Somali Peacekeeping Mission to Go Ahead Despite Current Troop Shortfall

Check back with ETP for more news throughout the day

Also in the news: [Producer of 'YEtechekonu KeLdoch' arrested] - [Military Rule?] - [UN Security Council cuts troop levels in Eritrea-Ethiopia peacekeeping mission] - [Somalia: Mortars Fired At an Ethiopian Base, Several Injured] - [NPR: Saving the World in Ethiopia]

International: [First bird flu death in Nigeria] - [Bush Says Invading Iran 'Not the Plan'] - [Germany seeks 13 over CIA 'kidnap'] - [British Police Arrest 8 in Alleged Kidnapping Plot] - [Cuban TV Airs New Castro Images] - [Best-selling author Sidney Sheldon dead at 89]and more of today's top stories!

In the U.S, Canada, Australia and Europe; Ethiopians are preparing for mass demonstrations to bring to the world’s attention the plight of Human rights activists, journalists and opposition party leaders who are unjustly incarcerated by the government of Ethiopia
_________________________________________________________
The Carr Center for Human Rights Policy
&
Amnesty International USA
Present:
"Peaceful Resistance and Civil Disobedience as Treason: Sustained Crackdown on Dissent in Ethiopia"
(More...)
_________________________________________________________

Producer of 'YEtechekonu KeLdoch' arrested

(Ethio-ZagoL): The attack on free speech by the EPRDF continues unabated. Daniel Fisseha, executive producer of "Oppressed Jokes", was arrested on Saturday. "Oppresssed Jokes", the brilliant collection of works of stand-up comedy, had become instant hit in the country last year.

The jokes by up and coming comedians focused on social and political issues, including satires on the personality and rule of Meles Zenawi, Ethiopia's dictator. Art critics considered the collection as the first of its kind in the country in content and form. (Source)

See video Clips from YETechekonu KeldoCH:

-Clip 1 - Meles Interview
-Clip 2 - Eritrea Propaganda
-Clip 3 - Palace guards

Military Rule?
Lewit, from Addis Abeba

Today Addis truly reflects the virtual police state in which we live. Over the past week thousands of federal policemen have descended upon the city for the AU summit and, while this may help to ease the fears of the most corrupt African leaders visiting from abroad, residents here feel anything but safe.

I have never seen the city like this—a comparable number of forces were deployed during Meskel (but concentrated entirely around the Square), but the atmosphere now feels even more oppressive due to their overwhelming omnipresence.

Under the watch of conspicuous rooftop snipers, federal and military wagons currently rule the roads, spilling out dozens upon dozens of blue-clad, heavily armed soldiers at a moment’s notice. These policemen are literally EVERYWHERE, waiting with guns cocked outside retaurants and cafes, schools and churches, in abandoned lots and on crowded corners, both on the main streets and side roads.(More...)

UN Security Council cuts troop levels in Eritrea-Ethiopia peacekeeping mission

UNITED NATIONS - The Security Council voted Tuesday to reduce the peacekeeping mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea from 2,300 troops to 1,700, expressing disappointment in the stalled process to draw the border between the feuding Horn of Africa neighbors.

The 15-member council unanimously approved extending the mission in the tense 620-mile-long buffer zone for another six months.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for the extension last week, warning that another war could break out between the two countries if progress is not urgently made on the peace process.

Ban said resumed fighting would risk destabilizing the entire region, given the precarious security situation in neighboring Somalia, where African leaders are trying to muster an 8,000-member African Union peacekeeping force. (More...)

Somalia: Mortars Fired At an Ethiopian Base, Several Injured

Unknown gunmen fired several missiles at the Ethiopian military base in El-arfid, a settlement on the edge of north of the capital Mogadishu, on Tuesday night. At least three huge explosions could be heard in some parts of the capital last night.

Witnesses told Shabelle that a group of unknown armed men reportedly riding in a car has fired at least three mortars at the Ethiopian military barrack that lies between El-arfid and Darmoley, settlements, about 10 km south of the capital.(More...)

[NPR] Saving the World in Ethiopia: One Child at a Time

...One of the patients, Fantan Dere, is a young girl unsure of her age. She tells nurse Bethlehem Tesfaye that she may be 10, but the nurse thinks it's more likely Fantan is 12.

Fantan says she has been married for four years; marriages happen at a very early age for girls in rural Ethiopia. But they usually aren't consummated until the girl is ready to conceive. Fantan didn't live with her husband until two years ago. In July, she went into labor with her first child. She was in labor for three days before she was taken to a hospital in Dessie. By then, the baby had died and Fantan was severely injured.(More...)

Somali Peacekeeping Mission Will Go Ahead Despite Current Troop Shortfall

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia Jan 31, 2007 (AP)— Three battalions of peacekeepers from Uganda and Nigeria are ready to be deployed in Somalia and will be airlifted in as soon as possible, a senior AU official said Wednesday.

The African Union was pressing ahead with its peacekeeping mission to Somalia despite securing only half the 8,000 troops needed at a key summit of African leaders that ended Tuesday. The hope is the African force will prevent a routed Islamic movement from taking advantage of a power vacuum created by the withdrawal of Ethiopian forces who have been supporting Somalia's internationally recognized government. (More...)

Best-selling author Sidney Sheldon dead at 89

Sidney Sheldon, who enjoyed very successful careers in cinema, theatre, and later television before turning to fiction and becoming a spectacularly popular novelist, has died in Los Angeles following complications from pneumonia. He was 89.

Sheldon, who was born in Chicago in 1917, sold his first written work at the tender age of 10, securing $10 for a poem. After trying a variety of jobs during the Depression, he found his first Hollywood job as a script reader at the age of 17, while writing his own screenplays at night. He also enjoyed precocious success on another coast, in another medium, at one time having three musicals on Broadway: a rewritten The Merry Widow, Jackpot and Dream with Music.(More..)

Today's Top Stories

-First bird flu death in Nigeria
-Bush Says Invading Iran 'Not the Plan'
-US money is 'squandered' in Iraq
-Germany seeks 13 over CIA 'kidnap'
-British Police Arrest 8 in Alleged Kidnapping Plot
-Cuban TV Airs New Castro Images
-Berlusconi's Wife Demands His Apology
-Town to immigrants: you can't kill women





______________________________________________________________

Somali Peacekeeping Mission to Go Ahead Despite Current Troop Shortfall

Check back with ETP for more news throughout the day

Also in the news: [Producer of 'YEtechekonu KeLdoch' arrested] - [Military Rule?] - [UN Security Council cuts troop levels in Eritrea-Ethiopia peacekeeping mission] - [Somalia: Mortars Fired At an Ethiopian Base, Several Injured] - [NPR: Saving the World in Ethiopia]

International: [First bird flu death in Nigeria] - [Bush Says Invading Iran 'Not the Plan'] - [Germany seeks 13 over CIA 'kidnap'] - [British Police Arrest 8 in Alleged Kidnapping Plot] - [Cuban TV Airs New Castro Images] - [Best-selling author Sidney Sheldon dead at 89]and more of today's top stories!

In the U.S, Canada, Australia and Europe; Ethiopians are preparing for mass demonstrations to bring to the world’s attention the plight of Human rights activists, journalists and opposition party leaders who are unjustly incarcerated by the government of Ethiopia
_________________________________________________________
The Carr Center for Human Rights Policy
&
Amnesty International USA
Present:
"Peaceful Resistance and Civil Disobedience as Treason: Sustained Crackdown on Dissent in Ethiopia"
(More...)
_________________________________________________________

Producer of 'YEtechekonu KeLdoch' arrested

(Ethio-ZagoL): The attack on free speech by the EPRDF continues unabated. Daniel Fisseha, executive producer of "Oppressed Jokes", was arrested on Saturday. "Oppresssed Jokes", the brilliant collection of works of stand-up comedy, had become instant hit in the country last year.

