Prosecutors wrap up case against CUD leaders – verdict expected in February

Also in the news: 311 to 90 its official - we are going to war!, Ethiopian military truck blown up in southern Somalia, Breaking news:Car bomb blast rocks Somali town

International: Rwanda, Burundi join East Africa Community , Iraq Study Group Strikes A Compromise, Traces of radiation at a dozen British sites, Physicist Stephen Hawking wins Copley medal and more of today's top stories

Qaliti qalkidan Urgent Petition - Sign it!

At least 10,000 signatures needed before the Christmas holiday break

Prosecutors wrap up case against CUD leaders – verdict expected in February

(ETP) Novemeber 30, 2006 – Reminiscent of a scene right out of the movies, a witness broke down in court yesterday and admitted he was instructed by the prosecution on what to say.

The witness was accusing some of the defendants of physically assaulting him when one of the accused stood up and asked “have I really done all these things to you?” to the astonishment of courtroom attendees and the prosecutors themselves - the witness replied “You didn’t do anything to me; it was the prosecutor who told me to say so.”

The Prosecutors were caught in public with their pants down and attempted to amend their blunder - to no avail. Prosecutors argued that the witness has suffered mental problems as a result of the injuries he sustained thus he is unreliable; questioning the sanity and credibility of their own witness. Many in the courtroom were surprised by the courage of this witness in opting to tell the truth.

The embattled prosecution wrapped up its case against the democratically elected MP’s of Ethiopia; verdict is expected in mid February. The court is expected to decide on whether to dismiss the case or to proceed to hear argument from the defense.

If the court decides to hear arguments for the defense, no one is sure what will happen since most of the accused have refused to enter pleas saying the country's justice system is not independent and that the trial was politically motivated.

Ethiopia's parliament has authorised military action
311 to 90 - its official, we are going to war!

Ethiopia's parliament has authorised military action in the event of an attack on the country by Somalia's Union of Islamic Courts.

On Thursday the Ethiopian parliament passed a resolution to let the government take "all necessary" steps in response to what it said were plans for an invasion by the Islamic Courts movement. Parliament approved the resolution by 311 votes to 90 against and 16 abstentions.

The resolution states that: "Parliament hereby authorises the government to take all necessary and legal steps to stave off a declaration of holy war and invasion by the Union of Islamic Courts against the country."

Meles Zenawi, prime minister of Ethiopia, said his country had already suffered attacks by groups working closely with Eritrea and the Islamic Courts forces in Somalia. (More...)

An Ethiopian military truck blown up in southern Somalia

Union of Islamic Courts claimed Thursday that their backers in Bai province, southern Somalia, have blown up an Ethiopian military pickup truck passing between Gofgadud and Manas areas on the edge of Baidoa, a seat for the transitional government.

Sheik Muktar Rbow, head of Islamic Courts security section, said pro-Islamist groups around Baidoa town had ambushed an Ethiopian convoy, destroying one pickup truck. Robow did not say the casualties. The Islamic Courts claim could not be verified, however.

Number of Ethiopian battlewagons were blown up in the past after they crossed Somalia’s southern border with Ethiopia to reach the government’s base in Baidoa where thousands of Ethiopian troops are reported lingering.(More...)

Physicist Stephen Hawking wins Copley medal

LONDON - Physicist Stephen Hawking received the highest award for scientific achievement Thursday for his work in theoretical physics and cosmology.

The Copley medal first was awarded in 1731 by the Royal Society, Britain's elite scientific academy. Previous recipients have included Charles Darwin, Albert Einstein, Louis Pasteur and Capt. James Cook.

"This is a very distinguished medal," Hawking said in a statement. "It was awarded to Darwin, Einstein and (Francis) Crick. I am honored to be in their company."... Stephen Hawking has contributed as much as anyone since Einstein to our understanding of gravity," said the society's president, Lord Rees. "This medal is a fitting recognition of an astonishing research career spanning more than 40 years."
(More...)

Today's Top Stories

-Car bomb blast rocks Somali town
-Rwanda, Burundi join East Africa Community
-Iraq Study Group Strikes A Compromise
-Talks On Palestinian Unity Government Fail
-Traces of radiation at a dozen British sites
-Kidman tops actress earning list

Who Are the 400 Poorest?

We all know who the 400 Richest Americans are, and who are the world's billionaires. We know where they vacation, what kind of homes they live in, the cars they drive, their marital status, the yachts they go yachting in.

Our obsession with and lionization of the wealthy Cloud Minders (see David Korten) is obscene.

Do we know who the 400 poorest Americans are? Who are the 400 poorest in the world? Do we know their names? Do we know what each one eats, where they sleep, what kind of work they do?

We don't, but we do know about the injustice of wealth distribution: these top 400 richest Americans in Forbes own more than world's 2.5 billion poorest combined.
As Barbara Ehrenreich so eloquently put it:

The ‘working poor’ as they are approvingly termed, are in fact the major philanthropists of our society. They neglect their own children so that the children of others will be cared for; they live in substandard housing so that other homes will be shiny and perfect; they endure privation so that inflation will be low and stock prices high. To be a member of the working poor is to be an anonymous donor, a nameless benefactor, to everyone else.

More on Poverty

Ethiopian government spends $3 ANNUALLY per person on health - Third Worst in Africa

Also in the news: PM Meles asks jailed CUD leaders to quit politics, Kenya opposes military intervention in Somalia, U.S. Peacekeeping Plan for Somalia Criticized, Commission gives Ethiopia-Eritrea a year on border

International: More efforts surfacing to draft Obama as presidential candidate, Iraqi Leader Arrives in Jordan for Talks With Bush, Sick Castro misses 80th birthday celebrations, Ahmadinejad sends letter to American people, Minister speaks out on spy death and more of today's top stories

Qaliti qalkidan Urgent Petition - Sign it!

At least 10,000 signatures needed before the Christmas holiday break

Ethiopian government spends $3 ANNUALLY per person on health - Third Worst in Africa
By Andualem Sisay

Ethiopian government's expenditure on health is so low that the country ranks among the last on the list of World Health Organization Africa member countries. Ethiopia ranks 44th out of 46 member states, says the 2006 WHO report.

According to the report, the Ethiopian government's per capita expenditure on health is only three dollars per annum for a person, making the country the worst, followed only by Burundi and Democratic Republic of Congo whose government per capita expenditure on health is just one dollar.

Seychelles ranks at the top with its government allocating 382 dollars annually for health for a person followed by Botswana that spends 135 dollars and Gabon third with 130 dollars per person per year.

The WHO Commission for Macroeconomics and Health estimates that a minimum expenditure of 34 dollars per person per year was required to provide an essential package of public health interventions in order to achieve both the relevant Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the New Partnership for Africa 's Development (NEPAD) targets.

Currently 35 African member states of WHO spend less than 34 dollars on health.

According to the First African Regional Health Report launched Monday, African countries in 2003 spent on average 5% of their gross domestic product (GDP) on health, 51% of which were expenditures by the government.

African heads of state made a commitment in Abuja in 2001 to allocate at least 15% of their annual budgets to the health sector. By the end of 2003, out of the 46 only one country Seychelles allocated 15% or more of its national budget on health.

In 2005, the Abuja pledge to allocate 15% of national budgets to health was reconfirmed by African heads of state in the Gaborone Declaration at the October 2005 session of the Conference of African Ministers of Health in Botswana .

