የግብፅ ኩባንያ በኢትዮጵያ ታሪክ እስከዛሬ ከተገኘው የላቀ የወርቅ ክምችት በቤኒሻንጉል ጉሙዝ ክልል አገኘ፡፡

የተገኘው የፅንስ ወርቅ ክምችት በኢትዮጵያ የወርቅ ፍለጋ ታሪክ ከተገኙ የወርቅ ክምችቶች በሙሉ ይበልጣል ተብሏል፡፡

በቅርቡ ከተደረሰባቸው የወርቅ ክምችቶች መካከል በቱሉ ካፒ ወለጋ ኒዮታ ሚኒራልስ የተሰኘ የእንግሊዝ ኩባንያ፣ በመተከል ሳካሮ በሚድሮክ ጐልድ በኦሮሚያና ትግራይ ክልሎች በናሽናል ማይኒንግ በአፋርና በትግራይ ክልሎች ስትራቴክስ በተባለው የእንግሊዙ ኩባንያ፣ በትግራይ ክልል በኢዛና ማይንኒግ የተገኙት ተጠቃሾች ናቸው፡፡ የግብፅ ኩባንያ አስኮም በቤኒሻንጉል ጉሙዝ ክልል ያገኘው የወርቅ ክምችት በእነዚህ ኩባንያዎች ከተገኙት ክምችቶች ሁሉ እንደሚበልጥ ተገልጿል፡፡

የማዕድን ሚኒስትሩ አቶ ቶሎሳ ሻጊ ለሪፖርተር እንደገለጹት፣ አስኮም ያገኘው የወርቅ ክምችት እስከዛሬ ከተገኙ ክምችቶች ሁሉ የላቀ ነው፡፡ የኩባንያው ኃላፊዎችና ባለሙያዎች ለማዕድን ሚኒስቴር ኃላፊዎች ስላገኙት ግኝት ከሁለት ሳምንት በፊት ማብራሪያ የሰጡ ሲሆን፣ ኩባንያው ባካሄደው የወርቅ ፍለጋ ሥራና ባገኘው ውጤት የሚኒስቴሩ ኃላፊዎች መደሰታቸውን አቶ ቶሎሳ ገልጸዋል፡፡ ‹‹እስከዛሬ ስናወራ የነበረው ስለ 30 እና 40 ቶን የወርቅ ግኝት ነበር፡፡ አስኮም ያገኘው ከዚያ በእጅጉ የሚበልጥ ነው፤›› ያሉት ሚኒስትሩ፣ የግብፁ ያገኘው የወርቅ ክምችት መጠን በትክክል ምን ያህል እንደሆነ በአኃዝ ከመግለጽ ተቆጥበዋል፡፡ የአስኮም ኃላፊዎች ከሁለት ሳምንት በኋላ መግለጫ ይሰጣሉ ተብሎ ይጠበቃል፡፡

Group: Ethiopia regularly records phone calls

By Associated Press, Published: March 21
NAIROBI, Kenya — A rights group says that Ethiopia’s government regularly listens to and records the phone calls of opposition activists and journalists using equipment provided by foreign technology companies.

Human Rights Watch said in a report Friday that the foreign equipment aids the Ethiopian government’s surveillance of perceived political opponents inside and outside the country.
The group’s Arvind Ganesan said Ethiopia is using its government-controlled telecom system to silence dissenters. The group says that recorded phone calls with family and friends are often played during abusive interrogations.

