Monthly Archives: November 2010

Wikileaks: Reports by U.S. diplomats on various world leaders

Wikileaks.org has released 250,000 classified U.S. diplomatic dispatches on Sunday, which is said to be the biggest intelligence leak in U.S. history. The following are some excerpts from the dispatches that were sent to the State Department by U.S. embassies …

Posted in Ethiopia News

Reflections on Thanksgiving in America

Alemayehu G. Mariam

In 1620, one hundred and two prospective settlers left England and set sail for over two months to come to the New World. They landed in what is now Plymouth, Massachusetts. Nearly one-third of them were religious …

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Tearing down the Ethiopian society through land seizures

By Agabos Debdebo

Land seizures by the Ethiopian regime, with the pretext of modernizing the country, is really intended to tear down the foundation of the Ethiopian society. Today, entire communities in Ethiopia are being forced out of their land …

Posted in Ethiopia News

Powers of Ten

Most science students may have already seen the video below, but it is the first time for me today and I am captivated by it. Learn about the universe from the macro to the micro in just 10 minutes. Very …

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Ethiopia’s despot picks a fight with Egypt

Ethiopia’s beggar despot who survives on Western handouts is provoking Egypt by throwing accusations that Mubarak’s government is supporting Ethiopian rebel groups, according to Reuters (see below). We are accustomed to seeing dictators pick fights with external “enemies” when ever

Posted in Ethiopia News

Indian agribusiness devastates western Ethiopia – UPDATE

The photo below is incorrectly reported as showing destroyed trees in Ethiopia. However, the report about trees being cut in a massive scale to clear lands for flower farm is correct. Not only trees, according a VOA report yesterday, close …

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Aba Diabilos shuts down Holy Trinity College

Germany Radio (DW) reports that the administration of Ato GebreMedhin (formerly Aba Paulos, who is also known as Aba Diabilos) has shut down the Holy Trinity College in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa after students complained that, among other things, the …

Posted in Ethiopia News

ETV used Aster Aweke’s name without permission

Ethiopian Television (ETV) that is currently under the control of Woyanne propaganda chief Bereket Simon has been falsely using Aster Aweke’s name, according to associates of the popular singer.

For the past several days, ETV has been using Aster and …

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‘Great Ethiopian Run’ turned into ‘Great Woyanne Run’

Great Ethiopian Run 2010The 10th Great Ethiopian Run was held Sunday in Addis Ababa in which over 30,000 people took part.

During the past few years, opponents of the ruling Woyanne junta used the event to express their frustration with the regime since …

Posted in Ethiopia News

Ethiopia: Talking Trash, Speaking Truth

Alemayehu G. Mariam

The View From the Sewers

Looking up from the sewers, everything must look like garbage!

Last week, dictator Meles Zenawi ripped the final election report of the 2010 European Union Election Observer Mission to Ethiopia (EU EOM) …

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Angry Ethiopians confront Lidetu in London

Brave Ethiopians in London confronted Lidetu Ayalew at a public meeting on Nov. 21, 2010. It took several police officers and private bodyguards to protect him from the angry Ethiopians, many of whom have fled their country after being victimized …

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Boycott Aster Aweke – update

There is an update. Click here to read.

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By Elias Kifle

This week the Amhara National Democratic Movement (ANDM) that was created by …

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NYT defends Haile Gebreselassie story

Tom Connelly, assistant to the New York Times sports editor who assisted Jeré Longman with the story on Haile Gebrselassie told LetsRun.com on Thursday:

The New York Times stands by its story. Jeré reported what he was told. We reported

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Solomon Takalign cashing in on Woyanne butt-kissing

By Elias Kifle

When singer Solomon Tekalign went to Eritrea to visit Ethiopian opposition groups (see the video here) 3 years ago he was in dire financial straits. He was literally begging friends for money. Right after he returned …

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Meles discussing ‘trash’ and ‘garbage’

By Yilma Bekele.

As you all know Ethiopia held what is referred to as ‘elections’ last May. The ruling TPLF party won 545 of the 547 seats in Parliament. One can tell from the results that either the TPLF party …

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Political intimidation of a world record holder

LetsRun.com has the following story on the Haile Gebreselassie retirement controversy that is evolving into a 3-way battle between Haile vs. the New York Times vs. the Ethiopian despot in the Battle for credibility.

The Haile Gebrselassie retirement story continues …

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Passenger dies on Ethiopian Airlines flight on its way to DC

Boston area TV, WCVB, reports that an unidentified passenger died on Ethiopian Airlines Flight 500 that headed to Washington DC. The flight was diverted to Boston.