PM Meles asks jailed CUD leaders to quit politics
EthioZagol

Meles Zenawi would release CUD leaders who had been held at Kaliti prison for the last thirteen months if they agreed to quit politics. According to prison sources, Meles sent the message to the prisoners through Professor Ephrem Isaac (seen here). The prominent linguist and historian met the prisoners at least twice this week and heard a firm rejection from some of the top leaders. (More...)

Kenya opposes military intervention in Somalia

Kenyan foreign minister Raphael Taju revealed yesterday that his country will never agree to foreign countries deploying military troops in Somalia.

The minister invited Somalis in Kenya to a banquet in Nairobi where they have discussed over Kenya’s stance in Somalia, as Taju stated that he does not believe military intervention is the solution for the political discord between the Union of Islamic Courts and the transitional government.

Somalis who have convened with the minister were combined of businesspeople and traditional elders.

“The Kenyan government is always looking for a peaceful solution for Somalia. Kenya does not believe that military intervention in Somalia will produce good results”, he said.

A committee of 12 persons was appointed in the meeting to assess the developments in neighboring Somalia, where fears of war are running high.

Taju has told Somalis he met that Kenyan government would not take for granted what view they present to the government over the worsening situation in their country.(More...)

U.S. Peacekeeping Plan for Somalia Criticized
washington post

..European and U.N. officials have privately voiced concern that the establishment of the force, which the militias oppose, could provoke a new military offensive against the government. They have also expressed fears that the conflict could reignite fighting between Ethiopia and Eritrea, which ended their border war in 2000.

"We need to . . . encourage the Somali parties to continue the dialogue," said U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan. "What is also important is we need to make sure that neighboring countries do not get drawn in, because there is a tendency for some of the neighboring countries to get drawn in."

The International Crisis Group, a Brussels-based think tank, issued a warning Monday that the U.S. resolution "could trigger all-out war in Somalia" and destabilize the Horn of Africa.

"You don't win in Somalia by picking one side and support it and funneling arms to it," said Nick Grono, an expert on Africa at the organization. He said the Islamic militias have warned that they would respond to foreign intervention with the declaration of a holy war. "That is a recipe for jihad," he said.

France and other European governments have asked the United States to consider amendments designed to assure the Islamic militias that they are not taking sides in the war. For instance, they are calling for the exclusion of the countries bordering Somalia -- Ethiopia, Djibouti and Kenya -- from participating in the force.(More...)

Today's Top Stories

-Commission gives Ethiopia, Eritrea a year on border
-More efforts surfacing to draft Obama as presidential candidate
-White House in losing battle over semantic war of words
-Iraqi Leader Arrives in Jordan for Talks With Bush
-Ahmadinejad sends letter to American people
-Sick Castro misses 80th birthday celebrations
-Minister speaks out on spy death
-US rapper Snoop Dogg arrested again
-Father hangs onto roof pursuing car thief

EPRDF troops clash with Islamists

Also in the news: Troops shelling central town, Questions raised by University Students, ANALYSIS-U.S. may be heading for new setback in Somalia, In response to Dr. Maru Gubena’s article

International: Bemba accepts DR Congo poll loss, Gaddafi in Nigeria airport drama, official Leftist wins Ecuador presidency, Face transplant woman able to smile and more of today's top stories

Qaliti qalkidan (Covenant) Petition - Sign it!

At least 10,000 signatures needed before the Christmas holiday break

On November 16, 2006, Representatives Donald Payne of New Jersey and Michael Honda of California held a historic briefing in the United States House of Representatives to expose the truth about the massive human rights violations in Ethiopia. All Ethiopians deeply appreciate the extraordinary efforts of Representatives Payne and Honda and their outstanding staff in coordinating this briefing.(More...)


-Also visit Qaliti Covenant’s website For:

• Video Excerpt of the Inquiry Commission’s deliberations presented at the briefing Which shows the Inquiry Commission clearly voting 8-2 against the government of Ethiopia for having used excessive force on civilians. You will also find additional material regarding the inquiry commission’s report on the website

Questions raised by University Students (Amharic)

(More...)

EPRDF troops 'clash' with Islamists

Ethiopian forces have exchanged fire with Islamists in a strategic town north of Somalia's capital, officials of the powerful Islamic movement say. The Union of Islamic Courts chairman Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed told a rally in Mogadishu that Ethiopian forces began shelling Bandiradley at 0300 GMT.

Earlier this month, Islamists captured the town near semi-autonomous Puntland, which has strong ties to Ethiopia. There is no independent confirmation of the fighting and no Ethiopian reaction.(More...)

ANALYSIS-U.S. may be heading for new setback in Somalia

NAIROBI, Nov 28 (Reuters) - Twice badly burned in Somalia, the United States appears to be pursuing a third intervention that many Western and regional diplomats say could set off a disastrous war in the Horn of Africa.

Sent into a policy tailspin by its backing of Mogadishu warlords toppled by Islamists earlier this year, Washington has resurrected a two-year-old plan to send African peacekeepers into Somalia.

Peacekeeping, Somalia and the United States have proved a volatile mix. Washington abandoned a joint operation with the United Nations after 18 U.S. soldiers were killed and hundreds of Somalis slaughtered in the 1993 "Black Hawk Down" incident.

U.N. diplomats say Washington is expected this week to unveil a draft Security Council resolution authorising the peacekeeping mission.(More...)

Somali Islamists accuse Ethiopia of shelling central town

MOGADISHU (AFP) - Somalia's powerful Islamist movement has accused neighboring Ethiopia of shelling an Islamist-held central Somali town, ratcheting up tension and fears for all-out war.

Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, leader of the executive wing of the Supreme Islamic Council of Somalia (SICS), said Tuesday that Ethiopian forces were attacking Bandiradley, about 630 kilometers (394 miles) north of Mogadishu.

"Ethiopian soldiers have massed around Bandiradley and started firing missiles toward our positions," he told a crowd of more than 10,000 people in the capital, denouncing the Ethiopian presence in Somalia and the United States.

"Their tanks are trying to surround the area and now they are about 10 kilometers (six miles) away from the town where our fighters are based," Ahmed said.(More...)

In response to Dr. Maru Gubena’s article
Yinegal Belachew

I read Dr. Maru Gubena’s article with a lot of interest. This interest came because we both belong to the same generation he called “ Golden Period Generation” and share more or less the same experiences. It would have been wise and scientific to wait until Part II come out and read what is in it to conclude and learn what Dr. Maru Gubena wants us to. I chose not to wait.

I agree to most of the analysis given by Dr. Maru Gubena and do agree on the historical part of the analysis. Two foundations he based his analysis on put their weight on the other side of the scale. (More...)

Gaddafi in Nigeria airport drama

Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi has been involved in a diplomatic incident as he arrived in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, for a summit.

Nigerian officials say Col Gaddafi was accompanied by more than 200 heavily armed Libyan bodyguards.

When security officers refused to allow them to keep their weapons, an argument ensued and Col Gaddafi stormed off.

Only when Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo intervened did the bodyguards agree to hand in their weapons. (More...)

Today's Top Stories

-Bemba accepts DR Congo poll loss
-NBC to use 'civil war' to describe Iraq
-Prime minister opts to see visiting pope
-Leftist wins Ecuador presidency, official says
-Face transplant woman can smile
-Wrong turn puts driver on the rails

Eliminate Violence Against Women

Saturday was International Elimination of Violence Against Women Day, and the first of 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence.

In the GTA, 13 women have been murdered by their husband or partner so far this year. One was Malini Thayakumar, stabbed to death by her husband on Nov. 5. Kathiravelu Thayakumar, who killed their daughter before killing himself, had been convicted in 2002 of assaulting his wife.

