Ethiopian express joy over Bekele’s ‘unforgettable victory’

Kenenisa Bekele

Ethiopians on Sunday expressed happiness over the victory of Kenenisa Bekele, who won un unprecedented second gold at the world athletics championship in Berlin, Germany.

Following his second gold victory at the 5,000 metres, Ethiopian Television (ETV) and radio gave wide coverage to Bekele’s victory.

Bekele who also won gold in the10, 000 metres at the championship is the only athlete who brought two gold medals for the country.

“This is an unforgettable victory for Ethiopia and for Bekele himself. We are proud of him. He is the greatest ever athlete,” said Solomon Teka after watching the race live on ETV.

His victory makes Ethiopia to end up in 7th place on the world medal table.

However, Ethiopians are still expressing their disappointment over their failure in the women’s 5,000 metre and 10, 0000 metre, which was taken by Kenya after a long period of Ethiopian dominance.

“I have no word to express my appreciation for athlete Kenenisa Bekele. He is born to run and make history,” said Teshome Lakew.

Bekele won two gold medals with records at the Beijing Olympics both in the 5,000 metre and 10,000 metre race.

The world media continues to give wide coverage to Bekele’s victory, who will again run in a week’s time for his golden league race, which will lead him to get $1 million.

If Bekele is lucky to win the remaining two races in Germany and Brussels, he will get the $1 million prize.

Bekele is a triple Olympic champion and has won the 10 kilometre race in record four times at the world championships. Over the years, he has also won gold in the shorter 1,500 and 3,000 metre races. His greatness has not been limited on the track however, as Kenenisa is also the most accomplished runner in the history of IAAF World Cross Country Championships by winning six long and short XC courses.

The 27-year old Kenenisa, who won gold in the 10,000 metres on Tuesday this week over Eritrea’s Zersenay Tadese, was being compared with the Jamaican great sprinter Usain Bolt for the title of the greatest athlete in history. Both Kenenisa and Bolt have now won two individual gold medals in Berlin but the western media’s better portrayal of the Jamaican sprinter has created new debate about which of the two legends should be crowned the greatest athlete of all time.

APA

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Childhood Village Shows Warm Welcome for Award Winning Ethiopian Professor

Professor Gebisa Ejeta

AP - An Ethiopian village is taking pride in a Purdue University professor who won this year’s World Food Prize for his efforts to feed hundreds of millions of people in sub-Saharan Africa.

Gebisa Ejeta says hundreds of people lined up to see him during a recent visit to his childhood village.

The distinguished professor of agronomy developed drought- and disease-resistant forms of sorghum, which is an African diet staple.

The food prize is considered the Nobel Prize of the food and agricultural world. Ejeta will receive the $250,000 award Oct. 15 from the Iowa-based World Food Prize Foundation in Des Moines.

The prize was created by Iowa native Norman Borlaug to honor efforts to solve global hunger problems.

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Ethiopia’s ambassador to the US ordered to return home?

Addis Journal Blog

Dr. Samuel Assefa

The business English weekly, Fortune, disclosed that Ethiopia’s ambassador to the United States, Dr. Samuel Assefa has been ordered to return home, after only serving one term.

The paper in its Gossip column wrote that the office in Washington D.C will soon be vacant and awaiting new replacement. The Ambassador was seen in Addis Ababa two weeks ago, perhaps on his way from the AGO summit held in Nairobi, according to Fortune.

The paper hinted that the increasingly tough lines adopted by the Obama administration towards the Ethiopian government might have forced it to think of another “well-groomed and highly experienced diplomat.” The paper didn’t say who that might be.

Dr. Samuel, who became ambassador in early 2006, was the former vice president of the University of Addis Ababa.

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Ethiopia govt says it finalized election materials production

Ethiopia announced on Wednesday that it is finalizing election materials production for the 2010 national election, including the production of 40 million election ID cards.

The National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) said that the production of election ID cards and other election related materials is being finalized as the country is approaching its national elections in May 2010.

Over 20 million Ethiopians, out of the 77 million population, are expected to vote at the up coming election where over 20 political parties are expected to participate.

The parties, including the ruling part are expected to start their election campaign in the next few months.

APA

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Reports of Eritrean President Assassination Attempt True or False?