The jokes by up and coming comedians focused on social and political issues, including satires on the personality and rule of Meles Zenawi, Ethiopia's dictator. Art critics considered the collection as the first of its kind in the country in content and form. (Source)

See video Clips from YETechekonu KeldoCH:

-Clip 1 - Meles Interview
-Clip 2 - Eritrea Propaganda
-Clip 3 - Palace guards

Military Rule?
Lewit, from Addis Abeba

Today Addis truly reflects the virtual police state in which we live. Over the past week thousands of federal policemen have descended upon the city for the AU summit and, while this may help to ease the fears of the most corrupt African leaders visiting from abroad, residents here feel anything but safe.

I have never seen the city like this—a comparable number of forces were deployed during Meskel (but concentrated entirely around the Square), but the atmosphere now feels even more oppressive due to their overwhelming omnipresence.

Under the watch of conspicuous rooftop snipers, federal and military wagons currently rule the roads, spilling out dozens upon dozens of blue-clad, heavily armed soldiers at a moment’s notice. These policemen are literally EVERYWHERE, waiting with guns cocked outside retaurants and cafes, schools and churches, in abandoned lots and on crowded corners, both on the main streets and side roads.(More...)

UN Security Council cuts troop levels in Eritrea-Ethiopia peacekeeping mission

UNITED NATIONS - The Security Council voted Tuesday to reduce the peacekeeping mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea from 2,300 troops to 1,700, expressing disappointment in the stalled process to draw the border between the feuding Horn of Africa neighbors.

The 15-member council unanimously approved extending the mission in the tense 620-mile-long buffer zone for another six months.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for the extension last week, warning that another war could break out between the two countries if progress is not urgently made on the peace process.

Ban said resumed fighting would risk destabilizing the entire region, given the precarious security situation in neighboring Somalia, where African leaders are trying to muster an 8,000-member African Union peacekeeping force. (More...)

Somalia: Mortars Fired At an Ethiopian Base, Several Injured

Unknown gunmen fired several missiles at the Ethiopian military base in El-arfid, a settlement on the edge of north of the capital Mogadishu, on Tuesday night. At least three huge explosions could be heard in some parts of the capital last night.

Witnesses told Shabelle that a group of unknown armed men reportedly riding in a car has fired at least three mortars at the Ethiopian military barrack that lies between El-arfid and Darmoley, settlements, about 10 km south of the capital.(More...)

[NPR] Saving the World in Ethiopia: One Child at a Time

...One of the patients, Fantan Dere, is a young girl unsure of her age. She tells nurse Bethlehem Tesfaye that she may be 10, but the nurse thinks it's more likely Fantan is 12.

Fantan says she has been married for four years; marriages happen at a very early age for girls in rural Ethiopia. But they usually aren't consummated until the girl is ready to conceive. Fantan didn't live with her husband until two years ago. In July, she went into labor with her first child. She was in labor for three days before she was taken to a hospital in Dessie. By then, the baby had died and Fantan was severely injured.(More...)

Somali Peacekeeping Mission Will Go Ahead Despite Current Troop Shortfall

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia Jan 31, 2007 (AP)— Three battalions of peacekeepers from Uganda and Nigeria are ready to be deployed in Somalia and will be airlifted in as soon as possible, a senior AU official said Wednesday.

The African Union was pressing ahead with its peacekeeping mission to Somalia despite securing only half the 8,000 troops needed at a key summit of African leaders that ended Tuesday. The hope is the African force will prevent a routed Islamic movement from taking advantage of a power vacuum created by the withdrawal of Ethiopian forces who have been supporting Somalia's internationally recognized government. (More...)

Best-selling author Sidney Sheldon dead at 89

Sidney Sheldon, who enjoyed very successful careers in cinema, theatre, and later television before turning to fiction and becoming a spectacularly popular novelist, has died in Los Angeles following complications from pneumonia. He was 89.

Sheldon, who was born in Chicago in 1917, sold his first written work at the tender age of 10, securing $10 for a poem. After trying a variety of jobs during the Depression, he found his first Hollywood job as a script reader at the age of 17, while writing his own screenplays at night. He also enjoyed precocious success on another coast, in another medium, at one time having three musicals on Broadway: a rewritten The Merry Widow, Jackpot and Dream with Music.(More..)

Today's Top Stories

-First bird flu death in Nigeria
-Bush Says Invading Iran 'Not the Plan'
-US money is 'squandered' in Iraq
-Germany seeks 13 over CIA 'kidnap'
-British Police Arrest 8 in Alleged Kidnapping Plot
-Cuban TV Airs New Castro Images
-Berlusconi's Wife Demands His Apology
-Town to immigrants: you can't kill women





______________________________________________________________

February 19

Also in the news: [ETHIOPIA: Journalist sent back to prison over libel case dating back to 2002] - [Torture in the prisons of Ethiopia] - [Somali extremists post video warning to peacekeepers] - [Somali government to impose curfew, as forceful disarmament is due to begin] - [Ghadafi brings in cars, gold as present for leaders] - [Timely novel sheds light on chaotic Somalia] - [African leaders mull Somali force]

International: [Millions to go hungry, waterless: climate report] - [Attacks on Shiite pilgrims kill 38 in Iraq] - [Russians Used Photo of Litvinenko for Target Practice] - [Neolithic site found near England's Stonehenge] - ["Smile Jamaica" Marley's sons to hold concert for peace] and more of today's top stories!

Libya's President Muammar al-Gaddafi is escorted by his (female) bodyguards after the morning session of the African Union Summit of Heads of States in the United Nations office in Addis Ababa January 30, 2007. REUTERS/Andrew Heavens

_________________________________________________________
The Carr Center for Human Rights Policy
&
Amnesty International USA
Present:
"Peaceful Resistance and Civil Disobedience as Treason: Sustained Crackdown on Dissent in Ethiopia"
(More...)
_________________________________________________________


February 19

ETP: A world wide campaign is in the works this February, to appeal for the release of prisoners of conscience in Ethiopia.

In the U.S, Canada, Australia and Europe; Ethiopians are preparing for mass demonstrations to bring to the world’s attention the plight of Human rights activists, journalists and opposition party leaders who are incarcerated for exercising their right to free speech.

Everyone that wishes to see democracy blossom in Ethiopia has an obligation to be involved in this campaign.

Participate in the demonstrations; Call and send your letters of appeal to governments of donor countries as well as the government of Ethiopia ( Prime Minister's office), The American Embassy in Ethiopia, European Commission in Ethiopia, etc..

February 19 is sentencing day for prisoners of conscience in Ethiopia; let’s work together to make that day the beginning of true justice, reconciliation, peace and unity.
__________________________________________________
-Visit the Action Center, see how you can help!
- IT'S TIME

Also read:
-OPEN LETTER TO PRIME MINISTER MELES ZENAWI: FROM PROFESSOR MESFIN W/MARIAM (September 28, 2005)
__________________________________________________

ETHIOPIA: Journalist sent back to prison over libel case dating back to 2002

Reporters Without Borders today condemned the Ethiopian supreme court’s decision on 26 January to reject an appeal by journalist Abraham Reta of the privately-owned weekly Addis Admas and send him back to prison to complete the one-year sentence he received in May 2006 for allegedly libelling three senior officials.

“We will not be able to talk of press freedom in Ethiopia as long as heavy prison sentences are been handed down in such an abnormal manner on journalists whom the government sees fit to classify as opposition members,” the press freedom organisation said. “A way must be quickly found to release all the journalists who are in prison. Detaining part of the press and making the other part live in fear of being detained will only aggravate the general situation.” (More...)