The province as a whole fares even worse than the GTA, according to StatsCan, with three to six women a month being a victim of domestic homicide. (From The Star)

There's a very strong tendency is marginalize, ignore, or outright deny the extent of violence against women. One of the most important things to do is to keep the issue out there, in the public eye. Here are 16 more ways to help.

Truly, this issue is not just for women. Lots of great resources for men here and here (excellent sites).

More on Women's Rights.

Protests In Khartoum Enter Second Week - BLOGS STILL BLOCKED IN ETHIOPIA!

ETP - In continuation of its repressive undemocratic policies; the Ethiopian Government has blocked all blogs yet again. This attempt by the government to completely sensor all information in and out of Ethiopia is a desperate effort to keep citizens ignorant and unaware of atrocities that are currently being committed .

Also in the news: CUD Trial Update, Letters that sparked US Somalia alert fake, The Great Ethiopian Run scam: URAEL, Fanning the flames of war, Solution to the Quagmire in Somalia:Enset, US to suspend visa services in Eritrea

International: Stakes high as Iraq-Iran officials meet, Diplomatic Row Brews Over Spy's Radiation Death, UK to cut Iraq troops by "thousands" by end-2007, Leftist Chavez ally winning Ecuador presidential race and more of today's top stories

Ethiopians’ protest at the UNHCR gate in Khartoum entered its second week. Two are seriously sick.The protest started november 20, 2006 when the rounding up and arresting of Ethiopians with no valid IDs was at its pick. According to their representative their number is 212. Among the protesters is a woman with a six month baby and another with a two years old. Debteraw.(More...)

Letters that sparked US Somalia alert fake

MOGADISHU, Nov 27 (Reuters) - Somali Islamists on Monday dismissed as fake two letters purportedly signed by their most influential leader and which led to a U.S. warning of possible suicide attacks in Kenya and Ethiopia.

"An assassin will not write a letter and say I will carry out a plan. Even in the copy we saw, they could not get the letterhead right," Ibrahim Hassan Addow (seen here), in charge of foreign affairs for the Islamists, told Reuters.

"Those who want attack us and bring foreign troops to Somalia want to use this cheap tactic to get American support ... It is unfortunate that a State Department official accepted this and used it in American foreign policy towards Somalia."

The letters surfaced amid belligerent rhetoric and heightened fears that a standoff between Somalia's interim government and rival Islamists may spiral into a regional war, sucking in neighbouring countries.(More...)

CUD Trial Update
Adebabay

Shimelis Kemal, co-author of the EPRDF court drama requested the court today to abandon the appearance of his remaining 289 trained witnesses. Of the total expected fake witnesses of 367 only 59 appeared in court so far; and 19 have not witnessed for the prosecutor himself claimed their substance is redundant.

Shimelis claimed that the substance of the remaining 289 witnesses is not different from those so far appeared; and his office wants to help justice to be made as soon as possible (“yetefaten fitih”). However the co-authors appeal to bring 15 new witnesses that were not mentioned in the original list of witnesses due to different reasons. The court accepted both questions and adjourned for Wednesday. The authors seems to end their series so short. Why?

Meanwhile, Muluneh Eyoel, Sisay Agena and Eskindir Nega were brought back to Kality jail from their solitary confinement last week. Prison sources confirmed that the three were in solitary confinement as a punishment for their “behavior” which is demanding their basic rights of discussing with their prison mates. source

The Great Ethiopian Run scam

URAEL

The television trucks are already at their place. Tens of thousands of enthusiastic amateur athletes are trying their best to compete, or in some cases to complete, the 6.5 miles through Addis Ababa's city center. Last years edition was just three weeks after the general strike and the murders and mass arrests following the election fraud. I watched the run nearby one of the trucks of the Ethiopian Television Corporation.

In a nearby buna bet people were following the event on television. When the competitive athletes finished the crowds came passing by. Whenever they passed the truck of the ETC with a camera on its roof, the V sign was made and large groups shouted 'Leba, leba'.

You could read the uneasiness from the faces of the camera men. What to do? There was no way to avoid the shouting and signaling runners but filming it, was against all the codes that are valid at the national television. Which means we show what the gang wants us to. And they knew that the government did no even want to admit that the opposition was alive and kicking, even with many thousands suffering in concentration camps.

The other thing was that the camera men and other technical people felt that the 'Leba, leba' yells were not only meant for the thieves that stole the elections, but also was aimed at the ETV itself.

Day in day out broadcasting lies does not make you popular. I must admit that I enjoyed this spectacle. After weeks of tension, somehow I escaped from the attention of the security people, it was a relieve to see that so many felt the same as me. For a moment we could share our feelings of anger and frustration. May be even a tear dropped out of my eyes.

After a while I went in to the buna bet for a refreshment. Ethiopian television was still showing pictures of thousands of people running. But there was something strange. All of them were wearing the T shirt, that the organization provides, of the run the year before.

And no pictures of people outing their frustration with the recent atrocities. Then I understood; to avoid showing the angry crowd on TV, ETV was showing the footage of the year before. While the reporting went on for another hour, the television people had packed their things and were long gone.

Fanning the flames of war

Conor Foley, Guardian

Plans by the US government to authorise intervention in Somalia are likely to be counterproductive, as history warns us.

...Deploying frontline states, such as Ethiopia, in Somalia, without the consent of all warring parties, would be the equivalent of pouring petrol on a fire. Intervening under the banner of the UN will also weaken the organisation's neutrality and legitimacy. The ICG has instead called on the UN to reinforce its arms embargo against all sides and to push for a negotiated end to the conflict. It states that "any UN-sponsored military deployment should be designed to support an agreed ceasefire, not undermine it"...(More)

Solution to the Quagmire in Somalia

Enset

...In her article, the feminist Mire (cousin of the leader of the Islamists, Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys) argues that what Somalis needed the most at this time is a sense of security in their own country and she was prepared to give the benefit of the doubt to the Islamists, even though she is convinced that Somali women will not fare any better under Islamic Sharia law.

In an email conversation I had with Mire after reading her article, she related to me that the central reason for the lack of political stability in Somalia in the last 16 years was Ethiopian interference in Somali affairs. She also seemed to attribute the ills of Somali society such as warlordism and the consumption of the mild narcotics khat (tchat) on Ethiopia. While I agreed with Mire that interference by the Meles regime was, indeed, one of the reasons for the political instability in Somalia today, I indicated to her that the premium that Somali society places on clan loyalty over and above everything else is the main culprit.(More...)

US to suspend visa services in Eritrea

ASMARA (Reuters) - The United States said on Monday it was temporarily suspending visa services in Eritrea until the Red Sea state let its new consular officer enter the country.

The current U.S. consul is set to leave Eritrea early next month, but in a sign of worsening diplomatic relations the U.S. embassy said it had been unable to get a visa for her replacement.(More...)

Today's Top Stories

-Stakes high as Iraq, Iran officials meet
-Olmert says ready to free Palestinian prisoners
-Diplomatic Row Brews Over Spy's Radiation Death
-UK to cut Iraq troops by "thousands" by end-2007
-Leftist Chavez ally winning Ecuador presidential race
-Turkish PM to meet Pope after all
-Splash into cash: Rome's Trevi coins fund market for poor

ETHIOPIAN GOVERNMENT BLOCKS BLOGS AGAIN!!

ETP - In continuation of its repressive undemocratic policies; the Ethiopian Government has blocked all blogs yet again. This attempt by the government to completely sensor all information in and out of Ethiopia is a desperate effort to keep citizens ignorant and unaware.

