The Week in Review

Look for the 'The Week in Review' segment below

Weekend Top Stories:
[Ethiopian reinforcement troops heading to Mogadishu] - [Somalia battles called worst in 15 years] - [Kenya, Ethiopia, US secretly detained Somalis fleeing war: HRW]

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-Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Invite Meles to Summit

-Letter from the Ethiopian community in Europe protesting PM Meles's invitation

-To speak out against Prime Minister Meles’s Invitation to the Summit, click here, find the MEP you wish to contact -- write or call

-ALDE event schedule
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The Hummingbird and the Forest Fire:
A Diaspora Morality Tale
(by Professor Alemayehu G. Mariam)
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Free the Ethiopian Captives

(by Andrew Heavens)

A pressure group to campaign for the freedom of the eight Ethiopian hostages was formed yesterday. It is called the 'Free The Ethiopian Captives Committee'.

The idea is to collect lots of signatures and members, then approach international organisations and ask them to do all they can to bring about the release. At the very least, it will aim to keep the eight in the headlines.(More...)

Ethiopian reinforcement troops heading to Mogadishu

Hundreds of additional Ethiopian forces who crossed from the border have reached near Beledweine city, the provincial capital of Hiran region in central Somalia heading to Mogadishu to reinforce their colleagues fighting the local insurgents for the third day, report said on Saturday.

Other Ethiopian reinforcement troops are reported to have reached Afgoie town, 30km south of the capital joining the war with what they called ‘the remnants of the ousted Islamists.

Meanwhile, the Ethiopian forces stationing around El-Irfid settlement in northern outskirt of the Somalia capital are reported to have deserted there heading to Afgoie town, 30km south of the city to reinforce the Ethiopian soldiers fighting the insurgents.(More...)

Also see:
-Somalia: More Ethiopian tanks en route to hostile Mogadishu
-Reinforcement Ethiopian Forces Close to the Capital
-Fresh Ethiopian troops arrive in Somalia

Heavy Fighting Continues in the Capital for Third Day

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Heavy fighting between warring sides of Ethiopian soldiers and Somali insurgents exchanging heavy weaponry fire has entered in its third day in the Somalia capital Mogadishu on Saturday.

Dozens of people have been killed since Thursday, when the government and allied Ethiopian troops launched an offensive to quash an increasingly brutal insurgency by Islamic militants. A statement from the International Committee of the Red Cross said the people of Mogadishu are caught up in the worst fighting in more than 15 years.

More than 220 people have been wounded in the past 24 hours, most them civilians with bullet, grenade and other shrapnel wounds, the ICRC said.(More...)

Also see:
-Somalia battles called worst in 15 years
-Many killed, wounded in new outburst in Somalia
-Chaos in Somalia Worst in 15 Years

Kenya, Ethiopia, US secretly detained Somalis fleeing war: HRW

(AFP) - Human Rights Watch on Saturday accused the governments of Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia and the United States of secretly detaining hundreds of people fleeing the deadly conflict in Somalia.

"Each of these governments has played a shameful role in mistreating people fleeing a war zone," said Georgette Gagnon, HRW's deputy Africa director.

"Kenya has secretly expelled people, the Ethiopians have caused dozens to disappear, and US security agents have routinely interrogated people held incommunicado," he added.(More...)

The Week in Review

• Tuesday - March 27, 2007

[Smugglers toss Ethiopian and Somali refugees to sharks] - [Al-Qaida urges jihadis to go to Somalia] - [Miner says struck gold in Ethiopia] - [Ethiopian army camp attacked] - [Ugandan troops say they are being used as guinea pigs]


• Wednesday - March 28, 2007

[Afar Diaspora group calls for the release of Ethiopian hostages] - [Swedish Teen Released From Ethiopia] - [Archaeologists find Ethiopia's lost Islamic kingdom] - [Prominent politician murdered in Mogadishu] - [Dancing to a better future in Ethiopia]


• Thursday - March 29, 2007

[Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Invite Meles to Summit] - [Seven Ethiopian troops killed in heavy fighting, bodies dragged through Mogadishu] - [Ethioapin Helicopters fire on Somali market] - [Analyst says Somalia a Handicap for Ethiopia] - [Ethiopia calls for action on Eritrea] - [Ethiopia, the birthplace of coffee]


• Friday - March 30, 2007

[Court Postpones decision again - Reason: Judge has 'Gunfann'] - [Fresh Ethiopian troops arrive in Somalia] - [Ethiopian Helicopter shot down in Somalia] - [Ethiopia stops plans to close Jewish camp ] - [Travel Agencies to Campaign for Release of Colleagues]

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Children and the Traumas of War

Three Stories about Iraqi Children:

On an Iraqi morning Khaled, 11 years old, went, as he used to do everyday, to the nearby school in central Baghdad. What was unusual this time was by the end of the first lesson blasts rattled the school snatching the children's innocence from their faces.