Somali extremists post video warning to peacekeepers

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) -- Extremists in Somalia warned on Tuesday they would try and kill any peacekeepers deployed to the country, a sign of further instability and unrest in the war-ravaged nation.

In a videotape posted on the official Web site of Somalia's routed Islamic movement, a hooded gunman read a statement saying that any African peacekeepers would be seen as invaders.

The video warning comes as African leaders met in neighboring Ethiopia to discuss the deployment of 8,000 peacekeepers to Somalia. So far only three nations -- Uganda, Nigeria and Malawi -- have pledged around 4,000 troops.

"Somalia is not a place where you will earn a salary -- it is a place where you will die," one militant, carrying an assault rifle and dressed in military fatigues, said in the warning to the peacekeepers. "The salary you are seeking will be used to transport your bodies." Five other hooded gunmen were visible, armed with machine guns and rocket propelled grenades.(More...)

Ghadafi brings in cars, gold as present for leaders

(capital) Libyan leader Muamar Ghadafi has brought in 15 cars and two bags full of gold as gifts for African heads of states who are expected to participate in the 8th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union, scheduled to open tomorrow, Monday, January 29th.

The two bags of gold are kept in a room at the airport awaiting consent from Prime Minister Meles Zenawi. Sources from Bole International Airport disclosed that the two bags of gold have been seized to check on the legality of bringing gold into the country. Ghadafi is noted for engaging in very controversial ventures in the past.

He has also been pushing for many years to have the headquarters of the African Union shifted from Addis Ababa to the Libyan capital Tripoli.

Somali government to impose curfew on the country as forceful disarmament is due to begin

Somali prime minister Ali Mohammed Gedi, who delivered a brief speech to the parliament today, has announced that a curfew will be imposed on the country generally despite the State of Emergency, which has had little affect in the country’s security situation.

He said there will be curfew on the country soon to secure the stability and peace in the country. “The parliament and the government will impose a curfew on the country and you will hear today the time the curfew will be affective,” he said, adding that people should abide by the laws and cooperate with government security forces.(More...)

Timely novel sheds light on chaotic Somalia

Nuruddin Farah's new novel "Knots" about roots, returning and regeneration -- a tale of hope set against a backdrop of seeming hopelessness.

A family catastrophe in Canada prompts Cambara, a strong-willed Somali exile, to return to reclaim her family property in war-torn Mogadiscio (the Italian spelling of the city Mogadishu used by the author) from a warlord.

In the process she finds unexpected love, befriends a jovial Irishman, a resourceful shopkeeper and some female peace activists among others, and manages to stage a play -- while throwing a couple of karate kicks along the way. (More...)

Today's Top Stories

-Torture in the prisons of Ethiopia
-African leaders mull Somali force
-Millions to go hungry, waterless: climate report
-Attacks on Shiite pilgrims kill 38 in Iraq
-Report: Russians Used Photo of Litvinenko for Target Practice
-Neolithic site found near England's Stonehenge
-"Smile Jamaica" Marley's sons to hold concert for peace
-2006 Sets Global Tourism Record
-Thieves happier than police?


________________________________________________

February 19

Also in the news: [ETHIOPIA: Journalist sent back to prison over libel case dating back to 2002] - [Torture in the prisons of Ethiopia] - [Somali extremists post video warning to peacekeepers] - [Somali government to impose curfew, as forceful disarmament is due to begin] - [Ghadafi brings in cars, gold as present for leaders] - [Timely novel sheds light on chaotic Somalia] - [African leaders mull Somali force]

International: [Millions to go hungry, waterless: climate report] - [Attacks on Shiite pilgrims kill 38 in Iraq] - [Russians Used Photo of Litvinenko for Target Practice] - [Neolithic site found near England's Stonehenge] - ["Smile Jamaica" Marley's sons to hold concert for peace] and more of today's top stories!

Libya's President Muammar al-Gaddafi is escorted by his (female) bodyguards after the morning session of the African Union Summit of Heads of States in the United Nations office in Addis Ababa January 30, 2007. REUTERS/Andrew Heavens

_________________________________________________________
The Carr Center for Human Rights Policy
&
Amnesty International USA
Present:
"Peaceful Resistance and Civil Disobedience as Treason: Sustained Crackdown on Dissent in Ethiopia"
(More...)
_________________________________________________________


February 19

ETP: A world wide campaign is in the works this February, to appeal for the release of prisoners of conscience in Ethiopia.

In the U.S, Canada, Australia and Europe; Ethiopians are preparing for mass demonstrations to bring to the world’s attention the plight of Human rights activists, journalists and opposition party leaders who are incarcerated for exercising their right to free speech.

Everyone that wishes to see democracy blossom in Ethiopia has an obligation to be involved in this campaign.

Participate in the demonstrations; Call and send your letters of appeal to governments of donor countries as well as the government of Ethiopia ( Prime Minister's office), The American Embassy in Ethiopia, European Commission in Ethiopia, etc..

February 19 is sentencing day for prisoners of conscience in Ethiopia; let’s work together to make that day the beginning of true justice, reconciliation, peace and unity.
__________________________________________________
-Visit the Action Center, see how you can help!
- IT'S TIME

Also read:
-OPEN LETTER TO PRIME MINISTER MELES ZENAWI: FROM PROFESSOR MESFIN W/MARIAM (September 28, 2005)
__________________________________________________

ETHIOPIA: Journalist sent back to prison over libel case dating back to 2002

Reporters Without Borders today condemned the Ethiopian supreme court’s decision on 26 January to reject an appeal by journalist Abraham Reta of the privately-owned weekly Addis Admas and send him back to prison to complete the one-year sentence he received in May 2006 for allegedly libelling three senior officials.

“We will not be able to talk of press freedom in Ethiopia as long as heavy prison sentences are been handed down in such an abnormal manner on journalists whom the government sees fit to classify as opposition members,” the press freedom organisation said. “A way must be quickly found to release all the journalists who are in prison. Detaining part of the press and making the other part live in fear of being detained will only aggravate the general situation.” (More...)

Somali extremists post video warning to peacekeepers

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) -- Extremists in Somalia warned on Tuesday they would try and kill any peacekeepers deployed to the country, a sign of further instability and unrest in the war-ravaged nation.

In a videotape posted on the official Web site of Somalia's routed Islamic movement, a hooded gunman read a statement saying that any African peacekeepers would be seen as invaders.

The video warning comes as African leaders met in neighboring Ethiopia to discuss the deployment of 8,000 peacekeepers to Somalia. So far only three nations -- Uganda, Nigeria and Malawi -- have pledged around 4,000 troops.

"Somalia is not a place where you will earn a salary -- it is a place where you will die," one militant, carrying an assault rifle and dressed in military fatigues, said in the warning to the peacekeepers. "The salary you are seeking will be used to transport your bodies." Five other hooded gunmen were visible, armed with machine guns and rocket propelled grenades.(More...)

Ghadafi brings in cars, gold as present for leaders

(capital) Libyan leader Muamar Ghadafi has brought in 15 cars and two bags full of gold as gifts for African heads of states who are expected to participate in the 8th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union, scheduled to open tomorrow, Monday, January 29th.

The two bags of gold are kept in a room at the airport awaiting consent from Prime Minister Meles Zenawi. Sources from Bole International Airport disclosed that the two bags of gold have been seized to check on the legality of bringing gold into the country. Ghadafi is noted for engaging in very controversial ventures in the past.

He has also been pushing for many years to have the headquarters of the African Union shifted from Addis Ababa to the Libyan capital Tripoli.