Meet L’Oréal-UNESCO Laureate Segenet Kelemu

Ethiopian scientist Segenet Kelemu is working to improve the resistance and productivity of forage grasses, which are used to feed the animals (and so to produce milk and meat). Born in a rural village and defying strong cultural norms, she managed to have an international career and return to Africa where she shared her much needed knowledge.
The main food source for much of the world’s livestock, forage grasses are vitally important to meeting the increasing demand for meat and milk. Dr. Segenet Kelemu has been recognized for her research on how microbes living in symbiosis with these grasses influence their
health, their capacity to adapt to environmental stress and their ability to resist disease. By enabling small-scale farmers in tropical and
sub-tropical regions to choose the most productive, most pathogen-resistant forage grasses, her work has both helped them improve their lives and increase supplies of muchneeded animal proteins. In particular, Dr. Kelemu’s research on Brachiaria grasses has shown that their capacity to thrive in diverse
environments is related to an endophyte fungus which lives within these plants, protects them and exists in symbiosis with them. Her work has led to solutions for disruptions in food supplies caused by pathogenic organisms and extreme climatic conditions and may help to determine which microbes allow
crops to survive environmental alterations.




From Village to Global Village

Dr. Kelemu grew up in a remote village in Ethiopia. Although she bore the unequal burden carried by rural
African women, she had an uncommon determination to overcome any obstacle to achievement and to help her continent’s farmers. Defying strong cultural norms, she became the first woman from her region to attend what was then Ethiopia’s only university.

Ethiopian scientist Segenet Kelemu awarded the L’Oréal-UNESCO prize

PARIS, 19 MARCH 2014 The 16th Annual L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Awards were held in the Sorbonne’s historic lecture hall tonight, before an audience of personalities from the worlds of science, economics, academia and culture. Five outstanding researchers were awarded the L’Oréal-UNESCO prize by Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, Jean-Paul Agon, Chairman and CEO of L’Oréal and Chairman of the L’Oréal Foundation, and Professor Günter Blobel, Winner of the Nobel Prize for Medicine and President of the Jury.

Long-term commitment to women in science

Every year, the L’Oréal Foundation and UNESCO renew their commitment to acknowledging the scientific excellence of women who help change the world, support future talent and encourage scientific vocations.

For 16 years, the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science program has identified, rewarded and celebrated more than 2,000 women around the world, two of whom have subsequently received the Nobel Prize. It is now a benchmark tor scientific excellence on an international scale and makes a major contribution to the creation of female role models, thus opening the way for a whole generation of young girls.

In the words of Irina Bokova: “Science and gender equality are two accelerators of development. By combining them, we can release an enormous force for the good of us all.”

While Jean-Paul Agon adds: “In science as in other fields, it is talent which makes the difference. It is unimaginable to exclude the talent of half of all humanity. Reward and highlight the women who have chosen this path is the duty of a corporate citizen like L’Oréal.”

A ceremony in honor of exceptional women

“This year again, the five women recognized have dazzled me with their boldness and the pertinence and scope of their work,” said Chairman of the Jury, Professor Günter Blobel. The overriding selection criterion is scientific excellence. Brilliant, creative and passionate, these women all boast a career that demands admiration. Their discoveries have already led to concrete applications in the areas of neurobiology, immunology and ecology.

Laureate for Africa and the Arab States, Doctor Segenet Kelemu Director General, International Center for Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE), Nairobi, Kenya. She is honored for improving the resistance and productivity of tropical and sub-tropical forage grasses via the use of microorganisms.

Police arrest 35 Ethiopians in Moyale

MOYALE, KENYA: Police in Moyale have arrested 35 Ethiopians in Moyale town on Thursday morning. The 35 Ethiopians were found in a bandoned house in Butiye village. Confirming the arrest, Moyale Officer Commanding Station Richard Ng’eno said the 35 aliens were locked up in a house which was left by the owner during the clashes. He added the police were alerted by intelligence officers on the ground after realising movement of people in deserted Butiye village. According to the OCS, the aliens who neither speak English or Kiswahili were believed to be heading to South Africa. They were, Zaude Mamo, Desta Ertaro, Getinat Demeke, Anamo Gichamo, Gilebo Erkalo, Matios Manore, Mulgeta Makebo, Takatal Wolebo, Miratu Bekele, Alamayo Hashenje, Garamo Ersiro, Wondimu Markos, Gitacho Adize, Abayan Gabube.
And Nebizo Wolde,Chufano Kaltizo, Iyazu Kebeda, Gacan Kebeda, Ermiyan Jabara, Hartamu Bachore, Adana Tazama, Wondimu Abame, Takile Zanbat, Ashanalo Kashine, Abara Wanjalo, Malaza Mola, Masebo Daniel, Muze Jalatu, Alamayu Wondimu, Dababa Dama, Lire Arficho, Abayin Girma and Gudizo Mamo. Mr Ng’eno said they will be arraigned in court to face illegal entry into the country charges. He called on locals to report suspicious characters to police.
 http://www.standardmedia.co.ke