^{President Isaias Afewerki}

The Media Line - Various Eritrean opposition and media sources outside the country have claimed a 43-year-old Eritrean solder and former ‘freedom fighter’ attempted to assassinate President Afewerki at on the afternoon of August 13 near Mai-Ata’l, on the road between the capital Asmara and the Red Sea port of Massawa.

The reports claimed that First Lieutenant Daniel Habte Yihdego, a former teacher, hit the President’s vehicle with several sniper shots before being shot to death by the President’s security detail.

“The president was barely able to escape death,” claimed The Asmarino Independent, an Eritrean Diaspora publication.

“President Isaias Afewerki is in ‘a state of shock and panic’,” claimed a report on Assenna.com, citing sources in Asmara.

Eritrean officials, and Eritrean embassies in Europe, either refused to comment or denied the reports, describing them to The Media Line as “opposition oriented news”.

“This is rubbish, it’s not true,” Tesfamariam Tekeste, a senior Eritrean diplomat, told The Media Line. “These people write nonsense all the time and cannot be considered credible media.”

“It just didn’t happen,” he stressed. “If this actually happened, it would be all over international news.”

Foreign embassies in the Eritrean capital Asmara claimed to know nothing about the alleged incident.

“The honest answer is we don’t know,” Amanda Cooper, the Deputy Head of Mission at the British Embassy in Eritrea told The Media Line. “We don’t know where these rumors came from and we don’t know who started it. The only information we have is from press reports and as you’re probably aware, everything that appears in local press is government sanctioned and international media are not allowed into the country.”

U.S. embassy in Asmara acknowledged hearing reports of the attempt, but had no further information.

Asmara based analysts and other western diplomats said even if the President were assassinated, it may take a few days for the news to get out.

“Even if it happened, there’s no way we could substantiate it,” another senior western diplomat told The Media Line on the condition of anonymity. “Getting any clear cut information is as difficult in country as it is for anyone outside of the country.”

“We would have picked up an atmosphere of tension, but if we approached anybody about it would just be denied,” said the diplomat. “Still, the president always has guards with him wherever he goes and we’ve seen enough government officials and ministers since the weekend to know that if there was an assassination attempt it certainly failed.”

Ethiopian diaspora websites have been rife with speculation about the alleged assassination attempt.

“The assassination attempt on the life of the Eritrean President by one of his own army officers clearly signifies the people’s anger and resentment against terror and tyranny,” wrote columnist Michael Abraha in the American Chronicle.

Initially seen as the country’s liberator and a proponent of democratic transformation, President Isaias Afewerki has been in power for over 18 years. His opponents accuse him of establishing a totalitarian grip on the country’s political system, economy, media and religious establishment.

Eritria has seen no national elections in the nearly two decades since independence, an interim parliament has not met since 2002, the government is entirely controlled by the People’s Front for Democracy and Justice, Eritrea’s sole political party, and critics say a constitution approved by referendum in 1997 remains unimplemented. Eritrea’s press is entirely government controlled and there are no civil society organizations independent of the government,

A highly militarized state, all Eritreans must serve at least 18 months in the national army. The World Bank estimates that some 320,000 Eritreans are in teh military, 1 in every 13 citizens. Mr Yihdego, the alleged shooter, was born in the capital Asmara and worked as a teacher before joining the Eritrean People’s Liberation Front (EPLF) in 1984, fighting in western Eritrea for independence from Ethiopia. The Eritrean People’s Liberation Front (EPLF) was the principal rebel force which led the fight for Eritrean independence from Ethiopia.

Following independence in 1991 Mr Yihdego joined the Immigration Department, but was his job was “frozen” earlier this year after he fell out of favor with the government for unknown reasons.

Mr Yihdego’s brother Temesgen Habte Yihdego is well known for questioning President Afewerki about the legality of the Special Court of Eritrea, a parallel court system which deals with criminal cases assigned to it by the Office of the Attorney General. Temesgen died shortly after questioning the Eritrean leader under suspicious circumstances.

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Mob Disrupts Ethiopia’s UDJ public Meeting

Dr. Negaso Gidada

A mob disturbed a public political meeting of the Unity for Democracy and Justice (UDJ) this morning (10 A.M) in Adama, Oromia and forced the discontinuation of the meeting.

The UDJ received permit last week from the Adama (East Shoa) administration and the Adama town Municipality to hold a public meeting. The Municipality even rented its town hall to the UDJ.