Somali government to impose curfew on the country as forceful disarmament is due to begin

Somali prime minister Ali Mohammed Gedi, who delivered a brief speech to the parliament today, has announced that a curfew will be imposed on the country generally despite the State of Emergency, which has had little affect in the country’s security situation.

He said there will be curfew on the country soon to secure the stability and peace in the country. “The parliament and the government will impose a curfew on the country and you will hear today the time the curfew will be affective,” he said, adding that people should abide by the laws and cooperate with government security forces.(More...)

Timely novel sheds light on chaotic Somalia

Nuruddin Farah's new novel "Knots" about roots, returning and regeneration -- a tale of hope set against a backdrop of seeming hopelessness.

A family catastrophe in Canada prompts Cambara, a strong-willed Somali exile, to return to reclaim her family property in war-torn Mogadiscio (the Italian spelling of the city Mogadishu used by the author) from a warlord.

In the process she finds unexpected love, befriends a jovial Irishman, a resourceful shopkeeper and some female peace activists among others, and manages to stage a play -- while throwing a couple of karate kicks along the way. (More...)

Today's Top Stories

-Torture in the prisons of Ethiopia
-African leaders mull Somali force
-Millions to go hungry, waterless: climate report
-Attacks on Shiite pilgrims kill 38 in Iraq
-Report: Russians Used Photo of Litvinenko for Target Practice
-Neolithic site found near England's Stonehenge
-"Smile Jamaica" Marley's sons to hold concert for peace
-2006 Sets Global Tourism Record
-Thieves happier than police?


________________________________________________

Darfur, Somalia To Top Agenda At African Union Summit in Addis

Also in the news: [Ethiopian teachers union fights to survive] - [AU chooses Ghana over Sudan] - [U.S military officials: Somalia may 'revert to chaos']

International: [U.S.-Backed Troops Kill 300 Cult Members] - [Suicide bomber kills 3 in Israel] - [Vista ready for consumers] - [Chavez Denies Plans to Seize Property] - [Breaking down Colts Vs. Bears] and more of today's top stories!

Courtesy of abugidainfo

-----------------------------------------------------
-[Audio] Dr. Yacob Hailemariam's Message from Kaliti, narrated by Kinijitethiopia.org
-----------------------------------------------------
'Free prisoners of conscience' Action Center
-----------------------------------------------------

Darfur, Somalia To Top Agenda At African Union Summit

The chairman of the African Union (AU) stressed on Monday at the opening of a heads of state summit that "chaos" will ensue in Somalia if a peacekeeping mission isn't deployed soon to the Horn of Africa country.

Chairman Alpha Oumar Konare, who was opening the eighth AU summit in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa on Monday, said some 4,000 troops have already been offered out of a planned 8,000-strong deployment.

"If African troops are not deployed quickly, there will be chaos," Konare said, speaking to some 30 African heads of state as well as foreign leaders and diplomats.

Konare also said that if the fighting in Sudan's Darfur region isn't stopped, the entire region could be destabilized. (More...)

Also see:
-The presidential parade: Meskel Square
-Getting ready for Gaddafi: Meskel Square
-"Well that was a dynamic question": Meskel Square

Ethiopian teachers union fights to survive

On 14 December, Ethiopian Teachers’ Association (ETA) activist Ayalew was detained without a warrant by the Ethiopian government. Ayalew has reportedly been tortured and denied medical treatment while in police custody.

His relatives and fellow ETA members are now extremely worried, as they have not known either his health condition nor his whereabouts since 18 December. Another activist, Mengistu, disappeared on 15 December.

For fifteen years the Ethiopian government has been attempting to dismantle Ethiopia’s trade union movement and the ETA has been at the sharp end of this repression. (More...)

African Union chooses Ghana over Sudan

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia - The African Union chose Ghana to head the 53-member bloc Monday, turning aside Sudan's bid for the second year in a row because of the worsening bloodshed in Darfur.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon had opened the summit with a call on African leaders to end the deadlock created by Sudan's refusal to allow U.N. peacekeepers into the violence-wracked region in western Sudan.

Nobel laureate Desmond Tutu also sharply criticized Sudan, and an aid group said it was pulling out of Darfur because it was unsafe.(More...)

U.S military officials: Somalia may 'revert to chaos'

According to the spokesperson, Islamic fighters "are coming back to Mogadishu. They're destabilising sections of the city. They're attacking police stations".

Doha - United States military officials say Somalia could return to chaos in four months if international peacekeepers don't quickly replace departing Ethiopian troops - now propping up the country's weak government.

A Somali government spokesperson echoed the warning on Sunday, saying Islamic fighters were regrouping and the US-backed transitional government lacked troops, training and weapons to deal with them. (More...)

Today's Top Stories

-Najaf battle foiled, U.S.-Backed Troops Kill 300 Members of Cult
-Prince Charles chats, shoots baskets with New York schoolchildren
-Suicide bomber kills 3 in Israel bakery
-Cocaine is king on Nicaragua's Caribbean coast
-Chavez Denies Plans to Seize Property
-Vista ready for consumers
-Breaking down Colts Vs. Bears
-No wine or women, China warns its Olympics officials





___________________________________________________

Darfur, Somalia To Top Agenda At African Union Summit in Addis

Also in the news: [Ethiopian teachers union fights to survive] - [AU chooses Ghana over Sudan] - [U.S military officials: Somalia may 'revert to chaos']

International: [U.S.-Backed Troops Kill 300 Cult Members] - [Suicide bomber kills 3 in Israel] - [Vista ready for consumers] - [Chavez Denies Plans to Seize Property] - [Breaking down Colts Vs. Bears] and more of today's top stories!

Courtesy of abugidainfo

-----------------------------------------------------
-[Audio] Dr. Yacob Hailemariam's Message from Kaliti, narrated by Kinijitethiopia.org
-----------------------------------------------------
'Free prisoners of conscience' Action Center
-----------------------------------------------------

Darfur, Somalia To Top Agenda At African Union Summit

The chairman of the African Union (AU) stressed on Monday at the opening of a heads of state summit that "chaos" will ensue in Somalia if a peacekeeping mission isn't deployed soon to the Horn of Africa country.

Chairman Alpha Oumar Konare, who was opening the eighth AU summit in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa on Monday, said some 4,000 troops have already been offered out of a planned 8,000-strong deployment.

"If African troops are not deployed quickly, there will be chaos," Konare said, speaking to some 30 African heads of state as well as foreign leaders and diplomats.

Konare also said that if the fighting in Sudan's Darfur region isn't stopped, the entire region could be destabilized. (More...)

Also see:
-The presidential parade: Meskel Square
-Getting ready for Gaddafi: Meskel Square
-"Well that was a dynamic question": Meskel Square

Ethiopian teachers union fights to survive

On 14 December, Ethiopian Teachers’ Association (ETA) activist Ayalew was detained without a warrant by the Ethiopian government. Ayalew has reportedly been tortured and denied medical treatment while in police custody.

His relatives and fellow ETA members are now extremely worried, as they have not known either his health condition nor his whereabouts since 18 December. Another activist, Mengistu, disappeared on 15 December.

For fifteen years the Ethiopian government has been attempting to dismantle Ethiopia’s trade union movement and the ETA has been at the sharp end of this repression. (More...)

African Union chooses Ghana over Sudan

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia - The African Union chose Ghana to head the 53-member bloc Monday, turning aside Sudan's bid for the second year in a row because of the worsening bloodshed in Darfur.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon had opened the summit with a call on African leaders to end the deadlock created by Sudan's refusal to allow U.N. peacekeepers into the violence-wracked region in western Sudan.

Nobel laureate Desmond Tutu also sharply criticized Sudan, and an aid group said it was pulling out of Darfur because it was unsafe.(More...)

