The Week in Review

Look for the 'The Week in Review' segment below

Weekend Top Stories:
[Ethiopian reinforcement troops heading to Mogadishu] - [Somalia battles called worst in 15 years] - [Kenya, Ethiopia, US secretly detained Somalis fleeing war: HRW]

__________________________________________________________

-Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Invite Meles to Summit

-Letter from the Ethiopian community in Europe protesting PM Meles's invitation

-To speak out against Prime Minister Meles’s Invitation to the Summit, click here, find the MEP you wish to contact -- write or call

-ALDE event schedule
__________________________________________________________

The Hummingbird and the Forest Fire:
A Diaspora Morality Tale
(by Professor Alemayehu G. Mariam)
__________________________________________________________

Free the Ethiopian Captives

(by Andrew Heavens)

A pressure group to campaign for the freedom of the eight Ethiopian hostages was formed yesterday. It is called the 'Free The Ethiopian Captives Committee'.

The idea is to collect lots of signatures and members, then approach international organisations and ask them to do all they can to bring about the release. At the very least, it will aim to keep the eight in the headlines.(More...)

Ethiopian reinforcement troops heading to Mogadishu

Hundreds of additional Ethiopian forces who crossed from the border have reached near Beledweine city, the provincial capital of Hiran region in central Somalia heading to Mogadishu to reinforce their colleagues fighting the local insurgents for the third day, report said on Saturday.

Other Ethiopian reinforcement troops are reported to have reached Afgoie town, 30km south of the capital joining the war with what they called ‘the remnants of the ousted Islamists.

Meanwhile, the Ethiopian forces stationing around El-Irfid settlement in northern outskirt of the Somalia capital are reported to have deserted there heading to Afgoie town, 30km south of the city to reinforce the Ethiopian soldiers fighting the insurgents.(More...)

Also see:
-Somalia: More Ethiopian tanks en route to hostile Mogadishu
-Reinforcement Ethiopian Forces Close to the Capital
-Fresh Ethiopian troops arrive in Somalia

Heavy Fighting Continues in the Capital for Third Day

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Heavy fighting between warring sides of Ethiopian soldiers and Somali insurgents exchanging heavy weaponry fire has entered in its third day in the Somalia capital Mogadishu on Saturday.

Dozens of people have been killed since Thursday, when the government and allied Ethiopian troops launched an offensive to quash an increasingly brutal insurgency by Islamic militants. A statement from the International Committee of the Red Cross said the people of Mogadishu are caught up in the worst fighting in more than 15 years.

More than 220 people have been wounded in the past 24 hours, most them civilians with bullet, grenade and other shrapnel wounds, the ICRC said.(More...)

Also see:
-Somalia battles called worst in 15 years
-Many killed, wounded in new outburst in Somalia
-Chaos in Somalia Worst in 15 Years

Kenya, Ethiopia, US secretly detained Somalis fleeing war: HRW

(AFP) - Human Rights Watch on Saturday accused the governments of Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia and the United States of secretly detaining hundreds of people fleeing the deadly conflict in Somalia.

"Each of these governments has played a shameful role in mistreating people fleeing a war zone," said Georgette Gagnon, HRW's deputy Africa director.

"Kenya has secretly expelled people, the Ethiopians have caused dozens to disappear, and US security agents have routinely interrogated people held incommunicado," he added.(More...)

The Week in Review

• Tuesday - March 27, 2007

[Smugglers toss Ethiopian and Somali refugees to sharks] - [Al-Qaida urges jihadis to go to Somalia] - [Miner says struck gold in Ethiopia] - [Ethiopian army camp attacked] - [Ugandan troops say they are being used as guinea pigs]


• Wednesday - March 28, 2007

[Afar Diaspora group calls for the release of Ethiopian hostages] - [Swedish Teen Released From Ethiopia] - [Archaeologists find Ethiopia's lost Islamic kingdom] - [Prominent politician murdered in Mogadishu] - [Dancing to a better future in Ethiopia]


• Thursday - March 29, 2007

[Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Invite Meles to Summit] - [Seven Ethiopian troops killed in heavy fighting, bodies dragged through Mogadishu] - [Ethioapin Helicopters fire on Somali market] - [Analyst says Somalia a Handicap for Ethiopia] - [Ethiopia calls for action on Eritrea] - [Ethiopia, the birthplace of coffee]


• Friday - March 30, 2007

[Court Postpones decision again - Reason: Judge has 'Gunfann'] - [Fresh Ethiopian troops arrive in Somalia] - [Ethiopian Helicopter shot down in Somalia] - [Ethiopia stops plans to close Jewish camp ] - [Travel Agencies to Campaign for Release of Colleagues]

__________________________________________________

The Week in Review

Look for the 'The Week in Review' segment below

Weekend Top Stories:
[Ethiopian reinforcement troops heading to Mogadishu] - [Somalia battles called worst in 15 years] - [Kenya, Ethiopia, US secretly detained Somalis fleeing war: HRW]

__________________________________________________________

-Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Invite Meles to Summit

-Letter from the Ethiopian community in Europe protesting PM Meles's invitation

-To speak out against Prime Minister Meles’s Invitation to the Summit, click here, find the MEP you wish to contact -- write or call

-ALDE event schedule
__________________________________________________________

The Hummingbird and the Forest Fire:
A Diaspora Morality Tale
(by Professor Alemayehu G. Mariam)
__________________________________________________________

Free the Ethiopian Captives

(by Andrew Heavens)

A pressure group to campaign for the freedom of the eight Ethiopian hostages was formed yesterday. It is called the 'Free The Ethiopian Captives Committee'.

The idea is to collect lots of signatures and members, then approach international organisations and ask them to do all they can to bring about the release. At the very least, it will aim to keep the eight in the headlines.(More...)

Ethiopian reinforcement troops heading to Mogadishu

Hundreds of additional Ethiopian forces who crossed from the border have reached near Beledweine city, the provincial capital of Hiran region in central Somalia heading to Mogadishu to reinforce their colleagues fighting the local insurgents for the third day, report said on Saturday.

Other Ethiopian reinforcement troops are reported to have reached Afgoie town, 30km south of the capital joining the war with what they called ‘the remnants of the ousted Islamists.

Meanwhile, the Ethiopian forces stationing around El-Irfid settlement in northern outskirt of the Somalia capital are reported to have deserted there heading to Afgoie town, 30km south of the city to reinforce the Ethiopian soldiers fighting the insurgents.(More...)

Also see:
-Somalia: More Ethiopian tanks en route to hostile Mogadishu
-Reinforcement Ethiopian Forces Close to the Capital
-Fresh Ethiopian troops arrive in Somalia

Heavy Fighting Continues in the Capital for Third Day

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Heavy fighting between warring sides of Ethiopian soldiers and Somali insurgents exchanging heavy weaponry fire has entered in its third day in the Somalia capital Mogadishu on Saturday.