But the town administration forbade the UDJ from posting posters in the town and from going around in the town to announce the meeting and invite the public to attend. We were informed that EPRDF cadres in the Qabales were going around last evening telling the residents not to attend the meeting.

But several hundred residents of Adama came to attend the meeting.

Prof. Beyene Petros of the Ethiopian Social Democratic Party, Ato Benyam of the South Coalition, Ato Hadi of the Ethiopian Democratic Unity Movement, Ato Siyye Abraha, former Defence Minister, and my self (all members of the Forum for Democratic Dialogue) were there to attend the meeting as guests of honor.

Around 50 people started to disturb the meeting while Eng. Gizachew Shiferraw, Vice Chairperson of the UDJ was addressing the meeting. The disturbers were shouting, clutching and whistling from the rear of the hall. This mob came up running to the front and damaged a microphone while trying to grab it.

They continued to shout: “This is Oromia”, “Oromo is our Language”, “You have to start the meeting by a blessing ceremony in accordance with Oromo culture”, “You can hold the meeting in Oromo language”, “If you do not speak in Oromo language, and you can not hold meetings in our country”. Several people tried to cool down the mob by promising that what is said would be translated in Oromo. But the mob would not heed to the appeal. It even threatened to beet us up. Eng. Gizachew could not continue his speech. He was forced to announce that the meeting is adjourned because of the disturbance.

This happened at a meeting “permitted” by the administration. This happened in a town hall rented to the UDJ by the municipality. This happened in a country in which the regime claims that there is respect of the law and order. This is in a country in which the ruling party claims that there is respect of the constitution. This is in a country in which the ruling party claims that there is democracy, the respect of democracy and human rights. This is in a country where the constitution provides for the right of using any language and where the members of the federation have promised to respect the federal constitution.

The mob was not a spontaneous disturbing group. There were some OPDO/EPRDF cadres among the mob. I my self could recognize at leas two OPDO cadres with whom I worked in the organization before I resigned from it in June 2001. It is obvious that the disturbance was an organized one.

For me, this is a clear indication that there is no pre-election leveled playing ground for the political parties in Ethiopia. This confirms that the complaints of the opposition political parties that there is no democratic political space, is true. How can the opposition political parties participate in the coming election process, which may begin in November 2009 if they are not free to move around freely to open their offices, recruit members, and hold public meetings to explain who they are and for what they stand for?

I call on all those who stand for the respect of democratic and human rights, for peace and stability of this country and for economic development of this country do some thing TODAY and not TOMORROW!!

With best Regards,
Negaso Gidada

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Ethiopia to produce its first bio-fuel automobile

^{biofuels cars use renewable fuels derived from biological materials that can be regenerated. This distinguishes biofuels from fossil fuels which are considered nonrenewable. Example of biofuels are ethanol, methanol, and biodiesel}

Addis Ababa - Ethiopia is scheduled to soon introduce the first bio-fuel automobile, in a move expected to reduce its heavy dependency on imported fuel.

Holland Car automobile assembly plant, which is assembling automobiles in Ethiopia, announced that the first bio-fuel automobile will be displayed in November 2009 here in Addis Ababa.

The General Manager of the plant Tadesse Tesema, told journalists that the decision to produce the bio-fuel automobile will help Ethiopia reduce its fuel importation cost, which is around US$1billion annually.

Tesema indicated that this kind of automobile will help car owners to reduce their fuel consumption by 50%.

“These bio-fuel automobile will also play a great role for climate change impact, which is becoming a major issue,” said Tesema.

The company is currently assembling Awash and Abay automobiles in the country, which attracts local buyers to turn their attention to local products.

APA

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Ethiopia Singer Teddy Afro released

^{[ETV has just announced that Ethiopian Pop singer Teddy Afro has been released from Kaliti jail today after serving a two years prison term. As news of his release spread, Teddy Afro’s songs are being heard through out Ethiopia’s capital city Addis Ababa]}

BBC - Ethiopia’s most famous pop singer, Teddy Afro, has been freed early from a two-year jail term for manslaughter.

He was sentenced for the 2006 killing of a homeless man in a hit-and-run incident, but denied driving the car.

His supporters say he was the victim of a political vendetta as his lyrics were identified with the opposition.

After his release eight months early for good behaviour, he told state TV that he had had “a nice time” in jail and met many good people.

“I would like to express my respect and gratitude to all the people of our country,” he said.