U.S military officials: Somalia may 'revert to chaos'

According to the spokesperson, Islamic fighters "are coming back to Mogadishu. They're destabilising sections of the city. They're attacking police stations".

Doha - United States military officials say Somalia could return to chaos in four months if international peacekeepers don't quickly replace departing Ethiopian troops - now propping up the country's weak government.

A Somali government spokesperson echoed the warning on Sunday, saying Islamic fighters were regrouping and the US-backed transitional government lacked troops, training and weapons to deal with them. (More...)

Today's Top Stories

-Najaf battle foiled, U.S.-Backed Troops Kill 300 Members of Cult
-Prince Charles chats, shoots baskets with New York schoolchildren
-Suicide bomber kills 3 in Israel bakery
-Cocaine is king on Nicaragua's Caribbean coast
-Chavez Denies Plans to Seize Property
-Vista ready for consumers
-Breaking down Colts Vs. Bears
-No wine or women, China warns its Olympics officials





___________________________________________________

The Week in Review

Look for the 'The Week in Review' segment below

'Free prisoners of conscience in Ethiopia' Action Center

Professor Yacob Hailemariam’s LETTER FROM KALITY JAIL, addressed to the people of Ethiopia and the federal judges overseeing the case.




Gunmen attack Somali police stations

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Gunmen attacked a Somali police station Sunday, sparking an hourlong battle that killed two people just hours after two other stations were hit with machine-guns and rocket-propelled grenades, witnesses said.

The increased violence in Mogadishu is boosting fears that the Somali government's tenuous grip on power isn't enough to safeguard this notoriously violent city.

"The gunmen ran away after reinforcements arrived to help the police," said Ifah Ahmed Ali, who witnessed the attack Sunday in northern Mogadishu. Late Saturday, gunmen attacked two police stations, wounding five people.(More...)

The Week in Review

• Monday - January 22, 2007

[Assassins attack commander of Ethiopian troops in central Somalia] - [Witnesses: Ethiopian Troops Kill civilians ] - [Key Somali Islamist surrenders in Kenya] - [Kinijit LA: EPRDF’s Attempt to Disseminate It’s Propaganda Failed Miserably] - [Ethiopia's foreign minister meets Somali president in Mogadishu] - [Stand up comedy in Ethiopia]


• Wednesday - January 24, 2007

[U.S. launches new air strike on Somalia] - [Defections continue as political dissent remains a crime in Ethiopia] - [Mortars hit Somalia's international airport] - [Ethiopia to stay in Somalia until AU force arrives, says Meles] - [U.S. ambassador, top Somali Islamist meet] - [Israel health ministry: Ethiopian blood donation will no longer be discarded]- [Kapuscinski writer of "The Emperor" ( a book that critics the last days of Emperor Haile Selassie) dies in Warsaw]


• Thursday - January 25, 2007

[Somalia government to negotiate with Islamists] - [A Neo-Liberal Straw-man Binds This Book] - [African leaders to restate support to 2010 World Cup] - [Saving Ethiopia's Forest — And Its Women]


• Friday - January 26, 2007

[Reuters: New wave of violence shakes Mogadishu as the bloodshed continues unabated] - [ICG: Somalia - The Tough Part Is Ahead] - [South Africa says no troops for Somalia] - [Ethiopian Supermodel Raises Money for African Village Women]

The Week in Review

Look for the 'The Week in Review' segment below

'Free prisoners of conscience in Ethiopia' Action Center

Professor Yacob Hailemariam’s LETTER FROM KALITY JAIL, addressed to the people of Ethiopia and the federal judges overseeing the case.




Gunmen attack Somali police stations

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Gunmen attacked a Somali police station Sunday, sparking an hourlong battle that killed two people just hours after two other stations were hit with machine-guns and rocket-propelled grenades, witnesses said.

The increased violence in Mogadishu is boosting fears that the Somali government's tenuous grip on power isn't enough to safeguard this notoriously violent city.

"The gunmen ran away after reinforcements arrived to help the police," said Ifah Ahmed Ali, who witnessed the attack Sunday in northern Mogadishu. Late Saturday, gunmen attacked two police stations, wounding five people.(More...)

The Week in Review

• Monday - January 22, 2007

[Assassins attack commander of Ethiopian troops in central Somalia] - [Witnesses: Ethiopian Troops Kill civilians ] - [Key Somali Islamist surrenders in Kenya] - [Kinijit LA: EPRDF’s Attempt to Disseminate It’s Propaganda Failed Miserably] - [Ethiopia's foreign minister meets Somali president in Mogadishu] - [Stand up comedy in Ethiopia]


• Wednesday - January 24, 2007

[U.S. launches new air strike on Somalia] - [Defections continue as political dissent remains a crime in Ethiopia] - [Mortars hit Somalia's international airport] - [Ethiopia to stay in Somalia until AU force arrives, says Meles] - [U.S. ambassador, top Somali Islamist meet] - [Israel health ministry: Ethiopian blood donation will no longer be discarded]- [Kapuscinski writer of "The Emperor" ( a book that critics the last days of Emperor Haile Selassie) dies in Warsaw]


• Thursday - January 25, 2007

[Somalia government to negotiate with Islamists] - [A Neo-Liberal Straw-man Binds This Book] - [African leaders to restate support to 2010 World Cup] - [Saving Ethiopia's Forest — And Its Women]


• Friday - January 26, 2007

[Reuters: New wave of violence shakes Mogadishu as the bloodshed continues unabated] - [ICG: Somalia - The Tough Part Is Ahead] - [South Africa says no troops for Somalia] - [Ethiopian Supermodel Raises Money for African Village Women]

Reuters: New wave of violence shakes Mogadishu as the bloodshed continues unabated

Also in the news: [ICG: Somalia - The Tough Part Is Ahead] - [South Africa says no troops for Somalia] - [Ethiopian Supermodel Raises Money for African Village Women]

International: [Severe hunger looms for Zimbabwe] - [U.S. troops allowed to kill Iranians plotting attacks in Iraq] - [Hollywood stars choose between Clinton, Obama] - [Suicide blast rocks Pakistani luxury hotel] - [Delayed convict steals car to get back to jail] and more of today's top stories!



Professor Yacob Hailemariam’s LETTER FROM KALITY JAIL, addressed to the people of Ethiopia and the federal judges overseeing the case.




------------------------------------------------------
Resolution supporting urgent lobbying and vigil campaigns concerning Feb 19 2007 (sentencing day for Kinijit leaders, human right defenders and journalists)
------------------------------------------------------

New wave of violence shakes Mogadishu as the bloodshed continues unabated


A Somali woman is wheeled into the Medina hospital after being wounded by a mortar shell after a mortar attack.(AP Photo/Mohamed Sheikh Nor)

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Mortars hit a Mogadishu residential area and two men were shot dead overnight in the latest violence in a city the Somali government is struggling to pacify after the ouster of hardline Islamists.

In neighboring Kenya -- where some defeated Islamist fighters have fled -- five young men of Somali origin carrying U.S., French, Tunisian and Syrian passports were arrested at the border, local newspapers reported.

In what looked like a targeted killing in the lawless Somali capital, a man was blindfolded and shot dead late on Thursday in Mogadishu's Tarbuunka Square, witnesses said.

"Three men came out of a vehicle holding a blindfolded man. They shot him then drove away," said a resident who saw the assassination. The other man was shot in Bakara market, residents said. Details of both incidents were murky.(More...)