Dozens of people have been killed since Thursday, when the government and allied Ethiopian troops launched an offensive to quash an increasingly brutal insurgency by Islamic militants. A statement from the International Committee of the Red Cross said the people of Mogadishu are caught up in the worst fighting in more than 15 years.

More than 220 people have been wounded in the past 24 hours, most them civilians with bullet, grenade and other shrapnel wounds, the ICRC said.(More...)

Also see:
-Somalia battles called worst in 15 years
-Many killed, wounded in new outburst in Somalia
-Chaos in Somalia Worst in 15 Years

Kenya, Ethiopia, US secretly detained Somalis fleeing war: HRW

(AFP) - Human Rights Watch on Saturday accused the governments of Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia and the United States of secretly detaining hundreds of people fleeing the deadly conflict in Somalia.

"Each of these governments has played a shameful role in mistreating people fleeing a war zone," said Georgette Gagnon, HRW's deputy Africa director.

"Kenya has secretly expelled people, the Ethiopians have caused dozens to disappear, and US security agents have routinely interrogated people held incommunicado," he added.(More...)

The Week in Review

• Tuesday - March 27, 2007

[Smugglers toss Ethiopian and Somali refugees to sharks] - [Al-Qaida urges jihadis to go to Somalia] - [Miner says struck gold in Ethiopia] - [Ethiopian army camp attacked] - [Ugandan troops say they are being used as guinea pigs]


• Wednesday - March 28, 2007

[Afar Diaspora group calls for the release of Ethiopian hostages] - [Swedish Teen Released From Ethiopia] - [Archaeologists find Ethiopia's lost Islamic kingdom] - [Prominent politician murdered in Mogadishu] - [Dancing to a better future in Ethiopia]


• Thursday - March 29, 2007

[Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Invite Meles to Summit] - [Seven Ethiopian troops killed in heavy fighting, bodies dragged through Mogadishu] - [Ethioapin Helicopters fire on Somali market] - [Analyst says Somalia a Handicap for Ethiopia] - [Ethiopia calls for action on Eritrea] - [Ethiopia, the birthplace of coffee]


• Friday - March 30, 2007

[Court Postpones decision again - Reason: Judge has 'Gunfann'] - [Fresh Ethiopian troops arrive in Somalia] - [Ethiopian Helicopter shot down in Somalia] - [Ethiopia stops plans to close Jewish camp ] - [Travel Agencies to Campaign for Release of Colleagues]

__________________________________________________

Court Postpones decision again - Reason: Judge has 'Gunfann'

Check back with ETP for more news throughout the day

Also in the news:
[Fresh Ethiopian troops arrive in Somalia] - [Ethiopian Helicopter shot down in Somalia] - [Ethiopia stops plans to close Jewish camp ] - [Travel Agencies to Campaign for Release of Colleagues]

International:
[African nations go softly, softly on Zimbabwe] - [White House has new plan for immigration] - [Heads of Arab States Prod Israel to Embrace Peace Offer] - [Halle Berry reveals suicide attempt] and more of today's top stories!


An Ethiopian military helicopter hit by insurgents is seen in the skies above Mogadishu March 30, 2007. Insurgents shot down an Ethiopian helicopter gunship in Mogadishu on Friday during a second day of fighting after Ethiopian and Somali forces launched a major attack on Islamists and clan militia. (Picture by REUTERS)



__________________________________________________________

-Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Invite Meles to Summit

-Letter from the Ethiopian community in Europe protesting PM Meles's invitation

-To speak out against Prime Minister Meles’s Invitation to the Summit, click here, find the MEP you wish to contact -- write or call

-ALDE event schedule
__________________________________________________________


Court Postpones decision again - Reason: Judge has 'Gunfann'

(by Lewit) -- The same white walls and peeling blue chairs. The same speculations and prayers. The same crowd shifting nrevously in their seats. The same delays. The same excuses.

Well, pretty much. Today, after over an hour delay, a summary of half the evidence presented by the prosecution was read. All 3 judges were there this time; one was apparently ill (though I couldn't tell which one--maybe the one that sniffled a couple of times?) and so, of course, the trial was postponed until Monday.

This time, it was clear that everyone had had enough, and the frustrations of both family members and the defendents was more than evident.(More...)

(by EZ) -- The trial is postponed again. This time for Monday, 2 April. The court presented the summary of the Audio, Video and documentary evidence today. It said the rest of the prosecutor's evidence will be summarized and presented on Monday. The court was packed. The judges said that they wouldn't continue in the afternoon as one of the judges was sick.

Fresh Ethiopian troops arrive in Somalia

Somalia - Hundreds of Ethiopian soldiers crossed over the common border and entered Somalia overnight, according to sources in Galkayo.

The soldiers, estimated to number 500-strong with armored vehicles, were stationed in the outskirts of Galkayo, the capital of Mudug region in central Somalia.

Reliable sources in Galkayo told Garowe Online on the condition of anonymity that the Ethiopian troops were heading for the northern Somali city of Bossaso, a bustling port town that serves as Puntland’s economic hub.

There was no reason given for the arrival of fresh Ethiopian troops, even as that country’s leader, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, pledged to withdraw his remaining troops from Somalia.(More...)

Ethiopian Helicopter shot down in Somalia

MOGADISHU, Somalia - An Ethiopian helicopter attacking insurgent positions in Somalia's capital was shot down Friday as government and allied troops battled hundreds of gunmen in the streets, witnesses said.

Government soldiers and troops from neighboring Ethiopia, who are in Somalia to protect the fragile government, were under a severe attack for a second day as they tried to quash a growing insurgency by Islamic militants.

"The helicopter looked like a ball of smoke and fire before crashing," said Ruqiya Shafi Muhyadin, who watched as the helicopter rolled over in the sky and went down in a residential area near the airport.(More...)

Also see:
-Reuters: Battles rage in Mogadishu, helicopter hit
-AP: Fighting rages for 2nd day in Mogadishu
-CBS: Insurgents Down Helicopter In Somalia
-ABC: Helicopter Shot Down in Somalia

Travel Agencies to Campaign for Release of Colleagues

In a show of solidarity with the eight Ethiopians still held captive in Eritrea, and joining the campaign for their safe release, travel agencies working in Ethiopia yesterday formed an alliance.

Owners and General Managers of three travel agencies namely Origin Ethiopia, Kibre and Ethiopian Quadrants, said they were working jointly to create awareness for the release of the captives who, they said, didn't have any political involvement.

They also criticized the international media who they said were "shouting 24 hours a day" but forgot the issue immediately after the release of the five Europeans.(More...)

