Ethiopia Rebels Declare Ceasefire for UN Visit

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REFLECTIONS ON THE EVE OF THE THIRD ETHIOPIAN MILLENNIUM
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Rebels in Ethiopia's volatile east declared a unilateral ceasefire so the United Nations can investigate their claims of human rights abuses in the region.

The Ogaden National Liberation Front rebels, ethnic Somalis who have been fighting the government for more than a decade, said they will only defend themselves if attacked.

"We want to give every hand to the UN mission so that the Ethiopian government does not find an excuse to interfere, so that they [the UN] can do a thorough investigation about what's happening in the Ogaden," Abdulrahman Mahdi, spokesperson for the ONLF, told the Associated Press in a telephone interview on Sunday.

Ethiopian officials could not immediately be reached for comment. Mahdi said the ceasefire will last as long as the UN is in the Ogaden, which is near the Somali border. The 14-person UN mission arrived in the region last week.

Ethiopia announced a crackdown on the rebels in June, two months after the ONLF attacked a Chinese-run oil exploration field, killing 74 people.(More...)

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SOME ETHIOPIANS CRINGE AT LAVISH MILLENNIUM BASH

Ethiopians bemoan the fact that in a country where the average annual per capita income peaked at $160 in 2005, ticket prices ranging from $270 to $330 will ensure Ethiopia's Y2K concert is not a popular celebration. "How could you expect the average Ethiopian to afford that kind of price when the amount he receives as salary per year is lower than the ticket price?"...."Not only will they miss the concert, they won't watch it on television as most of them don't have one," (More...)

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INTERNATIONAL HEADLINES

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PENTAGON (U.S.) COMPUTER SYSTEM HACKED BY CHINESE MILITARY

China's military successfully hacked into the Pentagon's computer network, raising fears it could disrupt the US defence department's systems, the Financial Times reported Tuesday. The Chinese military's cyber attack was carried out in June following months of efforts, the London-based newspaper said, citing unnamed current and former US officials.(More..)

Also see: China rejects US charge it hacked Pentagon


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Picture of the Day

(Britain honoured Mandela on Wednesday, August 29, 2007, by unveiling a bronze statue of him alongside those of great statesmen such as Winston Churchill and Abraham Lincoln. REUTERS/Alessia Pierdomenico)

NELSON MANDELA on ETHIOPIA:

"Ethiopia always has a special place in my imagination and the prospect of visiting Ethiopia attracted me more strongly than a trip to France, England and America combined.I felt I would be visiting my own genesis, unearthing the roots of what made me an African." - Long walk to Freedom, the autobiography of Nelson Mandela

Also see: Mandela statue joins ranks of Britain's heroes




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