Also see: Amid chaos, young Somalis struggle to get by

Somalia: The Tough Part Is Ahead

the latest briefing from the International Crisis Group, examines the situation since Somali Transitional Federal Government (TFG) forces and Ethiopian troops drove the Council of Somali Islamic Courts (CSIC) from power in December 2006
___________________________________________________

Somalia’s Islamic Courts fell even more dramatically than they rose. In little more than a week in December 2006, Ethiopian and Somali Transitional Federal Government (TFG) forces killed hundreds of Islamist fighters and scattered the rest in a lightning offensive. On 27 December, the Council of Somali Islamic Courts in effect dissolved itself, surrendering political leadership to clan leaders.

This was a major success for Ethiopia and the U.S. who feared emergence of a Taliban-style haven for al-Qaeda and other Islamist extremists, but it is too early to declare an end to Somalia’s woes. There is now a political vacuum across much of southern Somalia, which the ineffectual TFG is unable to fill.

Elements of the Courts, including Shabaab militants and their al-Qaeda associates, are largely intact and threaten guerrilla war. Peace requires the TFG to be reconstituted as a genuine government of national unity but the signs of its willingness are discouraging. Sustained international pressure is needed. (More...)
___________________________________________________

South Africa says no troops for Somalia

South Africa will not send peacekeepers to war-torn Somalia but will consider other avenues of support, officials say. The decision was announced by Defense Minister Mosiuoa Lekota after discussing the matter with President Thabo Mbeki.

There had been concerns that another peacekeeping mission would strain the country's defense resources, the Shaybelle Network said. South Africa currently is involved in similar missions in other parts of Africa.

Lekota said he supported the view of the African Union and the United Nations that there was a need for a strong peacekeeping force in Somalia. But, South Africa's force is already over-extended and other ways will be sought to help Somalia, he said. (More...)

Ethiopian Supermodel Raises Money for African Village Women

Jan. 26, 2007 — With her good looks, the 28-year-old Ethiopian knockout is one of the fashion world's "it" girls and the first black woman chosen as the face of Estee Lauder.

Despite her wild success, Kebede is not content to simply grace the catwalks and live in luxury. Instead, she's now focusing on the poor African villages she left behind. "For me, Ethiopia is such a nice place.

I mean, really, it was such a nice place to grow up," she said. "It's a really poor country and it's very sad that's such a poor country, but the people are so proud, also." (More...) [Learn About Liya Kebede's Foundation]

Today's Top Stories

-Severe hunger looms for Zimbabwe
-U.S. troops allowed to kill Iranians plotting attacks in Iraq
-Hollywood stars choose between Clinton, Obama
-Indonesia offered to moderate Hamas-Fatah talks
-3 Dead, Scores Injured as Opposition Paralyzes Lebanon
-Suicide blast rocks Pakistani luxury hotel
-Delayed convict steals car to get back to jail
-Who Wants to Be a Millionaire' Hitting China


__________________________________

Reuters: New wave of violence shakes Mogadishu as the bloodshed continues unabated

Also in the news: [ICG: Somalia - The Tough Part Is Ahead] - [South Africa says no troops for Somalia] - [Ethiopian Supermodel Raises Money for African Village Women]

International: [Severe hunger looms for Zimbabwe] - [U.S. troops allowed to kill Iranians plotting attacks in Iraq] - [Hollywood stars choose between Clinton, Obama] - [Suicide blast rocks Pakistani luxury hotel] - [Delayed convict steals car to get back to jail] and more of today's top stories!



Professor Yacob Hailemariam’s LETTER FROM KALITY JAIL, addressed to the people of Ethiopia and the federal judges overseeing the case.




------------------------------------------------------
Resolution supporting urgent lobbying and vigil campaigns concerning Feb 19 2007 (sentencing day for Kinijit leaders, human right defenders and journalists)
------------------------------------------------------

New wave of violence shakes Mogadishu as the bloodshed continues unabated


A Somali woman is wheeled into the Medina hospital after being wounded by a mortar shell after a mortar attack.(AP Photo/Mohamed Sheikh Nor)

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Mortars hit a Mogadishu residential area and two men were shot dead overnight in the latest violence in a city the Somali government is struggling to pacify after the ouster of hardline Islamists.

In neighboring Kenya -- where some defeated Islamist fighters have fled -- five young men of Somali origin carrying U.S., French, Tunisian and Syrian passports were arrested at the border, local newspapers reported.

In what looked like a targeted killing in the lawless Somali capital, a man was blindfolded and shot dead late on Thursday in Mogadishu's Tarbuunka Square, witnesses said.

"Three men came out of a vehicle holding a blindfolded man. They shot him then drove away," said a resident who saw the assassination. The other man was shot in Bakara market, residents said. Details of both incidents were murky.(More...)

Also see: Amid chaos, young Somalis struggle to get by

Somalia: The Tough Part Is Ahead

the latest briefing from the International Crisis Group, examines the situation since Somali Transitional Federal Government (TFG) forces and Ethiopian troops drove the Council of Somali Islamic Courts (CSIC) from power in December 2006
___________________________________________________

Somalia’s Islamic Courts fell even more dramatically than they rose. In little more than a week in December 2006, Ethiopian and Somali Transitional Federal Government (TFG) forces killed hundreds of Islamist fighters and scattered the rest in a lightning offensive. On 27 December, the Council of Somali Islamic Courts in effect dissolved itself, surrendering political leadership to clan leaders.

This was a major success for Ethiopia and the U.S. who feared emergence of a Taliban-style haven for al-Qaeda and other Islamist extremists, but it is too early to declare an end to Somalia’s woes. There is now a political vacuum across much of southern Somalia, which the ineffectual TFG is unable to fill.

Elements of the Courts, including Shabaab militants and their al-Qaeda associates, are largely intact and threaten guerrilla war. Peace requires the TFG to be reconstituted as a genuine government of national unity but the signs of its willingness are discouraging. Sustained international pressure is needed. (More...)
___________________________________________________

South Africa says no troops for Somalia

South Africa will not send peacekeepers to war-torn Somalia but will consider other avenues of support, officials say. The decision was announced by Defense Minister Mosiuoa Lekota after discussing the matter with President Thabo Mbeki.

There had been concerns that another peacekeeping mission would strain the country's defense resources, the Shaybelle Network said. South Africa currently is involved in similar missions in other parts of Africa.

Lekota said he supported the view of the African Union and the United Nations that there was a need for a strong peacekeeping force in Somalia. But, South Africa's force is already over-extended and other ways will be sought to help Somalia, he said. (More...)

Ethiopian Supermodel Raises Money for African Village Women

Jan. 26, 2007 — With her good looks, the 28-year-old Ethiopian knockout is one of the fashion world's "it" girls and the first black woman chosen as the face of Estee Lauder.

Despite her wild success, Kebede is not content to simply grace the catwalks and live in luxury. Instead, she's now focusing on the poor African villages she left behind. "For me, Ethiopia is such a nice place.

I mean, really, it was such a nice place to grow up," she said. "It's a really poor country and it's very sad that's such a poor country, but the people are so proud, also." (More...) [Learn About Liya Kebede's Foundation]

Today's Top Stories

-Severe hunger looms for Zimbabwe
-U.S. troops allowed to kill Iranians plotting attacks in Iraq
-Hollywood stars choose between Clinton, Obama
-Indonesia offered to moderate Hamas-Fatah talks
-3 Dead, Scores Injured as Opposition Paralyzes Lebanon
-Suicide blast rocks Pakistani luxury hotel
-Delayed convict steals car to get back to jail
-Who Wants to Be a Millionaire' Hitting China


__________________________________

Gunmen Attack Ethiopian Soldiers In Somalia, Killing one

Also in the news: [Somalia government to negotiate with Islamists] - [A Neo-Liberal Straw-man Binds This Book] - [African leaders to restate support to 2010 World Cup] - [Saving Ethiopia's Forest — And Its Women]

International: [$7.6 Billion Raised For Lebanon] - [Russian man caught trying to sell nuclear-bomb uranium in a plastic bag from his jacket pocket] - [Ford Loss in 2006 Largest in its 103-Year History] - [Father Kills Daughter; Doubted Virginity] and more of today's top stories!