Also see:
-Committee set up to lobby for the release of Ethiopian captives

Ethiopia stops plans to close Jewish camp

Ethiopia said it has canceled plans to shut a camp used as a community center for 7,000 Ethiopian Jews seeking emigration to Israel.

The government announced Friday that synagogue and food services would be allowed to continue in the camp for the Falashmura Ethiopians but school services and activities promoting immigration to Israel will be cut off, Haaretz reported Friday.

The decision follows diplomatic pressure from the The United Jewish Communities of North America, which funds the camp, and other groups on the Ethiopian Embassy in Washington.(More...)

Today's Top Stories

-African nations go softly, softly on Zimbabwe
-White House has new plan for immigration
-Gates Seeks Way To Close Guantanamo
-Iran Broadcasts New Video of Seized Britons
-Heads of Arab States Prod Israel to Embrace Peace Offer
-Putin rejects call to serve longer (Russia's upper house speaker called for changes that would allow Putin to remain in office beyond 2008 -- a proposal that was quickly rejected by the Kremlin)
-Breastfeeding alone cuts HIV risk
-French nun credits John Paul for sudden healing
-Halle Berry reveals suicide attempt



____________________________________________________

Court Postpones decision again - Reason: Judge has 'Gunfann'

Check back with ETP for more news throughout the day

Also in the news:
[Fresh Ethiopian troops arrive in Somalia] - [Ethiopian Helicopter shot down in Somalia] - [Ethiopia stops plans to close Jewish camp ] - [Travel Agencies to Campaign for Release of Colleagues]

International:
[African nations go softly, softly on Zimbabwe] - [White House has new plan for immigration] - [Heads of Arab States Prod Israel to Embrace Peace Offer] - [Halle Berry reveals suicide attempt] and more of today's top stories!


An Ethiopian military helicopter hit by insurgents is seen in the skies above Mogadishu March 30, 2007. Insurgents shot down an Ethiopian helicopter gunship in Mogadishu on Friday during a second day of fighting after Ethiopian and Somali forces launched a major attack on Islamists and clan militia. (Picture by REUTERS)



__________________________________________________________

-Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Invite Meles to Summit

-Letter from the Ethiopian community in Europe protesting PM Meles's invitation

-To speak out against Prime Minister Meles’s Invitation to the Summit, click here, find the MEP you wish to contact -- write or call

-ALDE event schedule
__________________________________________________________


Court Postpones decision again - Reason: Judge has 'Gunfann'

(by Lewit) -- The same white walls and peeling blue chairs. The same speculations and prayers. The same crowd shifting nrevously in their seats. The same delays. The same excuses.

Well, pretty much. Today, after over an hour delay, a summary of half the evidence presented by the prosecution was read. All 3 judges were there this time; one was apparently ill (though I couldn't tell which one--maybe the one that sniffled a couple of times?) and so, of course, the trial was postponed until Monday.

This time, it was clear that everyone had had enough, and the frustrations of both family members and the defendents was more than evident.(More...)

(by EZ) -- The trial is postponed again. This time for Monday, 2 April. The court presented the summary of the Audio, Video and documentary evidence today. It said the rest of the prosecutor's evidence will be summarized and presented on Monday. The court was packed. The judges said that they wouldn't continue in the afternoon as one of the judges was sick.

Fresh Ethiopian troops arrive in Somalia

Somalia - Hundreds of Ethiopian soldiers crossed over the common border and entered Somalia overnight, according to sources in Galkayo.

The soldiers, estimated to number 500-strong with armored vehicles, were stationed in the outskirts of Galkayo, the capital of Mudug region in central Somalia.

Reliable sources in Galkayo told Garowe Online on the condition of anonymity that the Ethiopian troops were heading for the northern Somali city of Bossaso, a bustling port town that serves as Puntland’s economic hub.

There was no reason given for the arrival of fresh Ethiopian troops, even as that country’s leader, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, pledged to withdraw his remaining troops from Somalia.(More...)

Ethiopian Helicopter shot down in Somalia

MOGADISHU, Somalia - An Ethiopian helicopter attacking insurgent positions in Somalia's capital was shot down Friday as government and allied troops battled hundreds of gunmen in the streets, witnesses said.

Government soldiers and troops from neighboring Ethiopia, who are in Somalia to protect the fragile government, were under a severe attack for a second day as they tried to quash a growing insurgency by Islamic militants.

"The helicopter looked like a ball of smoke and fire before crashing," said Ruqiya Shafi Muhyadin, who watched as the helicopter rolled over in the sky and went down in a residential area near the airport.(More...)

Also see:
-Reuters: Battles rage in Mogadishu, helicopter hit
-AP: Fighting rages for 2nd day in Mogadishu
-CBS: Insurgents Down Helicopter In Somalia
-ABC: Helicopter Shot Down in Somalia

Travel Agencies to Campaign for Release of Colleagues

In a show of solidarity with the eight Ethiopians still held captive in Eritrea, and joining the campaign for their safe release, travel agencies working in Ethiopia yesterday formed an alliance.

Owners and General Managers of three travel agencies namely Origin Ethiopia, Kibre and Ethiopian Quadrants, said they were working jointly to create awareness for the release of the captives who, they said, didn't have any political involvement.

They also criticized the international media who they said were "shouting 24 hours a day" but forgot the issue immediately after the release of the five Europeans.(More...)

Also see:
-Committee set up to lobby for the release of Ethiopian captives

Ethiopia stops plans to close Jewish camp

Ethiopia said it has canceled plans to shut a camp used as a community center for 7,000 Ethiopian Jews seeking emigration to Israel.

The government announced Friday that synagogue and food services would be allowed to continue in the camp for the Falashmura Ethiopians but school services and activities promoting immigration to Israel will be cut off, Haaretz reported Friday.

The decision follows diplomatic pressure from the The United Jewish Communities of North America, which funds the camp, and other groups on the Ethiopian Embassy in Washington.(More...)

Today's Top Stories

-African nations go softly, softly on Zimbabwe
-White House has new plan for immigration
-Gates Seeks Way To Close Guantanamo
-Iran Broadcasts New Video of Seized Britons
-Heads of Arab States Prod Israel to Embrace Peace Offer
-Putin rejects call to serve longer (Russia's upper house speaker called for changes that would allow Putin to remain in office beyond 2008 -- a proposal that was quickly rejected by the Kremlin)
-Breastfeeding alone cuts HIV risk
-French nun credits John Paul for sudden healing
-Halle Berry reveals suicide attempt



____________________________________________________

Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Invite Meles to Summit

Check back with ETP for more news throughout the day

Also in the news:
[Seven Ethiopian troops killed in heavy fighting, bodies dragged through Mogadishu] - [Ethioapin Helicopters fire on Somali market] - [Analyst says Somalia a Handicap for Ethiopia] - [Ethiopia calls for action on Eritrea] - [Ethiopia, the birthplace of coffee]

International:
[Rwanda to probe downing of former president's plane] - [Castro Attacks Bush on Biofuels in First Article Since Surgery] - [How Britons were conned by Iranian gunboat trick] - [Ten of the best April Fool's Day hoaxes: US museum] and more of today's top stories!