It was horrible. Windows shields smashed hitting the children's soft bodies. Khaled, like others, hide himself under desks that could not withstand the falling ceiling and its fan. Exercise books, pencils, blackboard and the pupils' dreams were all buried under the falling ceiling. All went to the sky except for Khaled and his colleague who lost an arm. The tragedy is still preoccupies this little Iraqi child, though the incident occurred sometime ago. He is not the only to suffer from similar experiences, as scores of kids his age share with him the same experience. Many are still paying, along with their families, the endless war bill. The rest of the story

There are millions of stories like Khaled's, in Iraq and other war-torn countries. Children are killed and forced to kill. They are orphaned. They are raped. They lose their homes, schools, and any sense of stability. They are hungry, sick, and frightened. And often, very traumatized. Without rehabilitation and healing, they can sometimes grow up to perpetuate the violence, because they don't know anything else.

Iraqi boys in a refugee camp in Baghdad play with toy guns.
Photograph: Namir Noor-Eldeen/Reuters

Abdul-Muhammad and his five younger brothers, aged between six and 12, should have been at school. But their mother, Sayeeda, like thousands of parents in Iraq's perilous capital city, now keeps her boys at home. Three weeks ago, armed men had intercepted their teacher's car at the school gates, then hauled him out and slit his throat. Just like in their game.

"That day they came home and they were changed because of the things they'd seen," said Sayeeda as she ladled rice into the boys' bowls. "The youngest two have been wetting their beds and having nightmares, while Abdul-Muhammad has started bullying and ordering everyone to play his fighting games. I know things are not normal with them. My fear is one day they will get hold of real guns. But in these times, where is the help?" The rest of the story

These children are paying the price of wars they did not start - some adults somewhere sitting safely in their offices, war rooms, and white houses made the decisions that cause innocent children to suffer. When you ask children, they overwhelmingly say they want peace.

Just 8 years old, Noor fell victim to an all-too-common crime in Baghdad. Kidnapped from school, she was held for ransom – beaten, blindfolded, and locked in an empty room – for four days.

Her father raced to come up with the money, fearing she would be yet another casualty in the city's plague of abductions. A driver by occupation, he sold the family's car to give his tormenters what they wanted: $8,000 for his daughter's life.

Noor and her family fled Baghdad. But three years later she was still haunted by her memories. They joined some 1 million Iraqis now living in Syria – among them an untold number of children struggling to cope with the emotional wounds of war.

For Noor, and many other Iraqi children like her, there appeared to be no place to turn until a Syrian psychiatrist, risking his job at a state institution, defied authorities and decided to help. The rest of the story

Meanwhile, even American kids are suffering because of war: As Iraq war cost climbs, 9 million U.S. kids lack medical coverage. There's enough money to ensure all Iraqi kids are dead, displaced, or scared, but apparently not enough to keep American kids healthy - really, click this link to put the cost of war into perspective - it's truly disgusting.

(03.30.07) Recommends:

The Andrew Bird Triumvirate.

Part One was last Friday. Part Two was Monday. And today, the finale in the three part series, "Darkmatter." But just between you and me, I might link to more tracks from this album. Because I can't stop listening to it. I hope you've purchased it by now.

Andrew Bird - Darkmatter - mp3.
(mp3 via Vague Space)

Court Postpones decision again - Reason: Judge has 'Gunfann'

Check back with ETP for more news throughout the day

Also in the news:
[Fresh Ethiopian troops arrive in Somalia] - [Ethiopian Helicopter shot down in Somalia] - [Ethiopia stops plans to close Jewish camp ] - [Travel Agencies to Campaign for Release of Colleagues]

International:
[African nations go softly, softly on Zimbabwe] - [White House has new plan for immigration] - [Heads of Arab States Prod Israel to Embrace Peace Offer] - [Halle Berry reveals suicide attempt] and more of today's top stories!


An Ethiopian military helicopter hit by insurgents is seen in the skies above Mogadishu March 30, 2007. Insurgents shot down an Ethiopian helicopter gunship in Mogadishu on Friday during a second day of fighting after Ethiopian and Somali forces launched a major attack on Islamists and clan militia. (Picture by REUTERS)



__________________________________________________________

-Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Invite Meles to Summit

-Letter from the Ethiopian community in Europe protesting PM Meles's invitation

-To speak out against Prime Minister Meles’s Invitation to the Summit, click here, find the MEP you wish to contact -- write or call

-ALDE event schedule
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Court Postpones decision again - Reason: Judge has 'Gunfann'

(by Lewit) -- The same white walls and peeling blue chairs. The same speculations and prayers. The same crowd shifting nrevously in their seats. The same delays. The same excuses.