Ethiopian MAID ADMITS TO MURDER OF 19-YEAR-OLD KUWAITI GIRL

MPs erupt in anger...call for expulsions

KUWAIT CITY, March 16: Several lawmakers have expressed their anger over the killing of a Kuwaiti girl by an Ethiopian housemaid in Sulaibikhat on Sunday, calling on the Interior Ministry to immediately take the necessary action. According to the lawmakers, the ministry should not just stop the recruitment of Ethiopian maids but also deport all those currently working in the country.

They expressed condolences to the family of the victim and urged all Kuwaiti families to terminate the services of their Ethiopian maids regardless of the cost. MP Talal Al-Jalala pointed out the people of Kuwait were shocked by the news on the brutal killing of the Kuwaiti girl who belonged to a prominent family. He asked the concerned authority to impose death penalty on the maid who admitted the crime, indicating the media must be allowed to cover the implementation of the punishment to serve as a deterrent to others.

170 Ethiopians Held,Ethiopian Maid Sent Home

KUWAIT CITY, March 19: In a security crackdown the security authorities have arrested 170 Ethiopians holding residence under Article 20 who had been reported absconding by their sponsors, reports Al- Watan Arabic daily. According to security sources, the concerned authorities are exerting maximum efforts to arrest runaways and those wanted by law. It has also been reported all those arrested are being held at deportation centers until procedures are completed to send them back to their country.

Maid sent home: An unidentified Kuwaiti man reportedly deported his Ethiopian maid for fear she may create problems for him, reports Al-Watan Arabic daily. The daily added this happened when an Asian maid complained to the Kuwaiti that the Ethiopian had threatened to kill her. Following this the Kuwaiti handed over the maid to the Sulaibikhat Police Station, bought an air ticket and requested the police to deport her.
http://www.arabtimesonline.com/

NEWS ALERT: Jackie Chan to Visit Addis, Hawassa:Addis Fortune

The Hong Kong native Hollywood film star, Jackie Chan, is to visit Ethiopia for two days, arriving here in Addis on Thursday, March 20, 2014, the Food & Agricultural Organization (FAO) disclosed today. Known for his acrobatic fighting style, with a bit of comic timing, Chan is invited by FAO to visit one of its programmes in Hawassa, 276Km south of Addis Abeba.

Copied from Brazil, FAO has Purchase from Africans for Africa (PAA), a programme that buys cereals and vegetables from smallholder farmers to supply feeding programmes made to schools. FAO and the World Food Programme (WFP) jointly run PAA in Boricha Wereda of the Southern Regional State, targeting 2,000 farmers. WFP distributes the food bought through this programme to 8,000 students in seven primary schools.

Ethiopia's clothes firms aim to fashion global sales

Yefikir Design's clothes are handmade from cotton

Ethiopian fashion designer Fikirte Addis kneels down and wraps a tape measure around the waist of a customer, before scribbling on a piece of paper on which the outline of a flowing gown takes shape.

The customer, Rihana Aman, owns a cafe in the capital, Addis Ababa, and went to Ms Fikirte's shop in the city, Yefikir Design, for a wedding dress fitting.

The dress, however, is actually for her sister, who lives and works in London, but will soon return to her homeland with her English fiance.

Ms Rihana explains how she shares her sister's figure, and that the cotton dress will be ready for when her sister arrives back for her "melse", the Ethiopian wedding ceremony. 
"I love the traditional aspect of the clothing," Ms Rihana says of why she chose Yefikir. "So many dresses now are too modern, and use fabrics that lose what it means to be Ethiopian."