Smoke rises in the horizon above the Towfiq neighborhood in Mogadishu. Ethiopian helicopters have fired missiles on southern Mogadishu as heavy fighting across the Somali capital left 30 people dead in an offensive against insurgent fighters.(More on this below) Picture - AFP/Mustafa Abdi


Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Invite Meles to Summit

ETP -- The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE), a Group within the European Parliament, has invited Prime Minister Meles Zenawi to attend its 2007 summit.

The summit which will be held in Dakar - Senegal from 1 to 3rd April, aims to strengthen liberal democratic values, according to ALDE.

Attendees list includes 12 African leaders, heads of state from the Pacific and Caribbean countries. The theme of the summit is Liberalism and Governance: the Social Liberal State.

(Picture - Commmissioner Louis Michel and Meles Zenawi, Prime Minister of Ethiopia)

EU Commissioner Louis Michel will attend the summit and is expected to give one of the opening speeches along with Graham Watson, President of the ALDE Group at the European Parliament.

Meanwhile, many within the Ethiopian community in Europe and elsewhere disapprove of ALDE’s decision to invite Prime Minister Meles to this summit.

In a letter to European human rights groups, the Ethiopian community in Europe is asking liberal MEP’s to distance themselves from the invitation extended to Ethiopia’s primer. (Read letter below)

After over 15 years in power, Prime Minister Meles presides over a country that still cannot feed its own people and is very much dependent on the U.N. World Food Program. Approximately half of the Ethiopian population lives on less than one U.S dollar a day, which is not enough to buy a single meal.

Since the parliamentary elections of 2005 human rights and press freedom have suffered significantly in Ethiopia.

Amnesty international has accused the government of Meles Zenawi of torture and extrajudicial killings. Journalists, renowned human rights activists and opposition party leaders are currently detained in the country’s notorious Kality prison.

__________________________________________________________

-Letter from the Ethiopian community in Europe

-To protest Prime Minister Meles’s Invitation to the Summit, click here, find the MEP you wish to contact -- write or call

-ALDE event schedule
-Event website
__________________________________________________________

Seven Ethiopian troops killed in heavy fighting, bodies dragged through Mogadishu

MOGADISHU (AFP) - Seven Ethiopian soldiers were killed in heavy fighting on Thursday in the south of Mogadishu, and two of their bodies were dragged through the streets, an AFP correspondent witnessed.

Dozens of men and women pulled the bodies of two soldiers in the street, shouting "We will kill the Ethiopian troops", while five other bodies in Ethiopian uniforms lay on the ground in the southern district of Shirkole.

Nearby an Ethiopian military vehicle burned in the street. Loudspeakers had earlier transmitted calls for residents to come out and fight the Ethiopian troops backing Somalia's transitional government.(More...)

Ethioapin Helicopters fire on Somali market, at Least 30 dead

NewYork Times -- Any hope for a quick peace in Mogadishu, Somalia’s turbulent capital, was snuffed out today when Ethiopian troops stormed into the center of the city, setting off clashes that killed more than 30 people.

According to hospital officials in Mogadishu, most casualties were civilians caught in the crossfire between Ethiopian tanks and insurgents firing rocket-propelled grenades.

Many residents now say they were better off under the Islamist administration, which briefly controlled Mogadishu last year until Ethiopian troops invaded.(More...)

Also see:
-SomaliNet: 15 Ethiopian soldiers killed in Mogadishu violence
-Reuters: Death and carnage in Somalia
-Shabelle: Two Ethiopian tanks damaged
-USA Today: Bombs dropped in Somalia
-Washington Times: Renewed violence in Somalia
-Somalia: A chaos of clans, Islamists, foreigners

Ethiopia calls for action on Eritrea

Ethiopia accused Eritrea on Thursday of arming anti-Ethiopian rebels and urged the United Nations to take action against its long-time Horn of Africa foe.

Eritrean officials were not immediately available to comment, but always deny such allegations.

Addis Ababa and Asmara have routinely fired harsh rhetoric at each other since a 1998 to 2000 border war killed 70 000 people. But tensions have climbed higher in recent months amid conflict in neighbouring Somalia and a kidnapping near their frontier.

"The Eritrean government ... is now organising, arming and training anti-peace Ethiopian elements to carry out its proxy war and cause destruction in the country," Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi told Parliament on Thursday.(More...)

Analyst says Somalia a Handicap for Ethiopia

VOA -- The al-Qaida terrorist organization has issued a call for Islamic extremists around the world to come to the aid of Somalis fighting the country's Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and its chief backer in the region, Ethiopia.

As VOA Correspondent Alisha Ryu reports from VOA's East Africa Bureau in Nairobi, Ethiopia, which still has thousands of troops in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, is facing a threat it had hoped it had eliminated, when Ethiopia's military dismantled the leadership of Somalia's Islamist movement last December.

Appearing recently in an Internet video on al-Qaida's official media Web site, a prominent leader in the organization, Abu Yahya al-Libi, said it was the duty of all Muslim holy warriors to go to Somalia and help Somalis end what he called "the occupation of Abbyssinians and their apostate lackeys." (More...)

Chicago Tribune: Ethiopia, the birthplace of coffee

In this caffeine-addled corner of the world, the bean and its brew are both blessing and curse, swirled together in a single cup.

JIMMA, Ethiopia -- Inside the coffee plant's corrugated metal fence, men look more like mules as they lug 100-pound sacks of coffee on their backs.

But as midday nears, a heavenly scent wafts from the corner, where Ahmed Achoumeto, 25, pounds a pile of black coffee beans in preparation for the noontime break.

"I am terribly addicted. If I don't get coffee, I can't see properly," he said, standing barefoot in the dirt, grinding the beans with a primitive 3-foot-long wooden pestle and a mortar made of a hollowed tree stump. "Almost everyone here is addicted."(More...)

Zimbabwean Opposition Leader Released

HARARE, Zimbabwe Mar 29, 2007 (AP)— The country's main opposition leader was freed after being held by police for several hours, party officials said Thursday, as southern African leaders gathered in Tanzania to discuss the crisis in Zimbabwe.

Police denied arresting Morgan Tsvangirai Wednesday as he prepared to talk to reporters about a wave of political violence that left him briefly hospitalized earlier this month.

"It doesn't matter how long he was deprived of his freedom, he was still arrested," Tsvangirai's aide, Eliphas Mukonoweshuro, told The Associated Press Thursday.(More...)

