UN assesses needs, abuse claims in Ethiopia region (Reuter)

Unite the people from the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean (Sudane Tribune)

The people of the region must enter into an overriding project to unite and reject colonial boundaries. It is a scandal that in 1998-2000 nearly 100, 000 people died to defend borders drawn by others for their own reasons against the interest of the grassroots population by the elites that chose to split Eritrea from Ethiopia and bring both regions to the brink. This is indeed a historic wrong that continues to amaze all justice and humane people throughout the world. Not only has a war being fought, but to this day a no war and no peace state prevails affecting negatively the people who live on both sides of the Mereb River.

The elites have created refugees from each side and it looks the refugees have turned into a breeding ground to destabilise each regime. In recent weeks a new rhetoric has been launched by both the rulers in Ethiopia and those in Eritrea. Isias has given an interview in a glossy magazine in three languages about his undying and unchanging commitment to a ‘one Ethiopia—andit or hanti Ethiopia’!!! He declared in the front cover: “It’s our persistent stance to strive for a united Ethiopia.” Isias utters such a statement, according to the Ethiopian ambassador in Stockholm, whilst hosting forces that have an explicit agenda to break away and create splinter states from Ethiopia in Asmara!....Prof. Mammo Muchie

Say good bye to 'Hod Fiker Radio'(Ethiopian Review)

OPDO Delegates Chased Away by Oromo Youth in Minnesota (oromoindex)

Defar spearheads Ethiopia's medal sweep bid (ioL)

Norwegian envoys to leave Ethiopia (BBC)

UN to examine needs, violence in Ethiopia's Ogaden,(Reuter)

Mr. Obang Metho Addresses Ogadenis in Minnesota:

The first step is for all Ethiopians to get to know each other as unique people and as fellow human beings, then to acknowledge whatever pain and suffering we have might have caused to each other and then reconcile. In the case of the Anuak and the Ogedenis, we have few, if any, conflicts or hard feelings between us since we were so unaware of the others’ existence!...Mr. Obang Metho

Thousands of homeless being moved out of Ethiopian capital in time for millennium celebrations,(pr-insid)

Ethiopia: A Simple Life?(Emorywheel)

But national news is far from uplifting. Although the rains have been good this year, the specter of famine still haunts Ethiopia. The country occupies a disadvantageous position in the global trade system, and the absence of democracy and freedom of expression at home make parts of Ethiopia vulnerable to famine even when there are bumper crops elsewhere. Since national elections were held in Ethiopia in 2005, half a dozen newspapers have been shut down for criticizing the government.

Last month, the Africa correspondent for The New York Times, Jeffrey Gettleman, was expelled from Ethiopia for interviewing members of the Ogaden National Liberation Front, a militia group fighting for the independence of the ethnically Somali part of Ethiopia. (Gettleman did not respond to an e-mail for this article.) The Ethiopian army is also fighting a protracted war in neighboring Somalia, which it invaded with American support at the end of 2006....more..

Ethiopia expels Norwegian envoys (BBC)

Human Rights Group Seeks Accounting of Ethiopian Food Aid,( VOA News)

..Last week, the United States announced it is providing nearly $19 million in food assistance for the Ogaden through the U.N. World Food Program. Some money also will help pay for health, nutrition, and livelihood programs.

Abdukadir Sulub Abdi is the international coordinator for the Ogaden Human Rights Committee. He says more than two million people are suffering from malnutrition because of the military clampdown.

"There is not independent agents or international NGOs who can be trusted for the distribution of the aid. So it is easy to divert and everyone knows that they divert aid," said Abdi. "Many children have starved to death because of this military blockade and there is also a breakout of cholera and other diseases which are related to malnutrition."...Abdukadir Sulub Abdi...