Ethiopian Airlines Flight 500

BOSTON (WCVB) — A flight headed to Washington DC, was diverted to Boston on …

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Bereket Simon in action (video)

As expected, Woyanne propaganda chief Bereket Simon wasted no time to respond to New York Times report about Haile Gebreselassie’s reason for retiring. Within a few minutes after the New York Times report appeared online, we can guess that Bereket …

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Land confiscation causes banks in Ethiopia to lose 400m birr

Addis Ababa-based business journal Capital Ethiopia reports that the recent confiscation of lands from investors by Meles Zenawi’s puppet mayor of Addis Ababa, Kuma Demeksa, is causing private banks to lose over 400 million birr. Many of the investors are

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Haile Gebrselassie ended career amid political pressure

A major Kenyan newspaper picked up the story about the plight of Haile Gebreselassie who abruptly ended his athletic career last week after competing in the New York City Marathon. Yesterday, the New York Times, quoting Haile’s own manager Jos

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His Holiness Abune Merkorios admitted to a hospital

The Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahdo Church, His Holiness Abune Merkorios, has been admitted to the Emory University Hospital in Atlanta after getting ill. Sources close to the Patriarch told Ethiopian Review that he is responding to the treatment …

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Haile is facing blackmail – his agent tells New York Times

The New York Times reports that Ethiopian superstar athlete Haile Gebreselassie’s phone has been tapped and that he is facing blackmail, confirming an earlier story by Ethiopian Review. NYT’s source is Haile’s agent Jos Hermens. No doubt Woyanne propaganda chief

Posted in Ethiopia News

Foreign aid doing more harm than good in Ethiopia

In an article posted on The New York Review of Books today, William Easterly and Laura Freschi question why Western nations finance the brutal repression in Ethiopia with an annual donation of over $3 billion to the corrupt junta [read …

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Santon speaks based on first hand knowledge

By Assta B. Gettu

A moving, inspiring, and galvanizing speech by Dr. Gregory Stanton, President of Genocide Watch, is a blessing in disguise for all of us Ethiopians, especially for some of our Tigrean brothers and sisters who are intentionally …

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Ethiopians in Dallas confront Woyanne

Ethiopians in Dallas confronted a Woyanne delegation that called a public meeting to discuss Meles Zenawi’s 5 year plan. A few weeks ago, a similar Woyanne meeting was dispersed by brave Ethiopians in Seattle. In the Dallas meeting, about 50 …

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Ethiopia: Profiles in Journalistic Courage

By Alemayehu G. Mariam

Honor Thy Independent Journalists

I often write about the trials and tribulations of Ethiopia’s independent journalists, sometimes in tones of lamentation[1], other times in wistful philosophical reflection[2]. I have always defended the constitutional and human rights …

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Is reforming ESFNA possible?

By Elias Kifle

Al Amoudi’s aid Abinet Gebremeskel has apparently ordered his servants Ayaya, Fassil and gang at the ESFNA to stay firm on Birtukan disinvitation and ride out the storm, according to Ethiopian Review sources. Having Birtukan as ESFNA’s …

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Aung San Suu Kyi released… following a fake election

It is known that despots imitate each other. Here is a glaring example. The ethnic apartheid junta in Ethiopia released the leader of a major opposition party, Birtukan Mideksa, shortly after it conducted a fake election in May 2010. Similarly, …

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Response to Karuturi CEO on his Ethiopia land grab

SMNE’s response to the following statements by the Chief Executive Officer of the Karuturi Global Ltd, Mr. Sai Ramakrishna Karuturi:

1. *No one has been displaced.
2. They chose Gambella as it is relatively thinly-populated. He said like in …

Posted in Ethiopia News

Sululta town residents revolt against land giveaway (ESAT)

Residents of Sululta, a suburb of Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa, have revolted against land giveaway and attacked government officials. It’s a good beginning. Ethiopians need to take back their country from the vampire regime that is selling every thing — …

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ESFNA – an ugly face of Ethiopia

By Yilma Bekele

ልክ ነው ብዙ የተጣሱ አሰራሮች አሉ። ለዚህም ነው በመጀመሪያም ይቅርታ ለመጠየቅ የፈለኩት። የሥራ አስኪያጅ ኮሚቴው ሥራውን ብቁ በሆነ መንገድ እንዳልስራ እኔ ማመን ፈልጋለሁ። ለድምፅ እንኳን መቅረብ አልነበረበትም። ይሄን ነገር ድምፁን ግን እንደገና የመነጋገር መብት የቦርዱ አባሎች መብት

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Indian co. leases land in Ethiopia the size of Rhode Island

Bangalore-based Indian company, Karuturi Global, the world’s largest flower producer, couldn’t get enough land in India to compete with rivals. So the company went to Ethiopia early this year and leased 1,200 square miles of land—larger than the State of

