CPJ: Ethiopian journalist speaks from exile

[Picture: EFJA journalist who were in kality prison. From left to right, Feleke Tibebu, Eskendir Nega, Serkalem Fasil, Sisay Agena, Dereje Habtewold and Fasil Yenealem] Feleke Tibebu, deputy editor of private Ethiopian newspaper Hadar, was arrested in a 2005 government-led crackdown on dissidents and the private media. More »

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Breaking News: No more LC for importers

EMF (27 August 2008) The Meles regime has refused to issue letters of credit (LC) to all importers due to lack of foreign exchange, EMF sources said. LC is the system to draw funds from government-held foreign exchange accounts allowing them to import goods from foreign lands. More »

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Amare Aregawi arrested for brewery’s labour report

Press release - 26 August 2008- Reporters Without Borders is dismayed to learn that Amare Aregawi, the editor of the big-circulation weekly Reporter, was arrested on 22 August in Addis Ababa and was then illegally transferred to a prison in Gondar, 750 km north of the capital, in connection with a libel case brought by the Gondar-based Dashen brewery. Reporters Without Borders More »

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Thousands displaced by floods in Ethiopia

Mon 25 Aug 2008, ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Flooding in Ethiopia’s western Gambella region has killed three people, displaced thousands and destroyed crops, an official said on Monday. More »

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Kenya, Ethiopia shine for Africa

BEIJING (Reuters) - Aug 25, 2008 - By Phumza Macanda– Africans again dominated distance running at the Beijing Olympic Games thanks to Kenya and Ethiopia, but athletes pleaded for more funding for their poor states. More »

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Ethiopians are proud of their champions

An hour before the 5,000 meter race began, Ethiopians gathered in their capital city’s main square to watch their country’s athletes compete. When the three Ethiopian athletes appeared in the Bird’s Nest, people cheered and wished them good luck. When Dibaba and Defar began to lead the race, the excitement in the crowd grew.

ከበስተግራ በኩል የምትመለከቱት ፎቶግራፍ ጀግናዋ አትሌት መሰረት ደፋር የወያኔ አርማ የሌለበትን የኢትዮጵያ ሰንደቅ አላማ ሰታውለበልብ ነው::ፎቶገራፉን ያተመው  CCTV ነው:: የቴዲ አፍሮን የግፍ እስራት ያጤኑ ወገኖች መሰረት ደፋር የጎዳና ተዳዳሪ በመኪና ልትገጭ ትችል ይሆናል ይላሉ:: እርስዎስ ምን ይላሉ?

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Kenenisa outsprinted his rivals with a stunning last lap

BEIJING (Reuters) - Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele outsprinted his rivals with a stunning last lap to win the 5,000 metres on Saturday and become the first man to complete the Olympic long-distance double since 1980.The 26-year-old, who retained his 10,000 title last Sunday, raced home in an Olympic record time of 12 minutes 57.82 seconds to give Ethiopia a sweep of all four distance titles after Tirunesh Dibaba completed the women’s double on Friday.

Watch video here. More »

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Death toll rises to 60 in Somalia violence

More than 60 people are reported to have been killed and 150 wounded during clashes in the Somali port of Kismayo… BBC

More than 3,000 people have fled the southern city, where an estimated 10 people died on the third day of some of the most intense fighting for months. More »

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Tirunesh Dibaba took the second Gold

BBC - Ethiopia’s Tirunesh Dibaba made it an Olympic double after winning the 5,000m on Friday in the Bird’s Nest. [VIDEO]

A week after winning the 10,000m, Dibaba sprinted to victory ahead of Turkey’s Elvan Abeylegesse and defending champion Meseret Defar.

After a sluggish start with nobody willing to push the pace, Dibaba took the lead with two laps remaining to finish with a time of 15:41.40 secs. It is the first time a female runner has won the 5,000m and 10,000m titles.

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Draft law threatens to criminalise Ethiopian civil society

21 August 2008 – Under a draft law, Ethiopia could see severe restrictions on civil society and even closures of organisations working on contentious issues, such as human rights and governance, cautions CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation in a recent analysis.

“We appeal to the government to stop the introduction of the bill in its current form. If enacted, many organisations will be forced to choose between stopping their work on vital issues or facing closure and possible imprisonment,” said Ingrid Srinath, CIVICUS Secretary General. More »

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