Imperious Bekele powers to 10,000m treble,(Reuter)

Kenyan who campaigned to free brother from secret Ethiopian jail disappears,(Iht

Dibaba’s dramatic defence,(IAAF)

When four Ethiopians assumed the lead after two kilometres, it looked as if we were going to get a scenario like in the men’s race in Paris 2003. But just after 6000m, the 21-year-old Dibaba and colleague Mestawet Tufa were involved in a fall, which left Dibaba winded, adrift and rubbing her stomach, while Tufa had to stop and put a shoe back on. Tufa eventually dropped out, but Dibaba didn’t panic, and it took over a kilometre to get back in touch with the large group, before challenging for the lead again...read more..

Kenya, US and Ethiopia share golden spoils at Athletics Championships,(AFP)

Famous Ethiopian Fossil Shrouded in U.S. Controversy,(Ncmonline)

The underside of the Eritrean Issue,(Ethiopian Media)

...Even when Eritrea became independent, the cooperation could not continue. Economic and political rivalries poisoned the relationship of the two former partners. Conflicts multiplied leading to an atrocious war that resulted in the defeat of Eritrea and the signing of a peace treaty based on further misunderstandings. While some influential members of the TPLF advocated the removal of Isayas by marching on Asmara, the clique of Meles, to the great dismay of Ethiopians, dismissed the idea. We now know why: it was less to protect Eritrean interests or ruling elite than to counter any situation that might resurrect the issue of reunification. Once Ethiopians control Asmara, who knows to what development such a control can lead?

To understand why today the TPLF leaders give interviews defending the Eritrean independence, we have to keep in mind the aftermaths of the Ethiopian election, which brought about the political and ideological bankruptcy of the present government. The TPLF leaders know that only the use of repressive methods can prolong their hegemony. They also recognize that they cannot sustain their repressive forces if another war starts with Eritrea. Now that they are bogged down in Somalia in addition to being massively contested inside the country, they need to subvert the Eritrean ruling faction by encouraging the internal opposition. Oh, they would like to resolve the conflict by accepting The Hague ruling in favor of Eritrea, but they realize that any territorial concession would anger Tigreans. What else is then left but to invent a situation of threat to Eritrean independence in the hope of presenting themselves as the only defender of that independence? The message to Eritreans is thus clear enough: if something happens to us, then your independence is in jeopardy, for we are your only friends, the only guarantor of the status quo. Professor Messay Kebede

ETN interview with Andargachew Tsige,(Ethiopian Review)

Important Video Clips(Ethiopian Media)

Ethiopia upset by US bill - Washington Times,(Washingtontimes)

..."Every time the bill is scheduled for markup [by a full House committee], the regime touts out a hapless bunch of political prisoners and threatens the U.S. that they will not be released if the House Foreign Affairs Committee marks up H.R. 2003," said Alemayehu Mariam, member of the Coalition for H.R. 2003.

The bottom line on the ruling regime's opposition to H.R. 2003 is that it is incapable of making a morally and politically convincing case against the bill in its entirety, or any of its provisions," Mr. Mariam said.

"So it has to resort to the thuggish tactic of strong-arming members of Congress and holding the freedom of innocent political prisoners in the balance."..more..

New fossils from 10 million year old ape found in Ethiopia(afriquenligne.)

Ethiopia: Eruption of Volcano Kills 5,(The guadian)

Urgent advice to Beyonce Knowles, Janet Jackson and 50-Cent, Ethiopian Review)

Media Watchdog Criticizes Ethiopia's Press Freedom,(voanews.)

Freed Ethiopians Describe Threats,(Washington post)

The government of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has often dealt brutally with people deemed threatening to his fragile ruling coalition. In the capital, people suspected of supporting opposition groups routinely disappear from their neighborhoods, according to the Ethiopian Human Rights Council, a pro-democracy group based in Addis Ababa....more..

Ethiopia imports raw sugar after rains cut production (Sudan Tribune)

In Ethiopia, four journalists released from prison, (CPJ)

Political Violence and Democratic Uncertainty in Ethiopia, (USIP)

U.S. must change policy in Horn of Africa: Eritrea, (Reuter)

"U.S. Administration officials need to change their frame of thinking and put an end to their acts of adventurism, as well as weaving conspiracies to undermine our national interests."..more..