----------------------------------------------------
EACA: 'Retract the John Thompson Legacy of A Dream Award' (Letter to the President of Georgetown University, John J. DeGioia)
----------------------------------------------------

A Neo-Liberal Straw-man Binds This Book

The following article takes a critical look at the synopsis of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi’s “Dead Ends and New Beginnings for Africa”. the writer's name has been withheld upon request. He argues that the developmental state theory is simply a pretext for the Revolutionary Democrats’ continuous rule in Ethiopia, perhaps for the next half century.

_______________________________________________
Anyone who has a full time job, and I would suggest that Prime Minister of Ethiopia counts, is to be congratulated on being able to produce written work on the side, even if it is related to their employment. I would like to congratulate Prime Minister Meles Zenawi on the industriousness he has shown in completing the preliminary draft of his PhD thesis and future book.

Although it is not a completed work, it has been publicly circulating through media such as the Walta Information Centre and prompted a lot of comments. The concepts in this paper formed the basis of much of the ‘training’ for senior officials in Adama (Nazareth) a short time ago.

The main thrust of the thesis is to argue against the neo-liberal agenda, and to present an alternative which buttresses the role of the state in the economy. It also connects this economic argument to a broader social and political analysis, arguing that ‘democracy,’ defined in a way which I shall be returned to, is also a good thing for development and that social forces have to be organized to support rather than thwart economic development.(More...)
_______________________________________________

Saving Ethiopia's Forest — And Its Women

[Picture - Ethiopian orphans Maselech Mercho, left, and Mulunesh Eshetu gather wood illegally. If they fail to bribe forest guards, they are often beaten or raped]

Since she was 6 years old, Maselech Mercho has hiked up into the lush Entoto hills near Addis Ababa to gather wood, illegally, from the protected eucalyptus forests. She has no tools but her hands, so she pulls the branches she can reach, and carries out some 65 pounds of firewood on her back.

For her efforts, Maselech may earn a bit less than $1 in the local market, which she uses for food and school fees. If she is spotted by forest guards, she earns nothing, and may get beaten or raped.

"When the guards find us with wood, they beat us hard," says Maselech, who is now 10. "If we give them money, they leave us alone. If they get drunk, they try to rape us. We will scream for help, but when we scream in these forests, there is nobody to lend us a hand." (More...)

Gunmen Attack Ethiopian Soldiers In Somalia, Killing 1

KISMAYO, Somalia (AP)--Gunmen attacked Ethiopian soldiers stationed in southern Somalia Thursday, killing one and wounding another with a gunshot to the chest, witnesses said.

The violence broke out in the money exchange market in Kismayo, said Abdullahi Hassan, a money changer. "The gunmen used pistols...They have taken the Ethiopian soldiers' AK-47s," Hassan said.

Earlier this week Ethiopian troops, whose military strength was crucial to helping Somalia's government drive out a radical Islamic militia group, began their withdrawal. It was not clear when the withdrawal would be complete.(More...)

Also see: BBC: Ethiopian soldier dies in Somalia

Somalia government to negotiate with Islamists

Nairobi based Daily Standard newspaper reported on Wednesday that Somalia Prime Minister Ali Mohamed said his government wants Sheik Sharrif and his supporters to participate in the ongoing reconciliation talks.

Premier Gedi made the statement before flying from Nairobi and returning to Mogadishu. "We want all UIC officials and supporters including Sheikh Sharrif to come to Mogadishu for talks in Somalia," he was quoted as saying.(More...)

African leaders to restate support to 2010 World Cup

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 01/25 - African leaders will make a solid commitment to holding the first-ever World Cup on the continent in 2010 in South Africa when they convene here 29 January for their annual summit, a top African Union (AU) official said here Wednesday.

Bience Gawanas, the AU Commissioner for Social Affairs, said the African leaders will make a public support for the 2010 World Cup when they also declare 2007 the Year of African Football.

FIFA President Sepp Blatter is due here for the launch of the Year of African Football on Sunday, which will be marked by a ceremonial match between the Ethiopian and South African Under-15 teams. (More...)

Today's Top Stories

-$7.6 Billion Raised For Lebanon
-Russia offers to build India 4 nuclear reactors
-Georgian Sting Seizes Bomb Grade Uranium (A Russian man caught trying to sell nuclear-bomb graded uranium in a plastic bag from his jacket pocket)
-Ford $12.7 Billion Loss in 2006, Largest Annual Loss in its 103-Year History
-Father Kills Daughter; Doubted Virginity
-Actor Whitaker on 'finding' Amin
-Men arrested for murdering "ghost" brides

Gunmen Attack Ethiopian Soldiers In Somalia, Killing one

Also in the news: [Somalia government to negotiate with Islamists] - [A Neo-Liberal Straw-man Binds This Book] - [African leaders to restate support to 2010 World Cup] - [Saving Ethiopia's Forest — And Its Women]

International: [$7.6 Billion Raised For Lebanon] - [Russian man caught trying to sell nuclear-bomb uranium in a plastic bag from his jacket pocket] - [Ford Loss in 2006 Largest in its 103-Year History] - [Father Kills Daughter; Doubted Virginity] and more of today's top stories!

----------------------------------------------------
EACA: 'Retract the John Thompson Legacy of A Dream Award' (Letter to the President of Georgetown University, John J. DeGioia)
----------------------------------------------------

A Neo-Liberal Straw-man Binds This Book

The following article takes a critical look at the synopsis of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi’s “Dead Ends and New Beginnings for Africa”. the writer's name has been withheld upon request. He argues that the developmental state theory is simply a pretext for the Revolutionary Democrats’ continuous rule in Ethiopia, perhaps for the next half century.

_______________________________________________
Anyone who has a full time job, and I would suggest that Prime Minister of Ethiopia counts, is to be congratulated on being able to produce written work on the side, even if it is related to their employment. I would like to congratulate Prime Minister Meles Zenawi on the industriousness he has shown in completing the preliminary draft of his PhD thesis and future book.

Although it is not a completed work, it has been publicly circulating through media such as the Walta Information Centre and prompted a lot of comments. The concepts in this paper formed the basis of much of the ‘training’ for senior officials in Adama (Nazareth) a short time ago.

The main thrust of the thesis is to argue against the neo-liberal agenda, and to present an alternative which buttresses the role of the state in the economy. It also connects this economic argument to a broader social and political analysis, arguing that ‘democracy,’ defined in a way which I shall be returned to, is also a good thing for development and that social forces have to be organized to support rather than thwart economic development.(More...)
_______________________________________________

Saving Ethiopia's Forest — And Its Women

[Picture - Ethiopian orphans Maselech Mercho, left, and Mulunesh Eshetu gather wood illegally. If they fail to bribe forest guards, they are often beaten or raped]

Since she was 6 years old, Maselech Mercho has hiked up into the lush Entoto hills near Addis Ababa to gather wood, illegally, from the protected eucalyptus forests. She has no tools but her hands, so she pulls the branches she can reach, and carries out some 65 pounds of firewood on her back.

For her efforts, Maselech may earn a bit less than $1 in the local market, which she uses for food and school fees. If she is spotted by forest guards, she earns nothing, and may get beaten or raped.

"When the guards find us with wood, they beat us hard," says Maselech, who is now 10. "If we give them money, they leave us alone. If they get drunk, they try to rape us. We will scream for help, but when we scream in these forests, there is nobody to lend us a hand." (More...)