Today's Top Stories

-Mugabe defiant as condemnation grows
-Rwanda to probe downing of former president's plane(Rwanda to investigate the death of a former president killed when his plane was shot down, widely seen as the trigger for its 1994 genocide)
-Democrats turn up the heat on Bush over Iraq
-How Britons were conned by Iranian gunboat trick (The speed and cunning shown by the Revolutionary Guards suggests that their action was premeditated)
-Castro Attacks Bush on Biofuels in First Article Since Surgery
-Arabs endorse peace plan, warn of nuclear arms race
-Ten of the best April Fool's Day hoaxes: US museum




_________________________________________________

Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Invite Meles to Summit

Check back with ETP for more news throughout the day

Also in the news:
[Seven Ethiopian troops killed in heavy fighting, bodies dragged through Mogadishu] - [Ethioapin Helicopters fire on Somali market] - [Analyst says Somalia a Handicap for Ethiopia] - [Ethiopia calls for action on Eritrea] - [Ethiopia, the birthplace of coffee]

International:
[Rwanda to probe downing of former president's plane] - [Castro Attacks Bush on Biofuels in First Article Since Surgery] - [How Britons were conned by Iranian gunboat trick] - [Ten of the best April Fool's Day hoaxes: US museum] and more of today's top stories!


Smoke rises in the horizon above the Towfiq neighborhood in Mogadishu. Ethiopian helicopters have fired missiles on southern Mogadishu as heavy fighting across the Somali capital left 30 people dead in an offensive against insurgent fighters.(More on this below) Picture - AFP/Mustafa Abdi


Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Invite Meles to Summit

ETP -- The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE), a Group within the European Parliament, has invited Prime Minister Meles Zenawi to attend its 2007 summit.

The summit which will be held in Dakar - Senegal from 1 to 3rd April, aims to strengthen liberal democratic values, according to ALDE.

Attendees list includes 12 African leaders, heads of state from the Pacific and Caribbean countries. The theme of the summit is Liberalism and Governance: the Social Liberal State.

(Picture - Commmissioner Louis Michel and Meles Zenawi, Prime Minister of Ethiopia)

EU Commissioner Louis Michel will attend the summit and is expected to give one of the opening speeches along with Graham Watson, President of the ALDE Group at the European Parliament.

Meanwhile, many within the Ethiopian community in Europe and elsewhere disapprove of ALDE’s decision to invite Prime Minister Meles to this summit.

In a letter to European human rights groups, the Ethiopian community in Europe is asking liberal MEP’s to distance themselves from the invitation extended to Ethiopia’s primer. (Read letter below)

After over 15 years in power, Prime Minister Meles presides over a country that still cannot feed its own people and is very much dependent on the U.N. World Food Program. Approximately half of the Ethiopian population lives on less than one U.S dollar a day, which is not enough to buy a single meal.

Since the parliamentary elections of 2005 human rights and press freedom have suffered significantly in Ethiopia.

Amnesty international has accused the government of Meles Zenawi of torture and extrajudicial killings. Journalists, renowned human rights activists and opposition party leaders are currently detained in the country’s notorious Kality prison.

__________________________________________________________

-Letter from the Ethiopian community in Europe

-To protest Prime Minister Meles’s Invitation to the Summit, click here, find the MEP you wish to contact -- write or call

-ALDE event schedule
-Event website
__________________________________________________________

Seven Ethiopian troops killed in heavy fighting, bodies dragged through Mogadishu

MOGADISHU (AFP) - Seven Ethiopian soldiers were killed in heavy fighting on Thursday in the south of Mogadishu, and two of their bodies were dragged through the streets, an AFP correspondent witnessed.

Dozens of men and women pulled the bodies of two soldiers in the street, shouting "We will kill the Ethiopian troops", while five other bodies in Ethiopian uniforms lay on the ground in the southern district of Shirkole.

Nearby an Ethiopian military vehicle burned in the street. Loudspeakers had earlier transmitted calls for residents to come out and fight the Ethiopian troops backing Somalia's transitional government.(More...)

Ethioapin Helicopters fire on Somali market, at Least 30 dead

NewYork Times -- Any hope for a quick peace in Mogadishu, Somalia’s turbulent capital, was snuffed out today when Ethiopian troops stormed into the center of the city, setting off clashes that killed more than 30 people.

According to hospital officials in Mogadishu, most casualties were civilians caught in the crossfire between Ethiopian tanks and insurgents firing rocket-propelled grenades.

Many residents now say they were better off under the Islamist administration, which briefly controlled Mogadishu last year until Ethiopian troops invaded.(More...)

Also see:
-SomaliNet: 15 Ethiopian soldiers killed in Mogadishu violence
-Reuters: Death and carnage in Somalia
-Shabelle: Two Ethiopian tanks damaged
-USA Today: Bombs dropped in Somalia
-Washington Times: Renewed violence in Somalia
-Somalia: A chaos of clans, Islamists, foreigners

Ethiopia calls for action on Eritrea

Ethiopia accused Eritrea on Thursday of arming anti-Ethiopian rebels and urged the United Nations to take action against its long-time Horn of Africa foe.

Eritrean officials were not immediately available to comment, but always deny such allegations.

Addis Ababa and Asmara have routinely fired harsh rhetoric at each other since a 1998 to 2000 border war killed 70 000 people. But tensions have climbed higher in recent months amid conflict in neighbouring Somalia and a kidnapping near their frontier.

"The Eritrean government ... is now organising, arming and training anti-peace Ethiopian elements to carry out its proxy war and cause destruction in the country," Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi told Parliament on Thursday.(More...)

Analyst says Somalia a Handicap for Ethiopia

VOA -- The al-Qaida terrorist organization has issued a call for Islamic extremists around the world to come to the aid of Somalis fighting the country's Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and its chief backer in the region, Ethiopia.

As VOA Correspondent Alisha Ryu reports from VOA's East Africa Bureau in Nairobi, Ethiopia, which still has thousands of troops in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, is facing a threat it had hoped it had eliminated, when Ethiopia's military dismantled the leadership of Somalia's Islamist movement last December.

Appearing recently in an Internet video on al-Qaida's official media Web site, a prominent leader in the organization, Abu Yahya al-Libi, said it was the duty of all Muslim holy warriors to go to Somalia and help Somalis end what he called "the occupation of Abbyssinians and their apostate lackeys." (More...)

Chicago Tribune: Ethiopia, the birthplace of coffee

In this caffeine-addled corner of the world, the bean and its brew are both blessing and curse, swirled together in a single cup.

JIMMA, Ethiopia -- Inside the coffee plant's corrugated metal fence, men look more like mules as they lug 100-pound sacks of coffee on their backs.

But as midday nears, a heavenly scent wafts from the corner, where Ahmed Achoumeto, 25, pounds a pile of black coffee beans in preparation for the noontime break.