Expelled Eritreans seek damages from Ethiopia,(Reuter)

Ethiopian millennium event in Ottawa, (Ethiopian Review)

Leadership Crisis in Somali Region (galbeed.)

From the oil fields of Somali Region, to the diamond and copper fields of Gambelas , to the rich mineral deposits of the Great Awash lake region of Afar, to the mountain ranges, plains and tourist havens of Oromo land, the country of Ethiopia is undoubtedly blessed. However, Meles Zenawi and his ethnic are in control and looting by force. The recent killing of nine Chinese oil drillers illustrated how the Tigrean exploiting the resources of the country without involving the native people frustrated Ethiopian Somalis. The heart of the problem is leadership crisis emanated from Federal Government and the Regional state...more..

Ethiopians at last ready to party like it's 1999(CNN)

But, reports that Saudi-Ethiopian tycoon Sheikh Mohammed Al Amoudi is paying $10 million to build the Millennium concert hall has angered some in Ethiopia, which ranks 170 out of 177 in the United Nation's Human Development Index.

"We could spend smarter," said Fasile Abebe, a 34-year-old taxi driver, gesturing to a man begging beside a fast food restaurant recently renamed "Millennium Burger".

"I won't be partying with Beyonce. I have no time for this Millennium."..more..

Ethiopia releases 32 opposition supporters after 2 years (Khaleejtimes)

....None of those released on Saturday had been charged in court since their arrests between July and November 2005. Bereket Simon, adviser to Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, told the AP that he did not know why they had been held for almost two years without charge.
The 32 opposition supporters had applied to the government for pardon at the same time as 38 opposition leaders and political activists who had been tried for inciting violence in an attempt to overthrow Meles’ administration and sentenced to between 18 months’ imprisonment to life...more..

The threat of Tigrean Nationalism,(Ethiopian Review)

In this sense, the EPRP and the TPLF have little to distinguish them from Khmer Rouge, except that the TPLF, also a teen army that grew to power without growing to the society, is now terrorizing Ethiopia whereas the EPRP resides in old Diaspora minds as a political paranoia. They do share concealed hate and love for each other; they can’t go against each other, they can’t go for each other either. It is sad to see that neither the politics nor the social evolution of the last thirty years offered any cure to the survivors of the lost generation of Ethiopia that continue diffusing discord throughout all the political establishments of the region.

There is little doubt that most of the destructive vectors and inward fighters in all political fronts and organizations can be traced to this futile ideology in a resistive or adaptive form. Their relentless propaganda for the unity of Ethiopia, on one hand, and equally relentless objection to the unity of Oromos, Amharas, Somalis etc. when not on their own sadistic terms on the other, their objection to the very idea of the Alliance for Freedom and Democracy (AFD), is a synopsis of their fixation on winning, with extremely poor judgment of their capacity that would enable them to win. By betraying its own mission and stated goals, the EPRP is acclaimed to be the weakest link of the Ethiopian political opposition against Tigrean domination, and therefore the creation of a better tomorrow for the region...Kallacha Dubbi..

Ethiopia - The farce of a pardon (Nazret)

In Meles Zenawi's version of history (with a small h, please note) every turn and event always plays out as a farce though the diminutive tyrant is no comedian in the normal sense of the term. No Marx here, sorry. Meles was a Stalinist and never a Marxist and cannot be blamed for repeating the comedy, the farce. Meles does not rival Bush in giving us gems of Bushism but he does, to his credit or discredit, try. Take his recent statement that the released CUD party leaders cannot regain the parliamentary seats they had won in the last election after "boycotting the parliament for two years". Where were these alleged boycotters for the last two years? In the prison of Kaliti where Meles had thrown them! How can they boycott when their very right to be free had been boycotted and they had to suffer in Kaliti? The tyrant enjoys such statements as his aversion to fact and decency has for long been known. We did cross the border but we never invaded Somalia was what he said at one time. We killed many peaceful demonstrators because our riot police had no training and rubber bullets, he had said at another time. He can declare the Sahara is a rice paddy and Fogera a mountain gorge. What we call in Ethiopia a man who has washed his eyes with salt and lies outright. The tendency to play out history as a farce maybe a symptom for some particular malady which, I admit, I do not know the name. No doubt though, it is a malady. Meles Zenawi is sick and that is no joke. The "pardon" charade was played with seriousness in the State Department of America and in Ethiopia especially by the regime. To start out, the fact is that the ruling front lost the May 2005 election to an Opposition that owed its success not much for its capacity or democratic credentials but for the intense hatred of the people for the Meles gang...By Hama Tuma..