Gunmen Attack Ethiopian Soldiers In Somalia, Killing 1

KISMAYO, Somalia (AP)--Gunmen attacked Ethiopian soldiers stationed in southern Somalia Thursday, killing one and wounding another with a gunshot to the chest, witnesses said.

The violence broke out in the money exchange market in Kismayo, said Abdullahi Hassan, a money changer. "The gunmen used pistols...They have taken the Ethiopian soldiers' AK-47s," Hassan said.

Earlier this week Ethiopian troops, whose military strength was crucial to helping Somalia's government drive out a radical Islamic militia group, began their withdrawal. It was not clear when the withdrawal would be complete.(More...)

Also see: BBC: Ethiopian soldier dies in Somalia

Somalia government to negotiate with Islamists

Nairobi based Daily Standard newspaper reported on Wednesday that Somalia Prime Minister Ali Mohamed said his government wants Sheik Sharrif and his supporters to participate in the ongoing reconciliation talks.

Premier Gedi made the statement before flying from Nairobi and returning to Mogadishu. "We want all UIC officials and supporters including Sheikh Sharrif to come to Mogadishu for talks in Somalia," he was quoted as saying.(More...)

African leaders to restate support to 2010 World Cup

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 01/25 - African leaders will make a solid commitment to holding the first-ever World Cup on the continent in 2010 in South Africa when they convene here 29 January for their annual summit, a top African Union (AU) official said here Wednesday.

Bience Gawanas, the AU Commissioner for Social Affairs, said the African leaders will make a public support for the 2010 World Cup when they also declare 2007 the Year of African Football.

FIFA President Sepp Blatter is due here for the launch of the Year of African Football on Sunday, which will be marked by a ceremonial match between the Ethiopian and South African Under-15 teams. (More...)

Today's Top Stories

-$7.6 Billion Raised For Lebanon
-Russia offers to build India 4 nuclear reactors
-Georgian Sting Seizes Bomb Grade Uranium (A Russian man caught trying to sell nuclear-bomb graded uranium in a plastic bag from his jacket pocket)
-Ford $12.7 Billion Loss in 2006, Largest Annual Loss in its 103-Year History
-Father Kills Daughter; Doubted Virginity
-Actor Whitaker on 'finding' Amin
-Men arrested for murdering "ghost" brides

U.S. launches new air strike on Somalia

Also in the news: [Defections continue as political dissent remains a crime in Ethiopia] - [Mortars hit Somalia's international airport] - [Ethiopia to stay in Somalia until AU force arrives, says Meles] - [U.S. ambassador, top Somali Islamist meet] - [Israel health ministry: Ethiopian blood donation will no longer be discarded]- [Kapuscinski writer of "The Emperor" ( a book that critics the last days of Emperor Haile Selassie) dies in Warsaw]

International: [Chad arrests hijacker of Sudanese plane] - [Israeli president to leave post] - [Beirut Recovering After Violent Protests] - [China net use may soon surpass US]- [Obama beats Clinton — in website traffic] and more of today's top stories!

President Bush shakes hands with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi after his State of the Union speech in the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2007. AP Photo/Lawrence Jackson.(More...)

U.S. launches new air strike on Somalia

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - A U.S. Air Force AC-130 gunship has launched a second air strike against suspected al Qaeda operatives in southern Somalia, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday, citing unidentified U.S. officials.

No confirmation of Monday's reported attack was immediately available in the region and a Pentagon spokesman declined to comment. The newspaper said there was no information on the results or the specific targets of the strike.

An AC-130 gunship two weeks ago attacked what Washington said were al Qaeda agents fleeing with Islamist forces defeated by Somali government and Ethiopian troops late last month. It was the first overt U.S. action in Somalia since the end of a disastrous peacekeeping mission in 1994. (More...)

Mortars hit Somalia's international airport

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) -- Gunmen launched several mortars at Mogadishu International Airport on Wednesday, killing at least two people and wounding several others, witnesses said.

Abdilkabir Salad, who was at the gate of the airport when the mortars fell, said he saw two corpses. Another witness, Abdi Mohamed, said he saw three injured young men who were hit with shrapnel.

"Two mortars landed inside the airport and the other outside," Mohamed said. "There were three planes on the runway when the attack happened."

The runway was not damaged, said the director of the airport.

The attack comes one day after Ethiopian troops began withdrawing. The intervention of Ethiopia last month prompted a military advance that was a stunning turnaround for Somalia's two-year-old government. Without Ethiopia's tanks and fighter jets, the administration could barely assert control outside one town and couldn't enter the capital, which was ruled by the Council of Islamic Courts.(More...)

Israel health ministry: Ethiopian blood donation will no longer be discarded

The health ministry announced on Wednesday that blood donations would be accepted from anyone born in Israel, including Israeli-born Ethiopians.

Until now, blood donated by Ethiopians was discarded due to concern for disease in light of the alarming incidence of AIDS and HIV in Ethiopia. (More...)

U.S. ambassador, top Somali Islamist meet: official

NAIROBI (Reuters) - U.S. Ambassador to Kenya Michael Ranneberger has met top Somali Islamist leader Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, who is being held by Kenyan intelligence in Nairobi, a U.S. embassy official said on Wednesday.

Ranneberger has said Ahmed potentially can be a player in reconciliation between the interim Somali government and Ahmed's militant Islamist movement, which government troops with Ethiopian backing defeated over the New Year.

Ranneberger has said any Somali who renounces violence and extremism will have a part to play in reconciliation in the Horn of Africa country.

The U.S. official, who confirmed the meeting which a source had told Reuters about earlier, spoke on condition of anonymity and declined to give any details. Ahmed, one of the most visible faces of the defeated Somalia Islamic Courts Council (SICC) during its six-month rule of most of southern Somalia, surrendered at the Kenya-Somalia border.(More...)

Ethiopia to stay in Somalia until AU force arrives, says Meles

ADDIS ABABA (AFP) - Ethiopian troops who helped oust Islamist hardliners from Mogadishu will remain in Somalia until the deployment of African Union peacekeepers, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has said.

A first batch of around 200 troops withdrew from the Somali capital on Tuesday but thousands more remain and Meles said no security vacuum would be allowed to develop ahead of the arrival of a proposed 7,600-strong AU stabilisation force.

"We have not based our decision to withdraw on the AU's decision to deploy, but on an agreement with the TFG (transitional Somali government)," Meles told a press conference in Addis Ababa on Wednesday.(More...)

Kapuscinski writer of "The Emperor" ( a book that critics the last days of Emperor Haile Selassie) dies in Warsaw

Ryszard Kapuscinski, a globe-trotting journalist from Poland whose writing, often tinged with magical realism, brought him critical acclaim and a wide international readership, died yesterday in Warsaw. He was 74.

His death, at a hospital, was reported by PAP, the Polish news agency for which he had worked. No cause was given, but he was known to have had cancer.

Mr. Kapuscinski (pronounced ka-poos-CHIN-ski) spent some four decades observing and writing about conflict throughout the developing world. He witnessed 27 coups and revolutions. He spent his working days gathering information for the terse dispatches he sent to PAP, often from places like Ougadougou or Zanzibar.

At night, he worked on longer, descriptive essays with phantasmagoric touches that went far beyond the details of the day’s events, using allegory and metaphors to convey what was happening.(More...)

Today's Top Stories

-Defections continue as political dissent remains a crime in Ethiopia
-Chad arrests hijacker of Sudanese plane
-Israeli president to leave post
-Beirut Recovering After Violent Protests
-China net use may soon surpass US
-Yorkshire clan linked to Africa (People of African origin have lived in Britain for centuries, according to genetic evidence)
-Obama beats Clinton — in website traffic
-Modern pagans honor Zeus in Athens