Posted in Ethiopia News

Ali Mohammed family appalled by U.S. Attorney’s decision

By Keith L. Alexander | The Washington Posts

Friends and family of Ali Ahmed Mohammed gathered outside the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District on Monday to protest prosecutors’ decision to drop charges against the five men accused of beating …

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Tigreans could pay the price for Meles crimes – Gregory Stanton

Dr. Gregory Stanton, President of Genocide Watch, gave an impassioned speech about the atrocities of the Meles regime in Ethiopia during a public meeting in Washington DC that was held to commemorate the 5th anniversary of the Ethiopian Election …

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EU released final report on the May 2010 Ethiopian election

The EU mission released a 41-page report today in which it stated that the May 2010 elections in Ethiopia did not meet international standards. The report is an impeachment of the Meles regime as illegitimate that has no mandate to

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Honoring victims of the November 2005 Massacre

Statement by The Alliance for Liberty, Equality and Justice in Ethiopia

November 7, 2010 is the 5th anniversary of the November Massacre, a massacre in which over 200 innocent Ethiopians were brutally killed and thousands more were wounded. We are …

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Dirty secret of USAID and other int’l aid agencies

By William Easterly

The international aid system has a dirty secret. Despite much rhetoric to the contrary, the nations and organizations that donate and distribute aid do not care much about democracy and they still actively support dictators. The conventional …

Posted in Ethiopia News

Hitting Woyanne where it hurts the most

As Ethiopians around the world gathered over the weekend to remember those who were gunned down by Meles Zenawi’s death squads following the May 2005 election, Judge Frehiwot Samuel, Dr Berhanu Nega and others have asked how long are we …

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Ethiopians gather to remember the 2005 election massacre

Commemoration events for the Ethiopian election massacre 5th anniversary were held Washington DC, and several cities around the world on November 7, 2010.

Silent prayer for the martyrs of Election 2005 – Sunday, November 7, 2010
remembrance of 2005 Ethiopian election massacre

The special remembrance event …

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Ethiopia: Remember the Slaughter of November (2005)!

Alemayehu G. Mariam

Cruel November

November is a cruel month. Bleak, woeful, and grim is the month of November in the melancholy verse of Thomas Hood:

No warmth, no cheerfulness, no healthful ease,
No comfortable feel in any member–
No

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OLF leadership calls for a united front

By Hunde Dhugassa

Senior OLF diplomat and the current head of OLF (Oromo Liberation Front) Diplomacy for The European Chamber, Dr. Shigux Geleta, has reaffirmed his organization’s commitment for partnership and called for united front against the TPLF dictatorship in …

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The dark days of November 2005

NEWS RELEASE

It was 5 years ago on November 1, 2005, that the ruling Tigrean People Liberation Front (Woyanne) under the leadership of Meles Zenawi unleashed a new form of terror on the people of Ethiopia. The repercussion of the …

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Aba Diabilos launches a campaign to save his statue

Aba Diabilos aka Aba Paulos or Ato Gebremedhin Boycott of alms by followers of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahdo Church (EOTC), following the erection of Ato Gebremedhin’s (formerly Aba Paulos, aka Aba Diabilos) statue in Addis Ababa, has forced priests and bishops throughout the country to rebel against the …

Posted in Ethiopia News

Resolving the ESFNA impasse

By Fekade Shewakena

Almost every year there appears to be some ritual around the Ethiopian Sports Federation in North America (ESFNA) of creating a dust up, on issues big and small. I have always found myself on the side of …

Posted in Ethiopia News

World Bank’s blatant lies about Ethiopia

The World Bank has recently released an “updated” report (read here) on its activities in Ethiopia. The 2010 report, which seems to be a poorly edited rehash of the 2007 report, states that since 1991, the Bank has …

Posted in Ethiopia News

Azeb Mesfin partners blackmail athlete Haile Gebreselassie

haile gebreselassie berlin marahon 2009 photo by victah sailerThe appearance and speech by superstar Ethiopian athlete Haile Gebreselassie at the ruling junta (Woyanne/EPRDF) conference in early September, had caught many by surprise. Throughout his career as an athlete, Haile has tried to distance himself from the Woyanne regime, …

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An observer’s report on the Ethiopian economy, 2010

By Arnold C. Harberger, UCLA

This paper is based on a 2-week visit to Ethiopia in September 2010, under the auspices of USAID. I have framed it as an observer’s report, with the purpose of conveying, especially to younger USAID …

Posted in Ethiopia News

Ethiopia: Education Unbanned!

Distance Learning in Ethiopia Un-Banned?

Last week, it was quietly announced that the official wholesale ban on distance learning educational programs in Ethiopia has been lifted. In August 2010, the ban was imposed out of the blue “because of quality …

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