African Desert Rift Confirmed As New Ocean In The Making

African Desert Rift Confirmed As New Ocean In The Making Scientists from several countries have confirmed that a 35-mile-long rift in the desert in Ethiopia will eventually become a new ocean, according to LiveScience . Researchers discovered the gigantic crack in the desert in 2005 . At the time, some geologists believed the rift was the beginning of a new ocean as two parts of the African continent pulled apart, but the claim was controversial. A new study, published in the latest issue of Geophysical Research Letters , suggests the volcanic processes at work beneath the Ethiopian rift are nearly identical to those at the bottom of the world's oceans, and the rift is indeed likely the beginning of a new sea...

Ethiopia opposition says nearly 450 members jailed

* Parties say arrests are politically motivated * One party says seven members murdered in a year * Government says it will investigate names By Barry Malone ADDIS ABABA, Nov 3 (Reuters) - Ethiopian opposition parties say nearly 450 of their members have been jailed to stop them running as candidates in national elections in May next year. Documents given to Reuters by four opposition parties listed the prisoners' names, the dates on which they were arrested and the jails in which they were being held. One party, the All Ethiopia Unity Organisation (AEUO), has recorded seven murders of members over the last 12 months that it says were politically motivated. "These jailings are to stop our members running in elections," Gizachew Shiferaw, deputy leader of the Unity for Democracy and Justice (UDJ) party, told Reuters. "It has become a strategy for the ruling party. Ethiopia is a one-party state." Most analysts say the ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) will easily win the 2010 elections -- but opposition parties say that is because government harassment will stop their members contesting. The authorities strongly deny the claims and say only criminals have been arrested. "Nobody has been imprisoned or killed for political activity, to my knowledge," Bereket Simon, the Ethiopian government's head of information, told Reuters, adding that the authorities would further investigate the documented names. "Our preliminary investigation indicates that these people are engaged in real crime," he said. "We can't release criminals because they are opposition members." NO CHANCE OF WINNING Bereket said the opposition was trying to discredit the electoral process because they realised they had no chance of winning in 2010. This week, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and three opposition parties agreed a set of rules for the elections. Police and soldiers shot dead about 200 protesters after the opposition accused the government of rigging elections in 2005. Along with the AEUO and the UDJ, the other two parties who gave Reuters lists of detainees were the Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement (OFDM) and the Oromo Peoples' Congress, who have been refused permission to form an alliance. Most of those listed are ethnic Oromos who, despite being Ethiopia's largest group, have not held power in modern times. Meles comes from the Tigryan ethnic group, who make up only 6 percent of the population but dominate the political elite. Another three parties told Reuters members were regularly arrested and held briefly to scare them off registering for the polls. Those parties have not yet begun documenting the cases. Photographs seen by Reuters show vandalised buildings in small towns outside the capital Addis Ababa that the opposition says are their regional offices. Ethiopia has never had a peaceful transition of power. Meles took over in 1991 after a rebel group led by him and others overthrew a communist regime. (For related analysis, click on [ID:L1641132] For a factbox on the Ethiopian opposition, [ID:nLT93901]) (Editing by Daniel Wallis)

Alemayehu G. Mariam: Famine and the Noisome Beast in Ethiopia

Alemayehu G. Mariam: Famine and the Noisome Beast in Ethiopia

Posted using ShareThis It is hard to talk about Ethiopia these days in non-apocalyptic terms. Millions of Ethiopians are facing their old enemy again for the third time in nearly forty years. The Black Horseman of famine is stalking that ancient land. A year ago, Meles Zenawi's regime denied there was any famine. Only "minor problems" of spot shortages of food which will "be soon brought under control," it said dismissively. The regime boldly predicted a 7-10 percent increase in the annual harvest over 2007. Simon Mechale, head of the country's Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Agency, proudly declared: "Ethiopia will soon fully ensure its food security." For several years, the regime has been touting its Productive Safety Net Programme would result in ending the "cycle of dependence on food aid" by bridging production deficits and protecting household and community assets. Famine and chronic food shortages were officially ostracized from Ethiopia. Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alemayehu-g-mariam/famine-and-the-noisome-be_b_339467.html

Ethiopia's Meles agrees to election rules

Ethiopia's Meles agrees to election rules

Joke of the day

Farmer A bus load of politicians were driving down a country road one afternoon, when all of a sudden, the bus ran off the road and crashed into a tree in an old farmer's field. Seeing what happened, the old farmer went over to investigate. He then proceeded to dig a hole and bury the politicians. A few days later, the local sheriff came out, saw the crashed bus, and asked the old farmer, "Were they all dead?" The old farmer replied, "Well, some of them said they weren't, but you know how them politicians lie."