“I was able to meet many good people in prison, from the lowest-ranking policemen to the highest administrator. I had a nice time. My relations with other prisoners were also good.”

Teddy Afro, charged under his real name of Tewodros Kassahun, had originally received a six-year jail sentence.

But this was reduced in February on the grounds that the man who was killed had been lying drunk in the road.

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Berlin IAAF championships: Ethiopia bids farewell to its athletes

Ethiopia on Tuesday bade farewell to its national athletes who are travelling to Berlin, Germany on Tuesday for the 12th IAAF World championship due to be held from 15-23 August, 2009.

Ethiopia last week named 37 athletes who will represent the country at the championships.

The Ethiopian Athletics Federation said the squad consists of both male and female athletes who will to take part in distances ranging from 1500 meters to the marathon.

The squad includes elite athletes and youths who have proved capable in recent competitions.

The renowned athletes in the squad include Kenenesa Bekele, Sileshi Sehin, Gebregzibhier Gebremariam, Tirunesh Dibaba, Messeret Defar and Meselech Melkamu.

Captain Dube Jelo, head of the technical affairs department of the federation told journalists that the squad has been making preparations since July.

The coach of the Ethiopian national athletics team, Dr. Woldemeskel Kostre on his part said he expects victory at the championships as extensive preparations have been made.

Athletes from Kenya will remain strong competitors to the Ethiopian team, especially in the 5,000 and 10,000 metre races both for the men and women.

APA

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Ethiopia Ministry embraces solar technology

By Addis Mulugeta, Capital

The Ministry of Mines and Energy (MoME) is planning to move away from hydropower consumption by installing solar technology in the roofs and widows of the building in an effort to save power and guard against the existing electricity shortage in the country, Alemayehu Tegenu, Minister of MoME explained the shift during the inauguration of the first solar school in Addis Ababa, Selam Technical and Vocational College on August 5.

The ministry is partnering with the German Technical Cooperation (GTZ), Access to Modern Energy Service Ethiopia (AMES-E) and the German Society for Solar Energy (DGS), who are providing technical assistance to the ministry.

Alemayehu told Capital that, right now, MoME is encouraging and advising individuals, private sector and other ministries to use solar technology for their power needs to free up enough hydropower for industries and factories in the country to use. He added that the Ministry of Health is already using solar technology in rural health centers.

The Minister said that his office is encouraging potential investors to participate in this growing sector. The Ministry of Mines has also been in discussions with Selam Technical and Vocational College, options to manufacture and assemble solar technology in the country, and train local technicians.

He stated that MoME is ready to support investors who are engaged in solar technology, including finding ways to bypass high import taxes, to bring in solar products duty free. To help develop this project, MoME has established the department of energy center within the ministry to support solar producers and users in the country.

A group of 10 technicians graduated from Selam Technical and Vocational College’s Train the Trainer programme, appearing during the inauguration of the first solar school. This school will help to pass on and develop technical skills and knowledge about operating Solar Photovoltaic (PV) systems.

Abenite Getachew, one of the trainer told Capital that this is a very important opportunity to build personal skills and promote the use of solar technology in Ethiopia, making it more accessible to everyone.

He says, “We have got training and skills-upgrading in Photovoltaic (PV) and Solar Thermal as well as maintenance of solar panels which means we can ensure the sustainability of the program and the solar energy development initiatives of the AMES-E”
AMES-E is installing PV solar systems to generate electricity from 50 off-grid public health centers in remote areas of Ethiopia. Of these, 25 are currently up and running, according to the CEO of DGS Dr. Uwe Hartmann, who added that the PV solar systems will provide enough energy for refrigerating vaccines, inpatient and outpatient examinations and power microscopes and other medical technology.

AMES-E plans to introduce new products into the Ethiopian market, such as low cost solar home systems. In the first three years of implementation, it aims to provide sustainable access to modern energy services (Hydro and solar electrification) for more than 300,000 beneficiaries.
The worldwide potential for renewable energies is enormous. Theoretically, solar, wind, hydropower, geothermal and biomass sources could supply a thousand times more energy than the world population needs.

Germany together with the Energy Partnership of the EU-Africa Strategies Partnership, is also working to sustain the existence of renewable energy in different countries around the globe, including Ethiopia. The German Ambassador to Ethiopia, Dr. Claas Knoop said during the inauguration of the solar school, that the initial aim is to provide electricity for rural communities without access to the national grid.

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