Ethiopia Sees Output at Africa’s Biggest Power Plant by 2015

Ethiopia will begin generating electricity within 18 months from what will be Africa’s largest power plant, the government said.

The sale of 7.1 billion birr ($367 million) of bonds over the past three years to domestic investors, has contributed to the 27 billion birr spent so far on the 75.5 billion birr Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam hydropower project, said Zadig Abraha, deputy general director of the GERD national coordination office. The central bank in April 2011 ordered banks to buy government bonds equivalent to 27 percent of their loans to help fund infrastructure projects.

Ethiopia’s funding of the 6,000-megawatt plant represents “the golden age of our history as far as economic development and public participation is concerned,” Zadig said by phone on March 18 from the capital, Addis Ababa. “If we’re to meet the power demand we have to construct these mega projects.”

Africa’s second-most populous country after Nigeria is boosting electricity output to cater for increased demand as economic growth surges. The economy expanded at an average 9.3 percent over the past four years and the government is targeting growth of more than 10 percent, which may lead to annual increases in electricity demand of as much as 35 percent, Zadig said.

Ethiopia's saintly brew was a lifesaver for Jim Eagles.

It was lunchtime in Ethiopia so, as at each lunchtime in this ancient land, we raised our glasses in a grateful toast to George. We were not honouring a member of our group, nor even Ethiopia's patron saint St George, but the country's most popular beer, St George Lager.

Ethiopia proved not only to be a land with plenty of food - the fish, especially, was delicious - but also a place with lots of excellent beer. The choice included Amber, Harar, Meta Premium and Dashen, all of which I enjoyed, plus others such as Hakim, Bedele, Garden, Castel and Bati, which I didn't manage to track down.

Ethiopia also produces several kinds of bush beer, a honey wine that is a sort of mead flavoured with local herbs, ordinary red wine and a distilled spirit notable for its ferocity. Places that sell bush beer advertise by hanging a plastic bottle out front and, judging by the number of bottles displayed on the roadside, it's very popular.

U.S., Ethiopia, PNG to join anti-corruption drive

Initiative to combat corruption in energy, mining

* EITI group approves applications

* Rights group criticises Ethiopian candidacy

* Yemen membership suspended (Adds U.S., Yemen, PNG, changes dateline)

OSLO/ADDIS ABABA, March 19 (Reuters) - Ethiopia, the United States and Papua New Guinea are on course to join the leading world initiative to combat corruption in the energy and mining industries.

The Oslo-based Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) approved their applications on Wednesday, drawing swift criticism from human rights campaigners for admitting Ethiopia. The three now have three years comply with EITI standards.

Ethiopian football at cross roads

It’s only March but in Ethiopia the football fraternity is already reeling under some disappointment with local clubs, Dedebit and Defence FC both dumbed out of CAF interclubs competition on the back of a poor run at Orange African Nations Championship (Chan) by the Ethiopian national team made up of local based players.

Ethiopian League champions Dedebit opened their a narrow 3-2 aggregate win over Zanzibar side KMKM in the preliminary round only to come unstuck in the first round against Tunisian side C.S Sfaxien. The Tunisians made it a second successive winning trip to Addis Ababa in consecutive years with a 2-1 against Dedebit.

Last year in the Orange CAF Confederation Cup Sfaxien beat Ethiopia club side St George 3-1 in the group stage match in the same stadium. Once Dedebit was beaten at home not many expected them to won away in Sfax and the reality of no Ethiopian teams going beyond the first round loomed large.

Sfaxien won the return leg 2-0 to go through while Dedebit headed back to Addis Ababa to concentrate on domestic honours and complete a disappointing opening three months of football for Ethiopia. The country’s representatives in the Orange CAF Confederation Cup, Defence fared even worse in this year’s competition.