Well, pretty much. Today, after over an hour delay, a summary of half the evidence presented by the prosecution was read. All 3 judges were there this time; one was apparently ill (though I couldn't tell which one--maybe the one that sniffled a couple of times?) and so, of course, the trial was postponed until Monday.

This time, it was clear that everyone had had enough, and the frustrations of both family members and the defendents was more than evident.(More...)

(by EZ) -- The trial is postponed again. This time for Monday, 2 April. The court presented the summary of the Audio, Video and documentary evidence today. It said the rest of the prosecutor's evidence will be summarized and presented on Monday. The court was packed. The judges said that they wouldn't continue in the afternoon as one of the judges was sick.

Fresh Ethiopian troops arrive in Somalia

Somalia - Hundreds of Ethiopian soldiers crossed over the common border and entered Somalia overnight, according to sources in Galkayo.

The soldiers, estimated to number 500-strong with armored vehicles, were stationed in the outskirts of Galkayo, the capital of Mudug region in central Somalia.

Reliable sources in Galkayo told Garowe Online on the condition of anonymity that the Ethiopian troops were heading for the northern Somali city of Bossaso, a bustling port town that serves as Puntland’s economic hub.

There was no reason given for the arrival of fresh Ethiopian troops, even as that country’s leader, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, pledged to withdraw his remaining troops from Somalia.(More...)

Ethiopian Helicopter shot down in Somalia

MOGADISHU, Somalia - An Ethiopian helicopter attacking insurgent positions in Somalia's capital was shot down Friday as government and allied troops battled hundreds of gunmen in the streets, witnesses said.

Government soldiers and troops from neighboring Ethiopia, who are in Somalia to protect the fragile government, were under a severe attack for a second day as they tried to quash a growing insurgency by Islamic militants.

"The helicopter looked like a ball of smoke and fire before crashing," said Ruqiya Shafi Muhyadin, who watched as the helicopter rolled over in the sky and went down in a residential area near the airport.(More...)

Also see:
-Reuters: Battles rage in Mogadishu, helicopter hit
-AP: Fighting rages for 2nd day in Mogadishu
-CBS: Insurgents Down Helicopter In Somalia
-ABC: Helicopter Shot Down in Somalia

Travel Agencies to Campaign for Release of Colleagues

In a show of solidarity with the eight Ethiopians still held captive in Eritrea, and joining the campaign for their safe release, travel agencies working in Ethiopia yesterday formed an alliance.

Owners and General Managers of three travel agencies namely Origin Ethiopia, Kibre and Ethiopian Quadrants, said they were working jointly to create awareness for the release of the captives who, they said, didn't have any political involvement.

They also criticized the international media who they said were "shouting 24 hours a day" but forgot the issue immediately after the release of the five Europeans.(More...)

Also see:
-Committee set up to lobby for the release of Ethiopian captives

Ethiopia stops plans to close Jewish camp

Ethiopia said it has canceled plans to shut a camp used as a community center for 7,000 Ethiopian Jews seeking emigration to Israel.

The government announced Friday that synagogue and food services would be allowed to continue in the camp for the Falashmura Ethiopians but school services and activities promoting immigration to Israel will be cut off, Haaretz reported Friday.

The decision follows diplomatic pressure from the The United Jewish Communities of North America, which funds the camp, and other groups on the Ethiopian Embassy in Washington.(More...)

Today's Top Stories

-African nations go softly, softly on Zimbabwe
-White House has new plan for immigration
-Gates Seeks Way To Close Guantanamo
-Iran Broadcasts New Video of Seized Britons
-Heads of Arab States Prod Israel to Embrace Peace Offer
-Putin rejects call to serve longer (Russia's upper house speaker called for changes that would allow Putin to remain in office beyond 2008 -- a proposal that was quickly rejected by the Kremlin)
-Breastfeeding alone cuts HIV risk
-French nun credits John Paul for sudden healing
-Halle Berry reveals suicide attempt



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Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Invite Meles to Summit

Check back with ETP for more news throughout the day

Also in the news:
[Seven Ethiopian troops killed in heavy fighting, bodies dragged through Mogadishu] - [Ethioapin Helicopters fire on Somali market] - [Analyst says Somalia a Handicap for Ethiopia] - [Ethiopia calls for action on Eritrea] - [Ethiopia, the birthplace of coffee]

International:
[Rwanda to probe downing of former president's plane] - [Castro Attacks Bush on Biofuels in First Article Since Surgery] - [How Britons were conned by Iranian gunboat trick] - [Ten of the best April Fool's Day hoaxes: US museum] and more of today's top stories!


