Ethiopian Short-Haul Fleet Prepares for Takeoff

East African Carrier to Decide on Boeing and Airbus Acquisitions Next Week

 Ethiopian Airlines is poised to decide what aircraft it will buy from Boeing Co. BA -0.77% and Airbus Group EADSY +0.27% NV, as the African carrier seeks to add as many as 70 new jets to bolster efforts to build an East Africa aviation hub.

The carrier will make a decision by the end of next week on modernizing and expanding its short-haul fleet, Chief Executive Tewolde Gebremaria

m said. It will later commit to adding 20 more long-haul planes. The deals could have a combined list price of more than $11 billion, though airlines typically get large discounts.

The aircraft should boost expansion plans at one of Africa's biggest airlines. "A larger fleet is one of our pillars of growth," Mr. Gebremariam said in an interview.

Ethiopian Air operates Boeing's 787 Dreamliners and has bought but not taken delivery of a fleet of A350-900s from rival Airbus. It said that it is now looking to buy even larger twin-engine long-haul jets. The carrier is considering purchases of the Boeing 777X—launched last year at the Dubai air show—or the A350-1000 from Airbus, Mr. Gebremariam said. The deal would have a list price value of $8 billion, depending on the model chosen.

Ethiopia: Embracing Development and Security Means Embracing Free Expression-Birtukan Mideksa

Last week, Washington D.C. hosted the US-Africa Leaders Summit, where over 50 African heads of state discussed important issues ranging from public health to trade and development. I was honored to participate in a parallel civil society conference that highlighted the challenges faced by civic leaders on the continent, including the all too prevalent crack-down on free expression.
During the summit, participants repeatedly noted that respect for fundamental human rights, including freedom of expression, is critical for sustainable economic growth. The press is a vital component of society, allowing diverse voices to be heard and balancing the power between the government and the people. The independent media also plays a particularly important role in combating corruption as it oversees how governments spend development and aid money.
In his post-summit address, President Barack Obama echoed these sentiments, noting that “even though leaders don’t always like it, the media plays a crucial role in assuring people that they have the proper information to evaluate the policies that their leaders are pursuing” and that “nations that uphold these rights and principles will ultimately be more prosperous and more economically successful.” Secretary of State John Kerry—who spoke at the civil society forum—reiterated the belief that “when people can trust their government and rely on its accountability and transparency on justice, that society flourishes and is more prosperous and more stable than others.”
According to Secretary Kerry, the U.S. “will continue to support press freedom, including for journalists charged with terrorism or imprisoned on arbitrary grounds.” However, one of the United States’ most important security and development allies in Africa, my home country of Ethiopia, is also one of the continent’s worst jailers of the press.

46 Ethiopians suspected to be in Kenya illegally arrested in Moyale

MANDERA, KENYA: Police in Moyale on Thursday arrested 46 Ethiopians suspected to be in the country illegally. The aliens all men, were found in an isolated house near Moyale Boys Secondary within Butiye village out skirt of the town.
Confirming the arrest, Moyale OCPD Benjamin Mwanzia said the aliens who neither spoke Swahili nor English were believed to being transported to Nairobi by unknown people.  He noted that the Ethiopians all men were between the ages of 25 to 30 years. Mwanzia confirmed they were found in an isolated house in Butiye on Thursday night.

Report: Athletes planned asylum

One of four Ethiopian athletes who went missing after an international track meet last month in Eugene told a University of Oregon police officer that all the athletes plan to seek asylum in the United States, according to a newly released UO police report.

Amanuel Abebe, 17, told the officer that he and the three other athletes — Dureti Edao, Meaza Kebede, Zeyituna Mohammed, all 18 — planned to start the asylum application process at a U.S. immigration service office in Portland on July 28, three days after the runners were reported missing, according to the police report, which was supplemental to the main police report. It was released to The Register-­Guard on Friday after University of Oregon police reviewed the information.

AMIN ASKAR GETS THE CALL FROM ETHIOPIA COACH MARIANO BARRETO

Amin Askar’s desire to play for Ethiopia might soon be fulfilled after coach Mariano Barreto made a call to the talented winger from his base in Norway where he plays for SK Brann in the Norwegian league and to further add bright light to the Walia Ibex prospects Ethiopian football fedetration(EFF)President revealed to Soka25east.com he was requesting all Ethiopian players outside the county to submit their documents.

Amin Askar in an Interview with Supersport.com Collins Okinyo last year intimated that his wish was to play for his motherland a place he left while still a young lad when his parents migrated to Norway.

Born in Teferebar ,Ethiopia in 1985 now plays top flight football for SK Brann in the Norwegian league but his thoughts wander back to his roots despite on several occasions being called upon to play for Norway at the senior level.

Take a Hike Across Ethiopia's Simien Mountains

Once you've been up on the Roof of Africa in the Ethiopian Highlands, you won't want to come down
HAULING MYSELF UP a stony path, the air thins with every breath. Ribbons of mist weave past me and a vulture circles overhead. Just when I think my legs can't take it anymore, I reach the top.
My guide, Mulat Gezahegn, warns me not to step any closer to the edge. Totally ignoring him, I bound forth out of blind curiosity. It is the most terrifying sensation I have experienced—and one of the most rewarding. I look over the edge of a precipice. All around me similar hills rise like turrets in the valley below, with sheer drops for sides, and it is hard to take in the scale. With these majestic cathedrals of rock—and not another soul as far as the eye can see—it's obvious why they call this the Roof of Africa.

Egypt says it has new 'vision' for Ethiopia's dam

New 'vision' won't affect Egypt's share of Nile water, says country's irrigation minister, as talks are planned to take place in Sudan later this month
Egypt's Irrigation Minister Hossam El-Moghazi told privately owned Mehwar channel that Egypt has a new "vision" regarding Ethiopia's planned Grand Renaissance Dam ahead of another round of talks in the Sudanese capital.
In a phone interview, El-Moghazi said the Egyptian delegation will head to Khartoum on 24 August for two days of discussions.
"Egypt has a new vision, that will not affect Egypt's water share, and we are expecting that the other party responds to it," said El-Moghazi.