The Army outfit succumbed to Kenya’s AFC Leopards in both games 2-1 at home and 2-0 away in Nairobi to exit at preliminary stage. Earlier in the year, Ethiopia made its debut at Chan finals with many describing the qualification as confirmation that Ethiopian football was in ascendancy and the country was steadily climbing back to the top table of African football giants like was the case in the 60s and 70s. Ethiopia won the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in 1962 during the hey days when it regularly competed at the finals and making it on medals podium frequently.

Ethiopia Approved for Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) Membership Contrary to Rules :HRW

(Oslo) – A prominent international natural resource transparency group has damaged its credibility by approving membership for Ethiopia. On March 19, 2014, the governing board of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), which promotes openness over oil, gas, and mining revenues, admitted Ethiopia as a candidate country despite harsh government

EITI rules call for candidate countries to make a commitment to meaningful participation of independent groups in public debate on natural resource management. Civil society representatives also sit on a national steering committee for EITI.

Sudanese rivals agree Renaissance Dam an Ethiopian affair

The leader of Sudan’s Popular Congress Party (PCP) Hassan al-Turabi met with Sudanese President and head of the National Congress Party (NCP) Omar al-Bashir after a 15-year rupture between the two, during which Turabi was arrested several times.

According to deputy secretary general of the PCP Ali al-Hajj, both parties agreed during the meeting that the events in Egypt were a coup against the legitimacy of [deposed] President Mohammed Morsi — a stance that contradicts that of the Sudanese left, a former ally of Turabi — and that the Renaissance Dam issue is an Ethiopian one and Egypt has nothing to do with it.

In a statement made to Azzaman from Germany where he has been residing for years now, Hajj said that the PCP, led by Turabi, has not paid allegiance yet to the Muslim Brotherhood. Turabi shares the international group’s stance, as he considers that what happened in Egypt is a coup against the legitimacy of Morsi. He added that neither Qatar nor the Muslim Brotherhood have mediated between Bashir and Turabi to normalize ties. He, however, revealed to Azzaman that there was a [previous] Qatari mediation between the two parties.

Sufian Ahmed Was Dispatched to Beijing Last Week

Sufian Ahmed, the long serving Ethiopian finance guru, was dispatched to Beijing last week, hoping to see some of China's key policymakers, gossip disclosed. His visit was prompted by a growing concern inside Hailemariam Desalegn's administration that the Chinese may soon hold back on releasing loans they have already committed to, claims gossip.

For instance, the Chinese are reportedly nervous about the sudden split of the former power utility monopoly. There is much confusion over which one of the two new entities would assume the debt the former Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation (EEPCo) had assumed from its creditors, gossip disclosed. Sufian was in Beijing to reassure Chinese authorities that his country has a credible history of servicing its foreign debts with hardly any default, no matter what, claims gossip.

Stabbed in anger

KUWAIT CITY, March 16: An Ethiopian housemaid allegedly killed the 19-yearold daughter of Deputy Director General of the Public Authority for Youths and Sports (PAYS) Hamoud Fulaitah while she was sleeping at 6:00 am on Sunday. Preliminary investigations revealed the suspect, a 22-year-old Ethiopian housemaid, stabbed the victim in the chest and stomach four times.

The victim’s family found her lying in a pool of blood in her room; realizing it was useless rushing her to the hospital because she was already dead. The Criminal Evidence Department officers took her corpse and referred it to Forensics.

A security source disclosed the housemaid, after committing the crime, shut the door in the victim’s room and fled to Sulaibikhat Police Station where she reported the incident. She informed police that she killed the girl due to a dispute she had with her sponsor. The officers then referred her case to the Public Prosecution for the necessary legal action.

SWAT team arrests man in slaying of Ethiopian immigrant

A Delaware County man charged with killing an Ethiopian immigrant on the Far North Side on Sunday was arrested by Columbus SWAT officers yesterday.

Anthony M. Monaco, 19, of 3714 Perennial Lane in Liberty Township, was in the Franklin County jail last night pending an appearance in Franklin County Municipal Court this morning. He is charged with one count of murder in the death of Dinkisra Mengistu, 19.