Ethiopians Have woken up; they are demanding democracy and freedom to say, read and listen to what they want With out any government interference!

Also in the news:

Great Ethiopian Run Provides Avenue for Peaceful Protest

Lewit



Today at 8:30am, an estimated 25 000 people gathered in Meskel Square to participate in the annual Great Ethiopian Run. However, almost immediately after the race began, the crowd seized the long-awaited opportunity to peacefully protest the escalating brutality of the EPRDF regime--demanding the immediate release of all political prisoners and an end to the dictatorial rule of Meles Zenawi.

Shouts of “Kinijit is back!” and “Give power to the educated!” mingled with slogans denouncing the Somalian invasion, and strains of peaceful hymns filled the air. Local police officers looked on in amazement as crowds swarmed the front of the ETV building, peacefully expressing their dissatisfaction and thanking Haile Gebre-Selassie for providing the opportunity to speak out against the mounting political oppression.(More...)

ETHIOPIAN GOVERNMENT BLOCKS BLOGS AGAIN!!
MarkMedia


There have been reports that the Great Ethiopian Run was used as a platform for protesting the governments policy on the threatened war with Somalia.
I can say that I saw groups of runners showing the V sign and chanting. The V sign is typically used by the opposition. To my ears the chant sounded like "thief, thief" but my lack of Amharic means that I can not say what other slogans were chanted if any.

What I do know is that all there is a blocking action against a large number of Ethiopian blog sites [both on and from]. I can not access any of the internationally hosted blogs from here in Addis. This is a strangulation of the freedom of speech and an obvious attempt to stop the flow of information on and about Ethiopia to its citizens.

It is not the first time this tactic has been used.

This is not surprising perhaps in a country where sending SMS/text messages has been stopped since the protests after the 2005 elections.

As the Ethiopian government and its economy rely to such a large extent on international donors, there need to be pressure brought from them to see that a democratic right to information is both required and enforced. The International Federation of Journalists migt also let their voice be heard.(More...)

Teshome TOGA defends human rights abuses in Ethiopia

Also in the news:

211 Ethiopians on hunger strike at UNHCR gate in Khartoum

Washington Update, The head of Somalia's Union of Islamic Courts said his forces are ready to face Ethiopian troops within Somalia

International:Rwanda recalls envoy to France over arrest warrants, Poisoned ex-spy accuses Putin from beyond grave, Iran agrees to open nuclear books, Chavez has big lead before Venezuela vote and more of today's top stories
--------------------------------------
Betrayal of Democracy Toronto Canada
Saturday December 2 , 2005
4:00 pm
235 Queens Quay W.
For more information contact (416) 732-7446
--------------------------------------
211 Ethiopians on hunger strike at UNHCR gate in Khartoum
Debteraw

Khartoum (22 November 2006): Arresting, deporting and harassing Ethiopians is continued. The house to house search in selected areas of Khartoum is still going on. This has paved the way for crooks, hooligans and all other types of cheats who pretend as authorized search teams. According to reliable sources reaching this reporter rapes, attempted rapes, flogging, entering houses by force, confiscating properties are rampant. (More...)

(Audio) DW radio report on the strike

Teshome TOGA defends human rights abuses in Ethiopia

ETP - The EU-ACP(African, Caribbean, Pacific) Joint Parliamentary Assembly met in Bridgetown ( Barbados) from 20 to 23 November. A resolution was tabled by the European side calling for the immediate and unconditional release of all political detainees. the ACP resisted and rejected this resolution on East Africa which addressed human rights issues. 53 EU Delegates voted for the resolution with one voting against it while eleven ACP states supported it and twenty-seven voted against it. Below is the debate on the resolution concerning east Africa in which Teshome TOGA (Ethiopia's Speaker of the House of Representatives) defends human rights abuses in Ethiopia saying it is in the interest of the people

Debate

Michael GAHLER (EPP-ED, DE) one of the sponsors of the resolution recalled that he had visited the country just one month ago and he found an “unsatisfactory situation.” Mr Gahler underlined that lawyers, human rights activists and opposition Members of Parliament had all been brought before the courts. National reconciliation was needed.

Ana GOMES (PES, PT) said that she did not advocate cutting ties with Ethiopia because of human rights abuses. She advocated the opposite approach with full engagement to press the regime to release political prisoners. She said the EU had made a difference in the past in Ethiopia and could do so again. Pressure needed to be put on certain officials and against Prime Minister Meles. It was important, she said, to see the bigger picture and for human rights to be protected and respected. The actions of the Ethiopian government were providing an excuse for the Eritreans to undermine some human rights.

Teshome TOGA (Ethiopia) disagreed with the campaign by some EU parliamentarians. They were acting for an external interest and this interference had contributed to violence after the elections. He stressed that Ethiopia had the right to choose independence and would not kneel down to external pressure.(More...)

Washington Update

Mesfin Mekonen

On Sunday, Nov. 19, Dr. Taye Woldesmiat, president of the Ethiopian Teachers Association and Ato Kifle Mulat, president of the Ethiopian Free Press Association addressed a Town Hall meeting in Washington, D.C.

They provided updates on the situation in Ethiopia and discussed future plans for restoring democracy and improving the human rights situation.

Dr. Taye Woldesmiat emphasized the need for all Ethiopians to work together to use peaceful means to bring about democratic change. He called for a halt to unnecessary fighting among those who are united in their pursuit of democracy. He called for an immediate focus on the release of political prisoners, journalists, and leaders of civic society. He warned that the structure of Ethiopian society is unraveling as the educational system disintegrates, children drop out of school and there are no economic opportunities. Students will continue to play a key role in efforts to bring democracy to Ethiopia, he said. Dr. Taye also stressed the important role that women must play.

Ato Kilfle described the important role the free press played during and after the elections to inform the Ethiopian public. He added, however, that the Ethiopian press has paid a heavy price. Most independent-minded journalists are suffering in jail, although they are guilty of nothing other than reporting the truth. His hands were chained together in remembrance of the Ethiopian journalists who are in jail, as well as those who have been killed. He expressed strong disappointment with the lack of interest in the international community, and the failure of governments and organizations in free countries to intervene to help Ethiopian journalist. Those suffering in Ethiopian jails include Sirkalem Fasil, a journalists who was pregnant when she was arrested and who delivered her baby in prison.

The large number of Ethiopians who attended the meeting applauded Dr. Taye and Ato Kilfle. They also loudly and clearly requested that they work hard to organize a conference bringing together all Ethiopian political and civic organizations to craft unified positions. There was strong agreement among audience members representing a variety of political groups, as well as by Dr. Taye and Ato Kilfle, that democratic change can only be achieved if civic organizations are involved in the effort.

Following a very active question and answer session, Dr. Taye proposed the following basic elements for future action:

Civil society must play an active, constructive role in transforming Ethiopian society from dictatorship to democracy.

All of the political parties must work together.

Ethiopian intellectuals must work for the common good of Ethiopia society; they should network among themselves.

A civil society support committee should be organized.

There should be strong links between those working for democracy inside Ethiopia and those in the rest of the world.

Ethnic and religious conflict must be avoided.

*Orqanized by Addis Dimitse radio, ENC/EAC and other civic groups

The head of Somalia's Union of Islamic Courts said his forces are ready to face Ethiopian troops within Somalia

The Islamic body that controls much of Somalia has reacted angrily to comments by Ethiopia that it is prepared for an attack by its eastern neighbour. The head of Somalia's Union of Islamic Courts (UIC), Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, said his forces were ready to face Ethiopian troops within Somalia.