The dark continent(The Economist)

Ethiopian kids refused schooling,(Ynetnews)

Less than three weeks before the school year begins, 80 children of Ethiopian descent residing in Petah Tikvah find themselves with no place to carry out their first year of elementary school. An inquiry revealed that at least eight of the children were refused admission due to racist reasons.The families of eight of the children said they discovered a few days ago that their children were not assigned to the first grade of their neighborhood school because parents of other children objected to having Ethiopian students study there...more..

Eritrea - how to lose friends and influence people,(radionetherlands)

Somalia: UN holds back troops,(24.com)

Ethiopia to market natural low caffeine coffee(Reuters)

In the shadow of Ethiopia's rebels, (BBC)

Maid writes letter to mother before committing suicide, (GulfNews)

Somalia to create Iraq-style "Green Zone" (Alertnet)

By Andrew Cawthorne and Sahal Abdulle

NAIROBI, Aug 14 (Reuters) - The Somali government is trying to create a Baghdad-style safe "Green Zone" in Mogadishu to protect senior officials and foreign visitors from insurgent attacks, Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi said on Tuesday.

In an interview with Reuters, the Somali premier also accused U.S.-based Human Rights Watch of "abusing" his government and siding with radical Islamists in a report alleging war crimes against Mogadishu's population.

Insurgents have been fighting Gedi's government, and its Ethiopian military allies, since Islamists were toppled from Mogadishu at the end of 2006 after a brief, six-month rule.

To counter the threat of attacks, a security zone was being set up in the bullet-scarred coastal capital, Gedi said.

"At the moment, the government security agencies are trying to create a Green Zone where international community workers, and those vulnerable, can stay for their security purposes," he said, without giving more details.

"I hope that we will achieve positive results very soon." ..more..

Alienation: A result of the impact of Western education on Ethiopian intellectuals,(Ethipian Review)

Things reversed themselves when Weyane took over from the Derg. Weyane itself was Communist and nominally “anti-imperialist” up to the eleventh hour. In that sense it was not any different than the other Ethiopian radicals, as both groups were the result of the student movement. Since communism was crumbling at its source (USSR and East Block), Weyane betrayed its communistic convictions to impress Western donors and wore the mask of a democrat the day it entered Addis Abeba from the bush in which it was waging guerrilla warfare. The West flooded over Ethiopia through the floodgate with its religion and “imperialist culture” including pornography and strip-dance clubs. Sadly, everything Western in general, and American in particular, is being worshiped to this day. Many Hotels and even “Tela Bets”in the remotest part of Ethiopia bear American names and states instead of local Ethiopian names. This is a reflection of cultural subjugation, low self-esteem and identity crisis. Furthermore, the fact that Ethiopians endured sever drought and famine as well as tragic civil-wars has affected negatively the former self-pride and self-reliability of Ethiopians. This has debilitated Ethiopians so much so that they are compelled to deny themselves and to lie about their nationality and identity. Unless something is done about this on the national level, Ethiopia will sink in a bottomless abyss. To overcome this grim and shameful situation, a lot of work should be done on the educational and cultural fronts...By Fikre Tolossa..

Ethiopian soldiers kill 12 Somali civilians (Middle East Online)

Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt plan another Ethiopian adoption

War crimes 'rampant' in Somalia (BBC)

All sides have committed war crimes in Somalia's conflict this year, according to lobby group Human Rights Watch.

It says the worst abuses have been by Ethiopian soldiers, who are supporting the government against insurgents.