Mengistu, a 2012 graduate of Westerville South High School, was shot as he sat in a vehicle in the parking lot at 175 Hutchinson Ave., near the Sheraton Suites Columbus, early Sunday morning. A motive for the shooting hadn’t been determined, although police said the victim and the suspect might have attended the same party the night before.

የኢትዮጵያ ምርት ገበያ ዋና ሥራ አስፈጻሚ ከኃላፊነታቸው ለቀቁ

ዘመናዊ የግብይት ሥርዓት ለመዘርጋት ምሳሌ ይሆናል የተባለውን የኢትዮጵያ ምርት ገበያ በዋና ሥራ አስፈጻሚነት ሲመሩ የቆዩትን ዶ/ር እሌኒ ገብረ መድኅንን ተክተው ሲሠሩ የቆዩት አቶ አንተነህ አሰፋ ከኃላፊነታቸው ለቀቁ፡፡

ምንጮች እንደጠቆሙት አቶ አንተነህ ከኃላፊነት የለቀቁት አሜሪካ ሆነው ባመለከቱት የሥራ መልቀቂያ ደብዳቤ ሲሆን፣ የምርት ገበያው ቦርድ ጥያቄያቸውን ተቀብሎ አፅድቆታል፡፡

በቀድሞው ምክትል ጠቅላይ ሚኒስትር አቶ አዲሱ ለገሰ ሊቀመንበርነት የሚመራው የኢትዮጵያ ምርት ገበያ ቦርድ የሥራ መልቀቂያውን ተቀብሎ ውሳኔ የሰጠው፣ ሐሙስ መጋቢት 4 ቀን 2006 ዓ.ም. መሆኑን የተገኘው መረጃ ያስረዳል፡፡

አቶ አንተነህ ሥራቸውን ለመልቀቅ ውሳኔ ላይ ያደረሳቸው የጤና ችግር መሆኑን ምንጮች ጠቁመዋል፡፡ በልብ ሕመም ምክንያት በአገር ውስጥ በሕክምና ላይ እንደነበሩና አነስተኛ ቀዶ ጥገና ተደርጐላቸው እንደነበር ታውቋል፡፡

Bumper applications for Ethiopia job

Twenty seven coaches from around the world have sent applications for the Ethiopian coaching position left vacant after the sacking of Sewnet Bishaw in early February.

The deadline for the application was last Friday after the Ethiopian Football Federation(EFF) released a criteria for the coaches to use during the rigorous application process that took a fortnight.

Only two Ethiopians namely Wubetu Abate and Yohannes Tesema applied for the top position which saw two Italians, two Serbians, two Dutchmen and two Argentinians send their CVs.
EFF President Junedin Basha intimated to supersport.com that the federation had embarked on the process of shortlisting the candidates to find the suitable person.

Kenya invites Ethiopian firms to raise funds through Nairobi bourse

Kenya has offered Ethiopian companies a chance to raise funds and trade their shares on the Nairobi bourse in a move that could give them access to capital without compromising Addis Ababa's closed economy policy.
The Nairobi Securities Exchange plays a key role in the region by dual-listing shares of companies already listed in neighbouring Uganda.
In 2012 the bourse offered to help start a Somali stock exchange but the plan never materialised.
"Kenya stands ready to begin consultations for the regulations and guidelines that would allow Ethiopian companies to raise investment capital and trade at our Nairobi Securities Exchange," President Uhuru Kenyatta told a joint meeting of executives from both nations in the Ethiopian capital.
Ethiopia, whose largest firms like Ethio Telecom and Ethiopian Airlines are owned by the state, is widely coveted by regional firms because it has one of Africa's fastest growing economies and a large consumer base of more than 80 million people.

HRW: Transparency Group Should Reject Ethiopia's Membership Bid

Human Rights Watch said Ethiopia should not be allowed to join a major global initiative that encourages governments to better manage natural resource revenues.