On Thursday Ethiopia's PM said the UIC had declared holy war on his country. Ethiopia denies allegations by the UIC that Ethiopian troops are backing Somalia's weak transitional government.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has denied these claims but admits to having hundreds of military trainers in Somalia. On Thursday he told MPs that Somalia's UIC represented a "clear threat".(More...)

Poisoned ex-spy accuses Putin from beyond grave

LONDON (Reuters) - An ex-KGB spy accused Vladimir Putin of his murder in a statement read out on Friday after his death from radiation poisoning, but the Russian president brushed off the accusation as "political provocation".

British authorities said large quantities of polonium 210, a radioactive isotope, had been discovered in Alexander Litvinenko's body. Police were studying how it got there and experts searched for traces of it at several locations.

"You may succeed in silencing one man. But a howl of protest from around the world will reverberate, Mr Putin, in your ears for the rest of your life," the ex-spy said in a statement read out by friends in front of the London hospital where he died overnight of organ failure.
"May God forgive you for what you have done, not only to me but to beloved Russia and its people." (More...)

Today's Top Stories

-Rwanda recalls envoy to France over arrest warrants
-U.N.: Iran agrees to open nuclear books
-Palestinians propose truce, Israel rejects it
-Poll: Chavez has big lead before Venezuela vote
-German police get their phoney U.S. Highway Patrolman

Media Void

Swedish human rights worker viciously attacked by Jewish extremists in Hebron: Story Not Covered in Major Media

"If 100 Palestinians chanting anti-Christian slogans had smashed a 19-year-old Swedish girl in the face with a bottle, breaking her cheek bone, it would be headlines in much of the US media." Via IfAmericansKnew Group.

Well, Israeli extremist settlers did just that, and nary a peep from the major Western news outlets.

Please contact your local media, tell them you have a news tip.

To see if our agitaging has yet made a difference, visit Google News. Today's screenshot at left shows only 7 pieces of coverage, none of which are from major Western media.) Today we only read about the oldest Palestinian suicide bomber who injured 2 Israeli soldiers (also awful, but both stories are equally deserving of coverage).

From International Solidarity Movement

A 19-year old Swedish human rights worker had her cheekbone broken by a Jewish extremist in Hebron today. Earlier the same day at least five Palestinians, including a 3-year-old child, were injured by the settler-supporting extremists, who rampaged through Tel Rumeida hurling stones and bottles at local residents. Palestinian schoolchildren on their way home were also attacked. The Israeli army, which was intensively deployed in the area, did not intervene to stop the attacks.
............
The incident was the latest attack by extremist Jews in Hebron. The small group of Khannist settlers in Tel Rumeida regularly attack and harass Palestinians in the area. The violence sometimes spills over to the international human rights workers who accompany Palestinians in an attempt to protect them from settler attack.

Here is the response by the spokespeople for The Jewish Community of Hebron, suggesting to the Swedish Foreign Ministry that, "in order to avoid any other unpleasant incidents in Hebron, all Swedish citizens, including members of TIPH and others, such as Ms. Johansson, be requested to stop their politically provocative anti-Jewish activities, leave Hebron immediately and stop interfering in internal Israeli affairs."

Topics: Media Issues, Middle East

Ethiopian troops impose curfew on a Somali town

Also in the news: Eritrea refuses to rule out a new war with Ethiopia, Why is the International community silent?, Ethiopia one of the most dangerous place for newborns, Ethiopia's lion cubs being poisoned at a zoo in Addis Ababa

International: EU-Africa Summit Addresses European Migration, Passport rules for entering U.S. to change, Tension rises in Lebanon after assassination, Israeli troops advance into Gaza towns and more of today's top stories

Two rare Ethiopian lion cub's rest inside their enclosure at the Lion Zoo in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2006. The zoo is poisoning rare lion cubs and selling the corpses to be stuffed because it doesn't have enough money to care for the animals, which are the national symbol, the zoo's administrator said Wednesday. 'These animals are the pride of our country,' Muhedin Abdulaziz of the Lion Zoo told The Associated Press. 'But our only alternative right now is to send them to the taxidermist.' Ethiopia's lions, famous for their black manes, adorn statues and the local currency. Wildlife experts estimate that only 1,000 Ethiopian lions,, remain in the wild. (AP Photo/Les Neuhaus)


Hailu Shawel; less rhetoric and more Truth
(EZ)

Political pragmatism isn't usually inspired by exotic nature. It grows from an attempt to make sense of the quiddities thrown by human existence. Kinijit's charismatic chairman Hailu Shawel though isn't your normal pragmatic politician.

He switches from idealism to the most practical aspects of politics as effortlessly as children absorb their native tongue.The Greek root of the Latin Natura means "to give birth", to be native...life. The public life of Hailu Shawel was born of nature's inspiration.

In 1958, as an adventurous 22 year old Hailu returned to Ethiopia barely weeks after he graduated from Wayne State in Civil engineering. His destination was the world's most marvelous water -the Blue Nile. There, as a chief Hydrologist in Blue Nile Investigation Project, he reviled the bewildering contrast between Ethiopia's great potential and its failure. Where the beautiful Nile snaked around with arrogance and grace, the soil was lost to erosion and wildlife decimated. Nature vanishes when development surges.(More...)

Ethiopia one of the most dangerous places for newborns

Up to half a million African babies die on the day they are born, with Liberia having the world's highest neonatal mortality rate at 66 deaths per 1,000 births, compared with fewer than two deaths for 1,000 births in Japan.

Half of Africa's 1.16 million neonatal deaths occur in Nigeria, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Uganda, the report said.

Burkina Faso, Eritrea, Madagascar, Malawi, Tanzania and Uganda had made significant progress in reducing infant deaths over the last 10 years, thanks to increased government spending on basic health care.

The report said opportunities to save the lives of newborns within existing programmes were often missed, with only one-tenth of women in Africa attending antenatal care receiving preventive treatment for malaria.

Only one percent of mothers with HIV had treatment to avoid transmitting the virus to their babies during childbirth.

"Up to 800,000 babies a year could be saved if 90 percent of women and babies received feasible, low-cost health interventions," the report said, adding this would cost about $1 billion per year.(More...)

Ethiopian troops impose curfew on a Somali town

Mogadishu 22, Nov.06 ( Sh.M.Network) –– Ethiopian forces in Balanballe in Galgaduud province in central Somalia have imposed curfew on the town.

Reliable sources told Shabelle Radio in Mogadishu that Balanballe, a Somali district, which has become a military base for Ethiopian troops, have been imposed on curfew by Ethiopian forces that began searching residents going in and out of the town.

Earlier UN revealed that thousands of Ethiopian troops are in Somalia as Ethiopian government insisted that the troops were in the country to train forces and protect the weak government based in the small town of Baidoa, 245 km southwest of the capital.

The transitional government was formed in Kenya in 2004 after protracted negotiations but remained largely powerless ever since it moved to Somalia.(More...)

Why is the International community silent? (Amharic)

(More...)

Eritrea refuses to rule out a new war with Ethiopia

ASMARA (AFP) - Eritrea has warned that the current stalemate over its tense border with Ethiopia was "not sustainable" and refused to rule out a new war with its arch-foe Horn of Africa neighbor.

At the same time, Asmara repeated denials that Somalia had become a proxy battleground for it and Addis Ababa amid reports the two countries are backing rival factions there to settle scores from their bloody 1998-2000 conflict.

Two days after Eritrea and Ethiopia both rejected plans by a UN-appointed border panel to demarcate their contentious frontier on paper, further raising tensions, a senior Eritrean official said that all options were on the table.