Ethiopians have often indiscriminately attacked civilian areas and looted hospitals, its report says.

While insurgents have fired mortars into residential areas and executed civilians, since Islamists were driven from power in Mogadishu last December.

Both Ethiopia and the Somali government have denied the claims, reports Reuters news agency.

In the latest violence, at least 15 people have been killed in two separate incidents in the Somali capital.

More than 1,000 people were killed this year in the heaviest fighting since 1991, as Ethiopian and government troops tried to drive the insurgents out of Mogadishu...BBC..

Somalia and Ethiopia Are Accused of War Crimes (Nytimes)

By JEFFREY GETTLEMAN
Published: August 13, 2007

RUMBEK, Sudan, Aug. 13 — Human Rights Watch on Monday accused the transitional government in Somalia and the Ethiopian troops that helped bring it to power of committing war crimes in Somalia, saying Ethiopian troops had shelled hospitals, Somali officials had blocked aid convoys and both forces had shown wanton indifference toward civilians

In a scathing 113-page report on the bloodshed in Somalia, Human Rights Watch also blamed Somali insurgents for summary executions and mutilating bodies.....New-york Times..

US moves to shut Eritrean mission (BBC)

Somalia: War Crimes in Mogadishu (HRW)

Ethiopian forces backing the Somali transitional government violated the laws of war by widely and indiscriminately bombarding highly populated areas of Mogadishu with rockets, mortars and artillery. Its troops on several occasions specifically targeted hospitals and looted them of desperately needed medical equipment. Human Rights Watch also documented cases of Ethiopian forces deliberately shooting and summarily executing civilians.

Somali transitional government forces played a secondary role to the Ethiopian military, but failed to provide effective warnings to civilians in combat zones, looted property, impeded relief efforts for displaced people, and mistreated dozens of people detained in mass arrests.

“The insurgency placed civilians at grave risk by deploying among them,” said Roth. “But that is no justification for Ethiopia’s calculated shelling and rocketing of whole neighborhoods..Human Rights Watch

Somalia: War Crimes in Mogadishu(HRW)

Ethiopian forces backing the Somali transitional government violated the laws of war by widely and indiscriminately bombarding highly populated areas of Mogadishu with rockets, mortars and artillery. Its troops on several occasions specifically targeted hospitals and looted them of desperately needed medical equipment. Human Rights Watch also documented cases of Ethiopian forces deliberately shooting and summarily executing civilians. Somali transitional government forces played a secondary role to the Ethiopian military, but failed to provide effective warnings to civilians in combat zones, looted property, impeded relief efforts for displaced people, and mistreated dozens of people detained in mass arrests. “The insurgency placed civilians at grave risk by deploying among them,” said Roth. “But that is no justification for Ethiopia’s calculated shelling and rocketing of whole neighborhoods.” ...Human Rights Watch -

Ethiopia accused of using white phosphorus bombs in US-backed occupation of Somalia(wsws)

Tensions between Eritrea, Ethiopia on the rise (Twincities)

ETHIOPIA-ERITREA BORDER - Badme doesn't look like the most dangerous town in Africa.

Marooned at the end of 20 miles of dirt road, the tiny frontier outpost consists of a knot of rock huts, some jaywalking goats and one communal pingpong table. Not the sort of place, one would imagine, that once inspired 70,000 men to die in battle. Or still destabilizes a chunk of territory inhabited by 90 million people. Or gives U.S. policymakers in Africa the jitters.

Yet remote little Badme, the flash point of a brutal territorial conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea in the late 1990s, is responsible for all of these woes. And, today, experts worry that the contested town, which is claimed by both countries but controlled by Ethiopia, may be poised to spark even worse trouble ahead - namely, Africa's next major war.

While the U.S. military is focusing much of its attention in Africa on anti-terror efforts in places like Somalia, old hostilities between Ethiopia and Eritrea appear to be heating up on an arid plateau a few hundred miles to the north, with potentially devastating consequences for the people of Africa's Horn. Archenemies Ethiopia and Eritrea insist that renewed fighting along their desolate 620-mile-long common border is not imminent.