The human rights group said Friday Ethiopia should be banned from becoming a member of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative - EITI.

HRW's senior business and human rights researcher, Lisa Misol, said Ethiopia's "harsh repression" of independent voices is "utterly incompatible" with the global effort to increase public oversight over government.

EITI was founded to strengthen governance by increasing transparency over revenues from the oil, gas and mining industries. It is expected to make a decision on Ethiopia's candidacy next week at a meeting in Oslo.

Ethiopia attempted to join the transparency group in 2010, but was rejected.

Arsenal teenage star Zelalem set to sign three-year deal as Wenger fast-tracks midfielder to the first team

New deal: Arsenal teenager Gedion Zelalem has agreed a three-year contract with the club

Talent: Wenger has been impressed by Zelalem and was keen to secure his future as he works up to the first team

Arsenal whizzkid Gedion Zelalem is set to sign his first professional contract with the club.

The 17-year-old midfielder, who made his first-team debut from the bench against Coventry in the FA Cup, has committed to the Gunners until 2017.

Arsene Wenger spotted Zelalem's talent at a young age and he looks set to be fast-tracked to the senior squad alongside the likes of Serge Gnabry.

SatLink Communications chosen for global distribution of Ethiopian news channel

The Ethiopian Radio and Television Agency (ERTA) has chosen SatLink Communications, a leading provider of satellite services, for the global distribution of its ETV news channel.

As a result of the partnership, ERTA, which is a government-owned television channel, broadcasting news, entertainment, music and sports content, will extend its audience reach over SatLink’s Global Satellite and Fibre Network across Africa, North America, Europe and the Middle East.

Using state-of-the-art technology, SatLink will broadcast ETV to the African market utilising SatLink’s capacity on AMOS-5 C-band, which will enable ETV to effectively distribute its content with ease to the continent’s multi-channel platforms.

ETV’s goal is to broadcast informative, educating and timely information of the development of Ethiopia. SatLink assisted the broadcaster to help design the uplink competencies for the channel from ETV’s Ethiopian-based facilities on to Amos.

Gay Ethiopian faces uncertainty, peril if deported

19-year-old was arrested in January

Federal immigration officials in Boston are seeking to deport a man — who has posted online that he is gay — to a nation where same-sex relationships are illegal, just days after President Obama criticized a harsh new antigay law in Uganda.

Officials arrested the 19-year-old man from Ethiopia in January, shortly after he lost his student visa, and brought him before an immigration judge twice last month for deportation. It is unclear if his judge or jailers know that the man has posted to a public forum that he is gay. He also told at least two people who confirmed it to the Globe, saying they fear for his safety if he is deported.


“This is a very serious deal,” said the student’s uncle, who spoke on condition of anonymity from Canada. “Back in his country, it will be like death.”

Is Ethiopia Ready for Fast Food and Name-Brand Soap?

Shoppers and vendors make their way down a street in the Merkato, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Ethiopia is a largely agricultural nation of 94 million people that endures frequent droughts and famine, with a per-capita income of a bit more than $100 per month. Is it ready for Heineken beer and KFC chicken outlets?

The companies behind these global brands think it may be. Amsterdam-based Heineken (HEIA:NA) is scheduled to open a $127 million brewery in mid-2014 on the outskirts of Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa. Unilever (UN), the British-Dutch consumer-products giant, announced plans this month to open a factory near Addis Ababa that’s expected to produce detergents such as Omo. Louisville-based Yum! Brands (YUM), which owns KFC, is also considering a move into Ethiopia.

As Africa’s second-most-populous country, behind Nigeria, “Ethiopia is the one that stands out,” Bruce Layzell, Yum’s general manager for new African markets, told Bloomberg News. “We don’t want to go to a country where we can only build four or five restaurants,” he said. “We want to go in and build 50, 100. Our business is the scale game.” Besides the size of its population, what attracts multinational consumer groups to Ethiopia is robust economic growth, averaging 9.3 percent over the past four years, according to the International Monetary Fund.