"Eritrea is a sovereign country and we cannot accept the reality of our territory being occupied by a foreign power indefinitely," said Yemane Gebremeskel, director of Eritrean President Issaias Afeworki's office Wednesday.

"I don't want to speculate on what can happen, but I can only tell you this situation is not sustainable, it cannot be acceptable legally and there is no reason why it should stay this way," he told reporters in an interview here.

On Monday, the two nations boycotted a meeting of the Eritrea Ethiopia Boundary Commission in The Hague designed to gather comment about a proposal to delineate the border on maps without marking it on the ground.(More...)

Rare Abyssinian lion cubs are being poisoned at a zoo in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa

The zoo, founded by Ethiopia's former Emperor Haile Selassie, says it poisons a number of cubs each year because it does not have the space or money to look after them. "We can send them to the forest and to some governmental palaces but most of the time we send them to the taxidermists," said the Lion Zoo administrator Muhedin Abdulaziz.

He said the taxidermists paid about $175 (£90) for each cub and they were then sold for $400 (£210). No-one at the zoo is happy about the situation and local conservationists are angry.

One Ethiopian conservationist, who did not want to be named, said he had been offered 11 cubs last year."They told me I could take and keep them but I don't have land to keep them... and it was not easy to get land." (More...)

Today's Top Stories

-EU-Africa Summit Addresses European Migration
-Passport rules for entering U.S. to change
-Israeli troops advance into Gaza towns
-Tension rises in Lebanon after assassination
-UK troops may hand over Basra ‘by spring’
-Study: Surgery Just One Option for Herniated Disk
-Drunken bus driver asks to continue school run

Negotiated Settlement is the Way to go!

*Amharic version of statement below

International News: HIV epidemic 'is getting worse', Lebanese Christian leader killed, Syrian-Iraq relations to resume after 24 years, Ex-KGB agent's illness vexes experts, Mobile phones are closer to becoming smart wallets and more of today's top stories

The Seattle Kinijit Support Chapter Resolution on the Current Leadership Crisis

The Seattle Kinijit Support Chapter held its first extraordinary general assembly on November 4, 2006, to discuss and deliberate on the current controversy involving the leadership of the Diaspora Kinijit movement. Early on, members and supporters were briefed on what has transpired so far leading to the current crisis where the organization is now on the verge of splitting into two contending groups.

Almost all who addressed the gathering expressed their disbelief, anger and frustration on why such a situation was left to spin out of control when our jailed leaders and through them the Ethiopian people need our unity and coordinated efforts more than ever. The crisis did not only paralyze our overall activities for over six months now but has also serious repercussions which may not be remedied easily unless a conscious and responsible effort is undertaken by both sides. The only beneficiaries of the current morass and gridlock are the tyrant dictator, its agents and enemies of the Ethiopian people. (More...)

Negotiated Settlement is the Way to go - Seattle (Amharic)

(More...)

Today's top stories

-HIV epidemic 'is getting worse'
-Lebanese Christian leader killed
-Italian aid workers kidnapped
-Syrian-Iraq relations to resume after 24 years
-Ex-KGB agent's illness vexes experts
-India, China target $40bn trade by 2010
-Mobile phones are closer to becoming smart wallets

Getz # 10 – And In Conclusion . . .

Also in the news: Text of Judge Wolde-Michael Meshesha's Speech to the US congress , Clarification from Qaliti Qalkidan, Ethiopia says it will reject Eritrea border ruling, U.N. envoy urges Somali govt to talk to Islamists

International: Eyewitness: 'We are living in the trees', Israeli forces launch raids in Gaza, Poisoned Russian spy moved to intensive care, Masked gunman injures 20 at German school raid and more of today's top stories

Ethiopian Jewish men use umbrellas to protect themselves from the sun during a prayer of the Sigd holiday on a hill overlooking Jerusalem, Monday, Nov. 20, 2006. The prayer is performed by Ethiopian Jews every year to celebrate their community's connection and commitment to Israel. About 80,000 Ethiopian Jews live in Israel, many of them came in massive Israeli airlifts during times of crisis in Ethiopia in 1984 and 1991. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

Clarification from Qaliti Qalkidan

Qaliti Qalkidan, a network of Ethiopians who are committed to the cause of the immediate and unconditional release of the prisoners, held a meeting in Washington DC immediately following the NA meeting on November 18, 2006. It is Qaliti Qalkidan, and not KNA who hosted the members of the Inquiry Commission, Judge Frehiywot Samuel and Ato Mitiku Meshesha. This meeting was open to all concerned about the human rights situation and not only to members and supporters of the KNA, although both meetings were held in the same venue.

Ethiopia says it will reject Eritrea border ruling

ADDIS ABABA, Nov 20 (Reuters) - Ethiopia said on Monday it would not recognise any demarcation of its contested border with rival Eritrea, telling an independent commission its plans would be illegal and "must be rejected".

The Horn of Africa neighbours fought a 1998-2000 war over a frontier area of dusty villages and scrubby plains, in which 70,000 people were killed. Although a 2000 agreement ended the conflict, the peace process soon ground to a halt after Ethiopia rejected the commission's border. (More...)

Getz # 10 – And In Conclusion . . .

November 2006. One year later. One year since the breakdown of summit talks between GOE and CUD leaders. One year since the call for another round of nonviolent protests, which triggered rounds of indiscriminate killings.

One year since the Government arrested more than a hundred Ethiopian critics and charged them with crimes punishable by death in a trial marred by unfair procedures and inexcusable delays. One year since the Government called for an investigation into the killings that has resulted in defections of two high-ranking judges and a report that identifies no particular wrongdoers.

One year, in which 50% of Ethiopia's children continue to live in diagnostic levels of serious malnutrition; tens of thousands died of AIDS; more than one thousand Ethiopians perished from floods due in part to environmental degradation, floods which left another 280,000 homeless. And the misery grinds on.

It was a year in which Ethiopian Americans organized effectively to launch a controversial bill designed to promote democratization efforts, thereby provoking the Government of Ethiopia to fight back by spending a huge amount on lobbyists. What all those resources diverted to American legislative processes might have done for Ethiopian relief and, yes, Ethiopia's own democratic processes! (Indeed, what good might have been done if all Diaspora Ethiopians had also made a serious contribution to improve life at home in an area like medicine, engineering, education, IT, or water resources?)(More...)

Text of Presentation of Judge Wolde-Michael Meshesha, Vice-Chairman of the Inquiry Commission on Post-Electoral Violence

Mr. Chairman, I would have liked to come and make my presentation in person. I regret that I could not have made it.

Mr. Chairman, thank you for giving me the opportunity to share with you the work of the Inquiry Commission, which was set up to investigate the 2005 post-electoral violence in Ethiopia. I am particularly grateful for Congressman Donald Payne who initiated this briefing which I believe would help Members of Congress and friends of Ethiopian to understand the process which the Inquiry Commission followed to reach to its conclusions. It is also important what happened once the Commission completed its work. The Government of Ethiopia first attempted to suppress and then to revise the conclusions of the Commission. (More..)

Today's top stories

-U.N. envoy urges Somali govt to talk to Islamists
-Eyewitness: 'We are living in the trees'
-Israeli forces launch raids in Gaza
-Poisoned Russian spy moved to intensive care
-Iraq Reopens Diplomatic Relations With Syria
-Masked gunman injures 20 at German school raid
-Play it again and again and again, Sam..