RFI - Ethiopian troops cross border into Somalia

RFI - Ethiopian troops cross border into Somalia Several hundred Ethiopian troops crossed the border into neighbouring Somalia at the weekend, accompanied by Somali pro-government fighters. They arrested villagers and kept them for questioning. The Ethiopian army was withdrawn from Somalia in January. Shared via AddThis

Joke of the day

A lawyer's dog, running around town unleashed, heads for a butcher shop and steals a roast. The butcher goes to the lawyer's office and asks, "if a dog running unleashed steals a piece of meat from my store, do I have a right to demand payment for the meat from the dog's owner?" The lawyer answers, "Absolutely." "Then you owe me $8.50. Your dog was loose and stole a roast from me today." The lawyer, without a word, writes the butcher a check for $8.50. The butcher, having a feeling of satisfaction, leaves. Three days later, the butcher finds a bill from the lawyer: $100 due for a consultation.

CBC News - World - A country you can never stop worrying about

CBC News - World - A country you can never stop worrying about Ethiopia is one country that I can never stop worrying about. Nor can the world. Each time that I have gone back over the past 25 years I am encouraged to see so much has changed since the great famine of 1984-85 that shocked the world and so moved us Canadians. Yet there is also much here that is alarmingly similar. This time old friends — survivors of that earlier tragedy — are proud to show me the signs of progress in the northern province of Tigray, the very epicentre of a famine that killed over a million people. In the countryside, small catchment dams have been built to trap rainwater and reforestation projects are underway; in the small provincial capital of Mekele, they can now show off a modern university, busy markets and a vibrant youth culture. A boy eats raw chickpeas from the family plot in Ethiopia's drought-stricken Oromiya region in January 2009. (Ho New/Reuters) Still, for all these encouraging signs I know there remain two constants here. Shared via AddThis

Joke of the day

A motorist was driving in the country when he came upon a priest and a rabbi standing on the shoulder of the road, fishing. Next to them was a sign that read "Turn Around. The End Is Near." The motorist didn't like to be preached to, so he rolled down the window and yelled, "Mind your own business, you religious nuts!" A few seconds later the two fishermen heard tires screech, then a splash. The rabbi turned to the priest and said, "I told you we should've just written, 'Bridge Out.' "

Daniel Bekele stood for what he believed.

In the ever-shrinking space for freedom of expression and association in Ethiopia, Daniel Bekele has faced heavy-handed government repression as a prominent anti-poverty activist and human rights lawyer. Daniel has dedicated his life to building a vibrant civil society and strengthening human rights in a country where freedom of expression and other fundamental rights are severely constricted. After leading grassroots efforts to promote voter education and election monitoring Daniel was arrested following the controversial 2005 parliamentary elections and spent two and a half years in prison on politically motivated charges of conspiracy and incitement to overthrow the government. He and fellow human rights activist Netsanet Demissie were the last two people released after a high-profile trial that originally charged 131 journalists, politicians, and civil society leaders with crimes ranging from genocide to treason. Although he had an opportunity to secure his early release by joining co-defendants in signing a letter of apology to the government, Daniel instead chose to stand trial and contest the charges in court, testing the rule of law as a matter of principle. He was eventually convicted in a deeply flawed trial in which even the judges acknowledged that Daniel and Netsanet's civil society activities were legitimate and even commendable. Since his release in 2008, the Ethiopian government has adopted the Charities and Societies Proclamation, a new law on nongovernmental organizations that is so restrictive as to make the work of most human rights groups in Ethiopia illegal. Human Rights Watch honors Daniel Bekele who, at great personal risk, challenges the Ethiopian government to uphold the civil and political rights that protect all people. Daniel Bekele made the following statement upon hearing about the award announcement: "I accept such a prestigious award with a genuine sense of humility. I hold this award in the name of my fellow colleagues working for the promotion of human rights in Ethiopia. I am humbled by such global level recognition of the human rights work in Ethiopia; but it is also a constant reminder of the human rights situation in my country. Poverty, political conflict and lack of good governance have created a disheartening socio-political quagmire and a very poor record of human rights; however, a gradual transition to rule of law and a peaceful democratic political order is not entirely hopeless. While a constitutional level guarantee of human rights is a positive step forward; the real protection of the most basic human rights remains a daunting challenge. I hope we shall overcome the seemingly insurmountable challenges with citizens re-engaging in democracy in a peaceful way. I thank Human Rights Watch for this award and its valuable work; and I thank my family, fellow colleagues and friends globally for your kind support." Send this News to: * Please enter email addresses separated by commas. Personal message: HRW.org visitor sent you this article from Human Rights Watch www.hrw.org