Tesco emphasises ethics as plans to buy clothes from Ethiopia

Trolleys are stacked outside a Tesco store in Hammersmith, west London October 3, 2012.

(Reuters) - Tesco, the world's third-largest retailer, expects to source more clothes from Ethiopia, but wants the nascent industry there to uphold high ethical standards as global chains seek to prevent factory disasters like those seen in Bangladesh.

"Ethiopia is a very exciting potential country to grow a supply chain but needs to grow up to be a well regulated, ethical new industry," Giles Bolton, ethical trading director at Tesco, told the Retail Week Live conference on Wednesday.

Hennes & Mauritz, the world's second-biggest fashion retailer, said in January it saw good opportunities for producing clothing in sub-Saharan Africa, as it seeks to diversify from relying on Asian sourcing.

The Swedish company is one of the biggest buyers of garments from Bangladesh, where the collapse of the Rana Plaza factory last April killed more than 1,100 people, drawing global attention to the poor conditions in many Asian factories.

ERITREA VS ETHIOPIA, NORTHERN SUDAN VS UGANDA PROXY AND OIL WARS IN SOUTH SUDAN: ANALYSTS

As ongoing fighting in South Sudan shatters any pretence of a ceasefire between government troops and rebels, analysts fear the conflict could engulf the region, as former foes fight old wars in a new country.

There are tensions between South Sudan’s northern neighbour and old enemy Sudan and its new ally Uganda, while chief mediator Ethiopia is likely alarmed by allegations that its arch-enemy Eritrea is funnelling weapons from ally Khartoum to South Sudan’s rebels.

One Western diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the worst case-scenario currently being discussed is that “you’ve got Uganda fighting Sudan inside South Sudan, with Eritrea fighting Ethiopia inside South Sudan and a complete law and order vacuum.”

The life awaiting Eritrean refugees in Ethiopia

Deporting Eritrean refugees in Israel to Ethiopia would condemn them to a life of misery - harrowing insights from a camp in northern Ethiopia.
Sixteen kilograms of wheat, a kilogram and a half of lentils, 950 grams of cooking oil, one handful of salt, one handful of sugar.

No, this is not a recipe for a cheap meal. It is the monthly nutritional allowance for an Eritrean family living in a refugee camp in northern Ethiopia. Add to their allotment one bar of soap per month for hygiene and to wash clothes, and two pairs of new underwear for each member of the family every six months. That’s all that they will receive while in the camp.

For these families – nearly 70,000 individuals, according to Ethiopian officials – every day is the same as the day before. There is no opportunity for work. There is no variety. Each meal consists mostly of injera, the spongy, mildly sour flatbread that is a local staple.

The surgeon soldier: Las Vegas urologist escaped civil war in Ethiopia, has served American military in Iraq

Urologist Mulugeta Kassahun uses the robotic da Vinci Surgical System unit to operate on people with bladder, testicular, prostate or kidney cancer.

Hiding in the mountains of Ethiopia, teenage rebel fighter Mulugeta Kassahun, armed with an AK-47, waited to attack.

He and his Marxist comrades would trek at night to a town and blend with locals to avoid suspicion. All the better if it was cold and raining, as government soldiers were sure to be snug in their barracks. When the moment came, the rebels burst into action, attacking the unsuspecting troops with rifles and explosives — and then quickly run off. Safe to say, it’s not how most future doctors spend their high school years.

Kassahun, a Las Vegas urologist, came of age in violent, revolutionary east Africa, leaving home to join a rebel group that fought Ethiopia’s military junta with street assassinations and guerrilla warfare.

After the war was lost, he came to the United States as a refugee. Despite some tough times here, he has achieved a lot in his adopted country.

He graduated with honors from college, worked as a pharmacist, became a surgeon and even joined the U.S. Army Reserve, which took him to Iraq. In his Las Vegas practice, he operates every week — sometimes with an elaborate robotics system — on people with bladder, testicular, prostate or kidney cancer.