But diplomats, security experts and U.N. officials warn that recent saber-rattling by the two nations' leaders, beefed-up troop deployments along their heavily fortified border and even the timing of the U.S. presidential ..more..

Haile's got a brand new bag,(The Gaurdian)

Black Hawk Down, and on Display, (Times)

The "helicopter woman," a popular figure in Somalia, is still awaiting compensation from the US government for damage caused by the black hawk helicopter that fell on her house, killing two of her children, during the 1993 battle of Mogadishu.
Mayank Bubna



"Close the door," shouts the lady sitting in front of me. One of her grandchildren quickly obliges and the metal-sheeted door is shut with a squeak. It is mid-day in Somalia's capital Mogadishu but there is little activity on the usually bustling streets of the neighboring market. Ethiopian soldiers are busy rooting out alleged al-Qaeda terrorists and members of the Islamic Courts Union, which held sway over the city and most of the country until the end of 2006. At the smallest hint of trouble, the soldiers are quick to respond with bursts of gunfire in all directions. The last thing my interviewee wants is lead pouring in through her front door...more..

AP Interview: Leakey calls Lucy skeleton tour 'prostitution', (Heral Tribune)

Ethiopia's dispatching of the Lucy skeleton on a six-year-tour of the United States is akin to prostituting the fragile, 3.2 million year-old fossil, paleontologist Richard Leakey said Friday.
The Lucy skeleton — one of the world's most famous fossils — was quietly flown out of Ethiopia earlier this week for the U.S. tour. Leakey, one of the world's best-known fossil hunters, is not the first to criticize what some see as a gamble with an irreplaceable relic. The U.S. Smithsonian Institution also has objected to the tour, and the secretive manner in which the remains were sent abroad has raised eyebrows in Ethiopia, where the public has seen the real Lucy fossil only twice.

"It's a form of prostitution, it's gross exploitation of the ancestors of humanity and it should not be permitted," Leakey told The Associated Press in an interview at his Nairobi office.

Ethiopian officials were not immediately available for comment, but have said in the past that proceeds from the tour would be used to upgrade museums in one of the world's poorest countries. Dirk Van Tuerenhout, the curator of anthropology at the Houston Museum of Natural Science, where Lucy will be on display from Aug. 31 to April 20, said this week his museum will use "the utmost care."..read more..

Two more CUD defendants released from jail (ssinformer)

Oromo OLF denies Ethiopian army claims over military victories(Sudantribune)

Dibaba and Bekele lead Ethiopian squad to Osaka,(Guardian)

Ethiopian weekly urges abolition of death penalty, (Afriquenligne)

An Ethiopian Dilemma - Donald Levine (Ethiopian politics)

Assistance For Ethiopia,(U.S. SENATE)

Some detainees remained in jail for over two years before being brought to trial in a manner that was incompatible with international standards of justice. Last month, they were convicted of such vague charges as “outrage against the constitution” and “inciting armed opposition”. They were stripped of their rights to vote and to run for public office. Several were sentenced to life in prison. Nothing was done to prosecute the police officers who fired on the protesters. The situation had gone from bad to worse.

Then suddenly, less than two weeks ago, the Ethiopian Government announced the pardon and release of 38 opposition leaders. I am pleased that Prime Minister Meles heeded the pleas of the Ethiopian people and the international community and released these prisoners. The fact is, none of them should have been arrested or tried in the first place. Their release was long overdue and is welcome.

I hope the government acts expeditiously to release the remaining political detainees, and bring to justice police officers who used excessive force. I also hope the negotiations that resulted in the prisoners’ release will lead to further discussions between the government and the leaders of the opposition, to ensure that their political rights are fully restored and that future elections are not similarly marred.

While this news is positive, it comes at a time when journalists and representatives of humanitarian organizations report human rights abuses of civilians, including torture, rape and extrajudicial killings, by Ethiopian security forces, including those trained and equipped by the U.S., in the Ogaden region.