November 20, 2006 - Anger

Today I come across a link to a blog written by another cancer survivor (brain, spinal and lung cancer). Leroy Sievers is his name, and he’s a writer and journalist – having worked for CBS News and ABC News. At one time, he was the executive producer of the Nightline television news program. Now he’s keeping a cancer diary much like this one, for National Public Radio.

Here’s something Leroy has written, reflecting on his last year or so of living with cancer:

“My body has changed in some ways that are obvious, and in others that aren't. I have a ridge in my skull where they cut it open to take out the brain tumor. You can feel the screws in the plates that hold my skull together. I'm heavier than I'd like to be. I put on weight when I was on steroids, and I haven't been able to work out much the last year. I hate the extra weight, though my doctors seem to think it's healthy.

Emotionally? Over the past year, I've hit the depths of sorrow, thrown in a little anger, too. Some hope, but probably not as much as I should have. Frustration. The whole gamut of human experience. And maybe that's one of the lessons here. In spite of the cancer, in spite of what we all go through, in the end, we're all just human. We're like everybody else. Except that we're not.

I try to make the most of my life these days. But I was really trying to do that before my diagnosis, too. My view of the future is a little cloudier; it's no longer open-ended. Not everything is possible anymore. I'm pretty much an optimist still, but that has been seriously tested, too.”

I’m interested to hear that Leroy mentions anger. I’m getting in touch with the fact that anger is an issue for me right now – sort of a delayed reaction to what I’ve been through.

During my chemotherapy, I simply didn’t have time for anger. I had to marshal all my emotional resources in the service of just getting by. The reality is, I’ve probably been stuffing my anger about the cancer for some considerable time. When I received first one clean PET/CT scan report, then another (in late May and early September) that was no time for feeling angry, either. I was supposed to feel relieved (and one part of me did, of course).

So what happens to all that suppressed anger? The answer seems to be that it’s coming out, inappropriately. I find I have a short fuse, these days, for petty frustrations. Other people around me have noticed it, too (in truth, they picked up on it before I did). It’s as though there’s a little voice in my head that keeps whispering, “You shouldn’t have to put up with this nonsense: you have cancer!”

I’m finding ways to procrastinate on things I should be doing – like dealing with the accumulated mail at home (comprised, still, of way too many medical bills and insurance statements, that only serve to remind me of my medical condition). Last month, I found it hard to get our 2005 income tax information to the accountant – tackling that job only at the last minute, just a day or two before the mid-October deadline for the extension I’d filed for last spring. Procrastination, of course, is a classic passive-aggressive reaction.

I have the most energy for creative endeavors, like writing and preaching. Having crashed hard into the brick wall of life’s limited duration, it’s as though the things that matter most to me are the things I create, things just may live beyond me. (Maybe, too, that’s why I felt so determined to apply for additional life insurance, during last week’s open-enrollment period.)

It’s possible that my cancer has bumped me up an adult-development stage. Back in seminary, we learned about psychologist Erik Erikson’s stages of adult development. The last three of his eight stages – with the typical ages and the challenges and tasks people typically face at those ages – can be described as follows:

Stage Six, Young Adulthood: 18-40 years, intimacy vs.isolation, love relationships
Stage Seven, Middle Adulthood: 40-65 years, generativity vs.stagnation, parenting
Stage Eight, Maturity: 65 years until death, integrity vs.despair, acceptance of one's life

According to Erikson, the 40s and 50s are the prime time for “generativity” – for creating that legacy we’ll leave behind when we die. What happens, I wonder, when a disease like cancer threatens to move the termination-point of life up a decade or two, or three? Does it mean, in my case, that cancer has abruptly shoved me forward, existentially-speaking, from “Middle Adulthood” into “Maturity” – way before I feel ready to be there? If that’s what I’ve been feeling (or, at least, worrying about), then it’s no wonder I’m feeling a bit angry. It’s the psychological equivalent of “the bends” – what scuba divers get when they surface too quickly.

How I sort all this out, I’m not sure. It’s clear that, remission or no remission, I’m still living with cancer, in an emotional sense.

The Secret World of Alex Mack

This is a very popular show that aired on Nickelodeon during the 90s. Unfortunately, DVDs of the show were never released. You won't find these episodes on P2P or torrents, and they are very rare. (Some Season 1 and 2 episodes are out on torrents right now, but the resolution is very low, and the quality is not that great).

Description:

On her first day of junior high, Alexandra Mack was accidentally doused with a mysterious chemical called GC-161 and it changed her life forever. Now Alex is the only high schooler she knows who can zap electricity from her fingertips, morph into an oozing blob of goo and even make other people morph just by touching them, but having superpowers isn't all just fun and games; the company bigwigs that make GC-161 know that some kid was sprayed with the stuff and they'll stop at nothing to find.

Drop your EMAIL here for links. Currently Season1 ep 1 to ep 8 available.

Lost S3 Episode 6

Rumors say that this is the last episode in 2006, the next episode will be aired on Feb, 2007

Enjoy yr last 42mins of Lost in 2006

Leave your email here for links

Desperate Housewives S3 Ep.8

Desperate Housewives Season 3 eps 08

As usual, drop your email here and i'll send links to you

The Week in Review

Look for ‘the week in review’ segment below

*Video: Europe protest (EMF)*

6 Ethiopian soldiers killed in ambush by Somalia's Islamic fighters

MOGADISHU, Somalia: Islamic fighters ambushed an Ethiopian military convoy on Sunday, killing six Ethiopian soldiers and wounding 20 others, eyewitnesses said, in the first known skirmish between the rival forces maneuvering for control in Somalia. (More...)

weekend news

ION report: The Ethiopian auditor general
Indian Ocean Newsletter N° 1202 18/11/2006

The Ethiopian auditor general was sacked from his post on 10 Nov., just a short time after he had presented Parliament with a report that was very severe on the government's management of funds.

Lemma Argaw had estimated that the government had spent 7.2 billion birrs (about $900 million) without giving justification. 4.8 billion birrs of this was by the regional administrations alone.

Prime Minister Meles Zenawi had responded angrily, stating that regional administrations even had the right to ”burn the money" from federal subsidies if they felt like it. Zenawi relieved him of his functions, even though only Parliament is supposed to have the power to do so.

Also see ETP's report November 14, 2006: Prime Minister Meles gets rid of auditor who exposed government’s corruption

-Ethiopia girds for war
-Thousands demand release of immigrant convicted of mutilation
-Djiboutian president backs Iran’s peaceful nuclear energy

The Week in Review

• Monday- Friday- 13, 2006

Review needed of the way Irish aid is channelled through Ethiopian regime, URGE YOUR CONGRESSIONAL MEMBERS/STAFFERS TO ATTEND BRIEFING, The Artful Dodgers: Vickie Huddleston and the International Donor Community, ONLF requests Lundin to distance itself from Ethiopia’s oil, In pictures: Flood help in Ethiopia


• Tuesday- November 14, 2006

Prime Minister Meles gets rid of auditor who exposed government’s corruption, the famous Peaceful civil disobedience calendar, Commission to demarcate Ethiopia-Eritrea border, Eritrea: Three journalists dead in prison


• Wednesday- November 15, 2006

Human Rights in Ethiopia - The Urgent Need to Pass H.R. 5680, Annan tells neighbours: Stay out of Somalia, Stagnant Water Hampering Aid Efforts in Flood-Hit Areas, One Year Has Passed (lewit)..., 'Betrayal of Democracy' in Winnipeg Canada, The famous Peaceful civil disobedience calendar


• Thursday- November 16, 2006

European Parliament condemns EU Commission's invitation to Prime Minister Meles, Letter to Commissioner Louis Michel, More than 70,000 sign Oxfam petition, Somali tensions mount after Ethiopian troop movement


• Friday- November 17, 2006

Prime Minister faces protesters at EC conference, CUD Trial Update, Rising Tensions: Three Generals purged, *Is Ethiopia’s Economy really growing? (amharic), Nearly 2 million flee floods in East Africa, African leaders want EU aid, not meddling

Empathy

From ZNet:

One of the most devastating consequences of unearned privilege -- both for those of us on top and, for very different reasons, those who suffer beneath -- is the death of empathy.