"I am terribly addicted. If I don't get coffee, I can't see properly," he said, standing barefoot in the dirt, grinding the beans with a primitive 3-foot-long wooden pestle and a mortar made of a hollowed tree stump. "Almost everyone here is addicted."(More...)

Zimbabwean Opposition Leader Released

HARARE, Zimbabwe Mar 29, 2007 (AP)— The country's main opposition leader was freed after being held by police for several hours, party officials said Thursday, as southern African leaders gathered in Tanzania to discuss the crisis in Zimbabwe.

Police denied arresting Morgan Tsvangirai Wednesday as he prepared to talk to reporters about a wave of political violence that left him briefly hospitalized earlier this month.

"It doesn't matter how long he was deprived of his freedom, he was still arrested," Tsvangirai's aide, Eliphas Mukonoweshuro, told The Associated Press Thursday.(More...)

Today's Top Stories

-Mugabe defiant as condemnation grows
-Rwanda to probe downing of former president's plane(Rwanda to investigate the death of a former president killed when his plane was shot down, widely seen as the trigger for its 1994 genocide)
-Democrats turn up the heat on Bush over Iraq
-How Britons were conned by Iranian gunboat trick (The speed and cunning shown by the Revolutionary Guards suggests that their action was premeditated)
-Castro Attacks Bush on Biofuels in First Article Since Surgery
-Arabs endorse peace plan, warn of nuclear arms race
-Ten of the best April Fool's Day hoaxes: US museum




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Gear Calculator

as posted by Slowpoke in Underbone Philippines.com
http://underbonesphilippines.com/forums/index.php?topic=59.0

Guys, share ko lng. Kung gusto nyo magcompute ng expected speed gain from changing you front and/or rear sprockets, try nyo tong site na to. Ang mga variables na kailangan ay ang inyong stock sprocket combi, ang top speed nyo sa stock sprocket combi, at sa kung anong RPM nyo naabot ang top speed na to, plus ang gusto nyong ipalit na sprocket combination.

Since kailangan nyo ng RPM reading, dapat may tach kayo (my wave100 tops out at around 10500-11000 rpm). Kung wala kayo tach, cguro d2 nyo na lng i-pattern.

Yung tool nga pala mismo, medyo may topak ata ung html code nya, pag enter mo ng value. kala mo wala, pero black lng kasi ang font (black background) kaya di mo kita. I-highlight mo na lng. So far I have tried two sprocket combi's, 14-34 and 15-35, and based sa gearing calculator, accurate naman yung readings.

HTH guys.

Gearing Calculator - http://www.ozsportsbikes.com/page.php?file=wrap.php&file=tools.htm#gearing

MCP Archer22 Front Disc Brake

as posted by Archer 22 in MCP

Discbrake na ko guys...

Discbrake assembly 1,3k xrm (natawaran ko)

Front wheel assembly 600 lang (galing sa tropa kong adik )

Front fork bottom case wave 100r 1,286 (brand new)

Itotal nyo na lng....

Afar Diaspora group calls for the release of Ethiopian hostages

Check back with ETP for more news throughout the day

Also in the news:
[Swedish Teen Released From Ethiopia] - [Archaeologists find Ethiopia's lost Islamic kingdom] - [Prominent politician murdered in Mogadishu] - [Dancing to a better future in Ethiopia]

International:
[Britain Presses Iran; Woman May Be Freed] - [Senate backs troop withdrawal from Iraq] - [Arab summit opens in Riyadh] - [World's Tallest Man Marries] and more of today's top stories!

(Photo - Rosa Verhoeve) Founded in 1996 by international choreographer R. Maldoom, "Adugna Potentials" is Ethiopia's only professional contemporary dance troupe. Leading choreographers from Europe and Africa come to teach in the company and its members have gone on to perform at international art and dance festivals (More on this below)
__________________________________________________

A MESSAGE FROM TENSAE RADIO
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Afar Diaspora group calls for the release of Ethiopian hostages

(Stuttgart, Germany)ETP -- The Afar forum - an association of Diaspora Ethiopians from the Afar region, in a statement released today, has called for the release of Ethiopian hostages held since the beginning of March by ARDUF rebels.

The marginalization of the Afar people in terms of basic development while their resources are exploited by the governments of Ethiopia and Eritrea, High-handed micro management by the Ethiopian ruling party through appointed puppets; are some of the reasons for discontent in the Afar region, the statement said.

In addition, The Afar forum called for the release of Afar politicians, intellectuals, and merchants in Eritrea who, the group claims, have been detained for more than a decade. It also called on the Ethiopian government to free all prisoners of conscience without any preconditions. [Read the press release]

Denmark tops WEF's networked readiness index, Ethiopia 4th from bottom

Ethiopia occupies 119th position in the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Networked Readiness Index (NRI) 2006-2007, from 115th position in the 2005-2006 Index.

Denmark is number one for the first time in the sixth Global Information Technology Report (GITR) 2006-2007's "Networked Readiness Index", moving up 2 positions from last year and reflecting an upward trend dating back to 2003.

The NRI examines the preparedness of countries to use ICT effectively on three dimensions — the first is the general business, regulatory and infrastructure environment for ICT; second, the readiness of the three key stakeholders (individuals, businesses and governments) to use and benefit from ICT; and third, their actual usage of the latest information and communication technology available.

Accompanying Ethiopia; Cameroon, Paraguay, Mozambique, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, Angola, Burundi and Chad are in the bottom 10 of the Index.

Archaeologists find Ethiopia's lost Islamic kingdom

PARIS -- French archaeologists said Tuesday that they had uncovered the remains of three large towns that may have been the heart of a legendary Islamic kingdom in Ethiopia.

Ancient manuscripts have long told of the kingdom of Shoa, which, between the 10th and 16th centuries straddled key trade routes between the Christian highlands and Muslim ports on the Red Sea. But Shoa's precise place on the map has never been clear.

The National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) said a team of archaeologists had laid bare the remains of three medieval towns, Asbari, Masal, and Nora, on a high escarpment of the Rift Valley.

Shoa - also written as Shewa - was an autonomous state from about the 10th century, until it was absorbed by the sultanate of Ifat at around the end of the 13th century.

The three towns "may have constituted the heart of the Shoa Muslim kingdom before it came under Ifat's political control," the researchers, led by CNRS' Francois-Xavier Fauvelle, suggest.(More...)

Swedish Teen Released From Ethiopia

A 17-year-old Swede has been released from Ethiopia where she was imprisoned for the past three months.

According to a press release from the Swedish Foreign Ministry, the girl’s release comes after intensive work on her behalf by the Foreign Ministry and embassies.