Congressman Donald Payne, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health, and a vocal defender of human rights and democracy in Ethiopia, inserted into the Congressional Record a June 18, 2007, New York Times article that described these abuses.

This situation is also addressed in the Senate version of the Fiscal Year 2008 State, Foreign Operations Appropriations bill and report, which were reported by the Appropriations Committee on July 10. The Appropriations Committee seeks assurance from the State Department that military assistance for Ethiopia is being adequately monitored and is not being used against civilians by units of Ethiopia’s security forces. We need to know that the State Department is investigating these reports. We also want to see effective measures by the Ethiopian Government to bring to justice anyone responsible for such abuses.Statement Of Sen. Patrick Leahy

Ethiopian strife tests US commitment (The guardian)

Senator's Son, Daughter In-Law Adopt Children From Ethiopia (Yankton)

In Africa, a poisonous standoff(The Boston Globe

The Eritreans, seeing a chance to make trouble, are supplying Islamic insurgents with weapons and military advice. Could Mogadishu become another Baghdad, with Ethiopians playing the part of the US troops in Iraq? The Ethiopians need to withdraw before that happens...Globe Editorial..

Of Lies, Promised Joy, "Shimagles," Pardons and Bananas, ( Ethiopian review)

Zenawi would like to have us believe now that the release of the prisoners “was carried out by Ethiopians, through our own national institutions, and without the need for international intervention." Really? Why did he take members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee hostage and threatened to prolong the detention of the political prisoners if H.R. 2003 was marked-up? (Just curious: Why did it take the exalted “shimagles” (elders) 20 months to get the prisoners released? If it took them 20 months to get 38 prisoners released, how many centuries will it take for them to free 50,000 political prisoners?) I will not dwell much on the obvious. The Kality prisoners of conscience committed no crimes against the state or anybody else. I invite my reader to check out my 32-page analysis of the ludicrous and asinine Kality Kangaroo Kourt proceedings.. By Prof. Alemayehu G. Mariam...

Ethiopia: The Quality of Tertiary Education Approaches Dead End!(Allafrica)

Ethiopia carries out rare execution (Alertnet)

Two bombs in Ethiopia rebel region kill 1, wound 8 (Reuter)

Ogaden rebels say Ethiopia behind explosions in Jijiga (Sudan Tribune)

1 killed during weapons search in Somali capital, (Iht)

Ethiopia’s global competitiveness drops three places (Sudan Tribune)

August 5, 2007 (ADDIS ABABA) — Ethiopia’s global competitiveness in the current fiscal year dropped by three places to the 123rd position amongst 128 economies, The Reporter, an English weekly newspaper, reported on Saturday.

The weekly quoted the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) 2007 Africa Competitiveness Report as saying that Ethiopia became the fifth least performer in global competitiveness this year, albeit an improved score the country registered in the new ranking than that of the earlier year.

Last year, the country was ranked 120th out of 125 nations covered by the same annually released report...more..

Haile Gebrselassie wins New York City Half Marathon in 59:24 to keep unbeaten record (Herald Tribune)

NEW YORK: Haile Gebrselassie won the New York City Half Marathon in 59 minutes, 24 seconds Sunday, cruising away from elite competitors two-thirds of the way through the race to win his eighth half marathon in eight attempts.

Gebrselassie, a two-time Olympic gold medalist for Ethiopia, pulled away from Abdi Abdirahman of the United States shortly after they emerged from Central Park along with two-time Boston Marathon champion Robert Cheruiyot of Kenya.

"I was dreaming just to run in New York City. The dream has come true this morning," Gebrselassie said. "Wow, I'm so happy!"

Hilda Kibet of Kenya won the women's race in 1:10:32, outkicking defending champion Catherine Ndereba by 1.15 seconds. Nina Rillstone of New Zealand, a surprise leader until the final 500 meters (quarter-mile) when the two Kenyans passed her, was 2.60 back in third.

Near the 13-kilometer (eight-mile) mark, the Somalia-born Abdirahman surged ahead to leave Cheruiyot behind, and then Gebrselassie left Abdirahman behind for the final eight kilometers (five miles) of the 21-kilometer (13.1-mile) race...more..