Too many people with privileges of various kinds -- based on race or gender, economic status or citizenship in a powerful country -- go to great lengths not to know, to stay unaware of the reality of how so many live without our privilege. But even when we do learn, it's clear that information alone doesn't always lead to the needed political action. For that, we desperately need empathy, the capacity to understand the experiences -- especially the suffering -- of others. Too often in this country, privilege undermines that capacity for empathy, limiting the possibilities for solidarity.

This was a great article for me to read today.

Invalidating someone's experience and judging them is easy when you are in a position of privilege. Blaming the victim, a topic I have definitely written about before, is one example of the consequences of lacking empathy.

Examples: Those who condemned the people of New Orleans, calling them "whiners" (don't believe me?). The dude I was conversing with the other day about the Palestinians (comments on this post) - he made a lot of very well-reasoned arguments, but this always seems to be accompanied by an unwillingness to really take in the pain and suffering of the Palestinian people. Recent articles like this one dismissing date rape, or those who deny the prevalence of violence against women and children also show a willful lack of empathy.

As Rabbi Michael Lerner wisely said - men didn't know patriarchy even existed until women told them. We need to listen more and judge less.

I think that's one reason I admire Amy Goodman so much. Her stories are not just news - they are truths, they allow the voiceless to be heard, and they are delivered with empathy.

More Solidarity and Reflection

Prime Minister faces protesters at EC conference

Ethiotribune on Major General Alemshet Degife (Chief of the Air force), Brigadier General Kumera and Brigadier General Asaminew Tsige's Removal below

Also in the news: CUD Trial Update, Rising Tensions: Three Generals purged, *Is Ethiopia’s Economy really growing? (amharic), Nearly 2 million flee floods in East Africa, African leaders want EU aid, not meddling

International: Sudan Says It Will Accept U.N.-African Peace Force in Darfur, U.S. says China building military beyond its needs , Socialists Back Woman in Race to be next president of France, Israel developing anti-militant "bionic hornet" and more of today's top stories

Meles Zenawi gives a speech at the European Development days conference in Brussels (today) November 17, 2006.REUTERS/Yves Herman (BELGIUM).

BRUSSELS - According to deutsche welle radio, numerous Ethiopians were in Brussels protesting Prime Minister Meles’s visit. When it came turn for the prime minister to speak Ethiopians who were already in the hall, raising protest signs and shouting slogans displayed their disapproval. Sources are reporting that the prime minister may have cut his speech short because of the fierce opposition he faced in the auditorium. Listen to DW’s report courtesy of addisvoice

CUD Trial Update

Early this week, prosecutors Shiemels Kemal, Michael Teklu, and Abreha Tetemke again failed to prove that widespread violence was instigated by the defendants on November 1st, 2005. Seven witnesses were presented as victims of said riots, apparently in relation to the charge of “attempting to incite genocide”.

The majority of the witnesses claimed lasting psychological damage--lamenting the alleged destruction of property and ongoing subjugation to “local stigma”; however, the connection between the complaints and this serious charge remains yet to be seen. (...Understandably, however, the psyche of witness Mebrat Tesfaye, 39 MUST be irrevocably damaged if, in fact, the stones reportedly thrown at his house by “unknown individuals” truly were intended "to disturb me to do not sleep peacefully”! )(More..)

Rising Tensions: Three Generals purged
Ethiotribune

Addis Ababa - the government-owned Ethiopian Television last night reported that three generals of the Ethiopian Army, Major General Alemshet Degife, Brigadiers Kumera and Asaminew Tsige, are suspended from their duties.

Although the announcement was made by the Defense Council, at the Ministry of Defense, the instruction is said to come right from the Prime Minister himself.

Major General Alemshet has been the Chief of the Air force. He was assigned this post after a similar purge in 2001 following the division within the ruling Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), the dominant party within the rump EPRDF.

After the defection of other senior military commanders, the Ethiopian Prime Minister is facing strong upheaval from the armed force. Analysts believe that after the defection and dismissal of so many senior officers, maintaining control over the army will be highly problematic.

Before coming to power in 1991, the TPLF manufactured PDOs to give a more multinational image. Lately this ruse is falling apart and the EPRDF, the ruling coalition, is increasingly being reduced to its Tigrean core with the defection, resignation, arrest and disappearance of several Oromo and Amhara dignitaries. (More...)

Today's Top Stories

-*Is Ethiopia’s Economy really growing?
-African leaders want EU aid, not meddling
-Nearly 2 million flee floods in East Africa
-Sudan Says It Will Accept U.N.-African Peace Force in Darfur
-Congo election loser vows legal fight
-U.S.: China building military beyond its needs
-Socialists Back Woman in Race to be next president of France
-Rome hosts major anti-mafia forum
-Israel developing anti-militant "bionic hornet"
-Beauty queen puts down arms to save legs

Microcredit and Women Empowerment

Are the microcredit programs that everyone is abuzz about overrated? Apparently this is a hotly debated issue.

My first inclination is to dismiss microcredit because it doesn't change the structural causes of poverty. Microcredit brings poor people into the existing global system of exploitation, and might even mask that very real exploitation, putting even more onus on the poor to get themselves out of the hole others have dug them into. It doesn't speak to social justice at all.

BUT, as I was reminded by The Rebel Sell, something that actually works shouldn't necessarily be dismissed so quickly, for solely ideological reasons. It is important to also look at the real and measurable results. Our fight for justice can, and does, occur in parallel to all sorts of development activities; indeed, as people rise out of the most devastating of poverty, they may have more resources and power with which to fight.

So microcredit needs to be examined on a functional basis: does it work? Does it help alleviate poverty? Does it empower women financially and/or within the family?

The answer is not so clear.

Increasing the burden of debt is one potential problem. As long as microcredit is managed by NGOs like Save the Children, this is a fairly small risk, as there are a whole host of additional helpful programs that accompany the actual money lending transaction. Unfortunately with high interest rates, especially when the private sector gets involved for profit, there can be grave consequences.

If not necessarily effective at improving poverty levels, what about the situation of women? Improving women's equality is vital to so many other progressive goals, that this alone might validate microcredit. If it could improve women's economic position, reduce the birth rate, and improve health, then there might be something to it.

Proponents of these micro-loans list the ways they help women, but results are mixed. According this journal article, "the effects of interventions such as microcredit loan programs—which empower women economically and socially—on domestic violence are ambiguous. Participation in such programs can, on the one hand, reduce a woman's risk of domestic violence by making her life more visible and by increasing her perceived value in the family; on the other hand, if the woman's economic empowerment results in her acting more assertively, her husband may respond with violence."

There does seem to be some preliminary evidence that involvement in one of these microcredit programmes does improve contraceptive use by women, which is a fairly significant marker of progress. There are a lot more articles here.

I can't claim to make a definitive conclusion. Although I would prefer to see the end of the disastrous SAPs and an expansion of important social programs, if microcredit energizes a discouraged development sector and elicits more money for the groups on the ground, then for that reason alone, it is worth pursuing.

More on Poverty and Women's Issues