Three Swedes remain captive in Ethiopia accused of taking part in fighting. They were seized in Kenya after fleeing unrest in Somalia.(More...)

Dancing to a better future in Ethiopia

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (Reuters) - Music echoes through an overcrowded neighborhood in the Ethiopian capital, drawing dozens of children off the streets to get a glimpse of another world -- the world of dance.

Inside a garage transformed into a dance studio, the floor crackles at every jump and sunlight pours from huge holes in the tin roof.

For Junaid Jemal, who like millions of other children in Ethiopia sold goods on street corners hoping to make enough money for a warm meal, joining the dance troupe that rehearses in the studio was an escape from hopelessness.(More...)

-More pictures from 'Adugna'

Prominent politician murdered in Mogadishu

Mogadishu 28 -- Gunmen have shot dead the former Somali consulate to Dubai, Mr. Abdi Naasir Ahmed Aadan better known as “Serjito”.

Mr. Serjito was killed along with another man who was riding with him in his car around Tri Biano neighborhood in Mogadishu.(More...)

Also see:
-Senior politician killed in Mogadishu

Zimbabwe opposition chief arrested again

The leader of Zimbabwe's main opposition party was arrested again today, in what appeared to be the latest round of intimidation aimed at political opponents by Robert Mugabe's regime.

Morgan Tsvangirai was seized in an armed raid by the President's security forces at the headquarters of his Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) in Harare along with around 20 other members of staff, it has been revealed.

The forces were armed with teargas cannisters, sticks, riot helmets and AK47 rifles when they launched their assault.

Fearful for their safety, shopkeepers near the MDC's Harvest House headquarters reportedly closed as the raid took place.

Mr Tsvangirai's arrest came as Mr Mugabe was due to attend a summit called about the crisis in his country in Tanzania.(More...)

Today's Top Stories

-Acid attack on woman shocks Ethiopia
-Senate backs troop withdrawal from Iraq
-Britain Presses Iran; Woman May Be Freed(Britain Freezing Talks With Iran Until 15 Navy Crew Members Released)
-EU extends Microsoft's deadline
-Arab summit opens in Riyadh
-Buzz Grows Over Queen's Upcoming U.S. Stay
-World's Tallest Man Marries




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Afar Diaspora group calls for the release of Ethiopian hostages

Check back with ETP for more news throughout the day

Also in the news:
[Swedish Teen Released From Ethiopia] - [Archaeologists find Ethiopia's lost Islamic kingdom] - [Prominent politician murdered in Mogadishu] - [Dancing to a better future in Ethiopia]

International:
[Britain Presses Iran; Woman May Be Freed] - [Senate backs troop withdrawal from Iraq] - [Arab summit opens in Riyadh] - [World's Tallest Man Marries] and more of today's top stories!

(Photo - Rosa Verhoeve) Founded in 1996 by international choreographer R. Maldoom, "Adugna Potentials" is Ethiopia's only professional contemporary dance troupe. Leading choreographers from Europe and Africa come to teach in the company and its members have gone on to perform at international art and dance festivals (More on this below)
__________________________________________________

A MESSAGE FROM TENSAE RADIO
__________________________________________________

Afar Diaspora group calls for the release of Ethiopian hostages

(Stuttgart, Germany)ETP -- The Afar forum - an association of Diaspora Ethiopians from the Afar region, in a statement released today, has called for the release of Ethiopian hostages held since the beginning of March by ARDUF rebels.

The marginalization of the Afar people in terms of basic development while their resources are exploited by the governments of Ethiopia and Eritrea, High-handed micro management by the Ethiopian ruling party through appointed puppets; are some of the reasons for discontent in the Afar region, the statement said.

In addition, The Afar forum called for the release of Afar politicians, intellectuals, and merchants in Eritrea who, the group claims, have been detained for more than a decade. It also called on the Ethiopian government to free all prisoners of conscience without any preconditions. [Read the press release]

Denmark tops WEF's networked readiness index, Ethiopia 4th from bottom

Ethiopia occupies 119th position in the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Networked Readiness Index (NRI) 2006-2007, from 115th position in the 2005-2006 Index.

Denmark is number one for the first time in the sixth Global Information Technology Report (GITR) 2006-2007's "Networked Readiness Index", moving up 2 positions from last year and reflecting an upward trend dating back to 2003.

The NRI examines the preparedness of countries to use ICT effectively on three dimensions — the first is the general business, regulatory and infrastructure environment for ICT; second, the readiness of the three key stakeholders (individuals, businesses and governments) to use and benefit from ICT; and third, their actual usage of the latest information and communication technology available.

Accompanying Ethiopia; Cameroon, Paraguay, Mozambique, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, Angola, Burundi and Chad are in the bottom 10 of the Index.

Archaeologists find Ethiopia's lost Islamic kingdom

PARIS -- French archaeologists said Tuesday that they had uncovered the remains of three large towns that may have been the heart of a legendary Islamic kingdom in Ethiopia.

Ancient manuscripts have long told of the kingdom of Shoa, which, between the 10th and 16th centuries straddled key trade routes between the Christian highlands and Muslim ports on the Red Sea. But Shoa's precise place on the map has never been clear.

The National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) said a team of archaeologists had laid bare the remains of three medieval towns, Asbari, Masal, and Nora, on a high escarpment of the Rift Valley.

Shoa - also written as Shewa - was an autonomous state from about the 10th century, until it was absorbed by the sultanate of Ifat at around the end of the 13th century.

The three towns "may have constituted the heart of the Shoa Muslim kingdom before it came under Ifat's political control," the researchers, led by CNRS' Francois-Xavier Fauvelle, suggest.(More...)

Swedish Teen Released From Ethiopia

A 17-year-old Swede has been released from Ethiopia where she was imprisoned for the past three months.

According to a press release from the Swedish Foreign Ministry, the girl’s release comes after intensive work on her behalf by the Foreign Ministry and embassies.

Three Swedes remain captive in Ethiopia accused of taking part in fighting. They were seized in Kenya after fleeing unrest in Somalia.(More...)

Dancing to a better future in Ethiopia

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (Reuters) - Music echoes through an overcrowded neighborhood in the Ethiopian capital, drawing dozens of children off the streets to get a glimpse of another world -- the world of dance.

Inside a garage transformed into a dance studio, the floor crackles at every jump and sunlight pours from huge holes in the tin roof.

For Junaid Jemal, who like millions of other children in Ethiopia sold goods on street corners hoping to make enough money for a warm meal, joining the dance troupe that rehearses in the studio was an escape from hopelessness.(More...)

-More pictures from 'Adugna'

Prominent politician murdered in Mogadishu

Mogadishu 28 -- Gunmen have shot dead the former Somali consulate to Dubai, Mr. Abdi Naasir Ahmed Aadan better known as “Serjito”.