Ethiopia's dirty war,( The Guardian)

While the west agonises over Darfur, another humanitarian and human rights disaster is brewing in the Horn of Africa.

In June, the Ethiopian government launched a major military campaign in the Ogaden, a sparsely populated and remote region on Ethiopia's border with Somalia. The counter insurgency operation was aimed at eliminating the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF), a rebel group which has been fighting for years for self-determination for the Ogaden's predominantly Somali population.

In less than two months, Ethiopia's military campaign has triggered a serious humanitarian crisis. Human Rights Watch has learned that dozens of civilians have been killed in what appears to be a deliberate effort to mete out collective punishment against a civilian population suspected of sympathising with the rebels.

Villages have been attacked, sacked and burnt. Livestock - the lynchpin of the region's pastoralist economy - have been confiscated or destroyed. A partial trade blockade has been imposed on the region leading to serious food shortages. Relatives of suspected rebels have been taken hostage. Thousands of civilians have been displaced, fleeing across the borders of Ethiopia into northern Kenya and Somaliland.

Last week, with little objection from the international community, the Ethiopian government expelled from the Ogaden the International Committee of the Red Cross, one of the few neutral observers of the crisis left in the region. ..more..

Ethiopia unveils new find of fossils, (Zeenews)

scientists said on Tuesday they have discovered hominid fossil fragments dating from between 3.5 million and 3.8 million years ago in what could fill a crucial gap in the understanding of human evolution.

Ethiopian archaeologist Yohannes Haile Selassie said the find included several complete jaws and one partial skeleton and were unearthed in the Afar desert at Woranso-Mille, near where the famous fossil skeleton known as Lucy was found in 1974.

"This is a major finding that could fill a gap in human evolution," he told a news conference in Addis Ababa.

"The fossil hominids from the Woranso-Mille area sample a time period that is poorly known in human evolutionary study." ..more..

Malaysia signs gas development agreement with Ethiopia (Sudan Tribune)

Lift-off to a new life,(SundayMail)

Ironically, it was while agitating for freedom and democracy in his home country of Ethiopia that Abebe Fekadu lost his own.

In 1996, the young activist had spent three months in an Addis Ababa prison for demonstrating against the imprisonment of political prisoners.

"It was hell. There were a hundred people in one cell. They beat us with electrical wire, handcuffed us with our hands behind our back. They did to us the worst things that you can ever do to another human being."..click here to read more...

Obang Metho addresses Oromo community in Minnesota (Ethiopian Review)

Somalia: Islamist leader denies talks with Ethiopia, (Shabelle)

Somalia: Ethiopia engages in secret talks with Islamists, (Shabelle)

Mediation and the mazes of a dictator (Ethiopian Review)

Police detain teachers' association official ( Ethiomedia)

EU provides more funds to Ethiopia in humanitarian aid (Sudan Tribune)

Verdict On Ethiopian Campaigners Fixed For October (OneWorld)

Ethiopian running great looks toward New York debut (SUA Today)

More Ethiopian journalists behind bars (afrol)

Ethiopia denies Ogaden blockade (BBC)

Red Cross confirms pull-out from Ethiopian region (Mg)

Two Ethiopian journalists jailed for “instigating violence” (Afriquenligne)

Ethiopian mortar bombs kill ten in Somalia capital overnight(Shabelle)

Ethiopia: Interpreter Freed ( The New-york Times)

To Ethiopians in America, Bread Is a Taste of Home ( The New-york Times)

A New Battle in Congress: Lobbyists v Human Rights (American Chronicl)

Questions shower Ethiopian ex-leader ( The Minnesota Daily)

Ethiopian troops killed aid workers - claim ( iol)

Ethiopian refugee slain in robbery of E. Dallas store (WFAA)

Secret desert mission to rescue Ethiopian Jews Israel's 'finest hour (NZHerald)

Elders Play Major Role in Recent Ethiopian Pardons (VOA)