Mr. Serjito was killed along with another man who was riding with him in his car around Tri Biano neighborhood in Mogadishu.(More...)

Also see:
-Senior politician killed in Mogadishu

Zimbabwe opposition chief arrested again

The leader of Zimbabwe's main opposition party was arrested again today, in what appeared to be the latest round of intimidation aimed at political opponents by Robert Mugabe's regime.

Morgan Tsvangirai was seized in an armed raid by the President's security forces at the headquarters of his Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) in Harare along with around 20 other members of staff, it has been revealed.

The forces were armed with teargas cannisters, sticks, riot helmets and AK47 rifles when they launched their assault.

Fearful for their safety, shopkeepers near the MDC's Harvest House headquarters reportedly closed as the raid took place.

Mr Tsvangirai's arrest came as Mr Mugabe was due to attend a summit called about the crisis in his country in Tanzania.(More...)

Today's Top Stories

-Acid attack on woman shocks Ethiopia
-Senate backs troop withdrawal from Iraq
-Britain Presses Iran; Woman May Be Freed(Britain Freezing Talks With Iran Until 15 Navy Crew Members Released)
-EU extends Microsoft's deadline
-Arab summit opens in Riyadh
-Buzz Grows Over Queen's Upcoming U.S. Stay
-World's Tallest Man Marries




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Smugglers toss Ethiopian and Somali refugees to sharks

Check back with ETP for more news throughout the day

Also in the news:
[Al-Qaida urges jihadis to go to Somalia] - [Miner says struck gold in Ethiopia] - [Ethiopian army camp attacked ] - [Ugandan troops say they are being used as guinea pigs]

International:
[U.S. begins large show of force in Persian Gulf] - [Sewage 'tsunami' kills four in Gaza] - [Historic deal 'a new era' for N. Ireland] - [Semi-identical twins discovered] and more of today's top stories!

What of the Ethiopian hostages?: State-run Eritrean ERITV channel shows a senior Afar elder who negotiated the release of five European hostages.(AFP) There are still eight Ethiopian hostages missing. Attention of the world media and that of the Ethiopian government has significantly dwindled after the release of the European hostages. Negotiations have ceased; search parties have been called off

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(Picture - Ethiopian Television Network)
International Ethiopian Women’s Organisation Radio Interview with Artist Telela Kebede
__________________________________________________

A MESSAGE FROM TENSAE RADIO
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Smugglers toss Ethiopian and Somali refugees to sharks

Knife-wielding smugglers forced 450 Somalis and Ethiopians overboard into stormy seas along a remote stretch of Yemen coastline at Ras-Alkalb in the Gulf of Aden last Thursday.

The smugglers forced their passengers overboard so they could make a speedy departure after being spotted by Yemeni security forces, UNHCR spokeswoman Astrid van Genderen Stort said.

Survivors also reported that several Ethiopian women and at least one Somali were raped and abused by the smugglers during the voyage from Bosaso in Somalia's Puntland region.

Since January 2006 at least 30,000 people have fled violence and hardship in Somalia and Ethiopia for Yemen, according to UNHCR. About 500 people have died and at least 300 are missing and believed dead.(More...)

Al-Qaida urges jihadis to go to Somalia

WASHINGTON(UPI) -- Al-Qaida has urged Islamic extremists around the world, especially in the information sphere to aid Islamic militias in Somalia.

In a new video released at the weekend by the group's official media arm, the as-Sahab Institute, Abu Yahya al-Libi, a prominent al-Qaida leader called on "my Muslim brothers to stand with their brothers (in Somalia) and go forth to fight at their side."

"All the things which make jihad an individual duty are present in their battle against the Abyssinian occupiers and their apostate lackeys," he said about the situation in Somalia, a reference to the Ethiopian military that in December ousted the Islamic Courts Union, the Islamic militia coalition that had controlled most of the country.(More...)

Ugandan troops say they are being used as guinea pigs

The Ugandan government is reviewing its involvement in Somalia as its troops await the arrival of peacekeepers from other African countries.

“We are assessing the situation on the ground and the magnitude of the assignment before the government decides on the way forward,” Isaac Musumba, the State Minister for Regional Co-operation, said.

He added that he had not received any communication from the African Union regarding when the peacekeepers promised by other African countries would join the Ugandan troops.

Meanwhile, a Ugandan captain in Somalia, who asked not to be identified, said the countries that had promised to send troops were not ready to take the lead. “True, many have pledged to join us, but they are waiting for us to test the waters first,” he said, adding that the situation was complicated by the presence of terrorists and the warfare tactics adopted by the Islamists.(More...)

Miner says struck gold in Ethiopia

ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - A mining company said on Monday it had found an estimated 10,000 tonnes of gold in southern Ethiopia that could be worth more than $1 billion.

Privately-owned National Mining Corporation (NMC) said the discovery was made at Dawa Dagiti in southern Oromia region.

"When production starts the country could earn up to $1 billion from gold exports that would help its development," NMC administrator Melaku Beza told a news conference in Addis Ababa.

He gave no more details. Gold is one of Ethiopia's top hard currency earners, along with coffee, hides and skin.(More...)

-Learn more about the National Mining Corporation Plc.

Ethiopian army camp attacked

Mogadishu - Ethiopian troops opened fire after a major explosion occurred at their camp on the outskirts of the Somali capital on Monday, and one person was killed, said a witness.

It was not clear what had caused the explosion or who the troops may have been firing at, and officials were not immediately available for comment.

The explosion was heard in parts of Mogadishu and Mohamed Nur Warsame, a minibus driver, said he saw the Ethiopian troops firing indiscriminately as he drove in the area.(More...)

A mysterious aerial device falls in Somalia

Mogadishu -- A mysterious device which some say could be a surveillance satellite has fallen near buulo burde town in south Somalia.

Villagers report that the device fell five days ago in area which lies forty kilo meters north of Buulo burde town.

The device occupies an area of one hundred Meters Square as villagers who spotted this device confirmed.

“In the evening of last Wednesday, a large device flew over our head and moments later, we heard a large sound, BAM” said Ilyas Ali, a villager who lives nearby where this large device has fallen.(More...)

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SEW - poem by Asradew
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Today's Top Stories

-Putting bucks in Starbucks
-Senate to look at improper FBI spying
-U.S. begins large show of force in Persian Gulf
-Iran Says Detained Brit Troops Are Healthy
-Sewage 'tsunami' kills four in Gaza (At least four Palestinians drowned in a tsunami of raw sewage on Tuesday when a water treatment reservoir burst)
-U.S. offers nearly $60 mln to prepare Abbas's forces
-Historic deal 'a new era' for N. Ireland (Long-time foes reach agreement to share office beginning)
-Semi-identical twins discovered(Scientists have revealed details of the world's only known case of "semi-identical" twins)






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