Smoke rises in the horizon above the Towfiq neighborhood in Mogadishu. Ethiopian helicopters have fired missiles on southern Mogadishu as heavy fighting across the Somali capital left 30 people dead in an offensive against insurgent fighters.(More on this below) Picture - AFP/Mustafa Abdi


Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Invite Meles to Summit

ETP -- The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE), a Group within the European Parliament, has invited Prime Minister Meles Zenawi to attend its 2007 summit.

The summit which will be held in Dakar - Senegal from 1 to 3rd April, aims to strengthen liberal democratic values, according to ALDE.

Attendees list includes 12 African leaders, heads of state from the Pacific and Caribbean countries. The theme of the summit is Liberalism and Governance: the Social Liberal State.

(Picture - Commmissioner Louis Michel and Meles Zenawi, Prime Minister of Ethiopia)

EU Commissioner Louis Michel will attend the summit and is expected to give one of the opening speeches along with Graham Watson, President of the ALDE Group at the European Parliament.

Meanwhile, many within the Ethiopian community in Europe and elsewhere disapprove of ALDE’s decision to invite Prime Minister Meles to this summit.

In a letter to European human rights groups, the Ethiopian community in Europe is asking liberal MEP’s to distance themselves from the invitation extended to Ethiopia’s primer. (Read letter below)

After over 15 years in power, Prime Minister Meles presides over a country that still cannot feed its own people and is very much dependent on the U.N. World Food Program. Approximately half of the Ethiopian population lives on less than one U.S dollar a day, which is not enough to buy a single meal.

Since the parliamentary elections of 2005 human rights and press freedom have suffered significantly in Ethiopia.

Amnesty international has accused the government of Meles Zenawi of torture and extrajudicial killings. Journalists, renowned human rights activists and opposition party leaders are currently detained in the country’s notorious Kality prison.

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-Letter from the Ethiopian community in Europe

-To protest Prime Minister Meles’s Invitation to the Summit, click here, find the MEP you wish to contact -- write or call

-ALDE event schedule
-Event website
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Seven Ethiopian troops killed in heavy fighting, bodies dragged through Mogadishu

MOGADISHU (AFP) - Seven Ethiopian soldiers were killed in heavy fighting on Thursday in the south of Mogadishu, and two of their bodies were dragged through the streets, an AFP correspondent witnessed.

Dozens of men and women pulled the bodies of two soldiers in the street, shouting "We will kill the Ethiopian troops", while five other bodies in Ethiopian uniforms lay on the ground in the southern district of Shirkole.

Nearby an Ethiopian military vehicle burned in the street. Loudspeakers had earlier transmitted calls for residents to come out and fight the Ethiopian troops backing Somalia's transitional government.(More...)

Ethioapin Helicopters fire on Somali market, at Least 30 dead

NewYork Times -- Any hope for a quick peace in Mogadishu, Somalia’s turbulent capital, was snuffed out today when Ethiopian troops stormed into the center of the city, setting off clashes that killed more than 30 people.

According to hospital officials in Mogadishu, most casualties were civilians caught in the crossfire between Ethiopian tanks and insurgents firing rocket-propelled grenades.

Many residents now say they were better off under the Islamist administration, which briefly controlled Mogadishu last year until Ethiopian troops invaded.(More...)

Also see:
-SomaliNet: 15 Ethiopian soldiers killed in Mogadishu violence
-Reuters: Death and carnage in Somalia
-Shabelle: Two Ethiopian tanks damaged
-USA Today: Bombs dropped in Somalia
-Washington Times: Renewed violence in Somalia
-Somalia: A chaos of clans, Islamists, foreigners

Ethiopia calls for action on Eritrea

Ethiopia accused Eritrea on Thursday of arming anti-Ethiopian rebels and urged the United Nations to take action against its long-time Horn of Africa foe.

Eritrean officials were not immediately available to comment, but always deny such allegations.

Addis Ababa and Asmara have routinely fired harsh rhetoric at each other since a 1998 to 2000 border war killed 70 000 people. But tensions have climbed higher in recent months amid conflict in neighbouring Somalia and a kidnapping near their frontier.

"The Eritrean government ... is now organising, arming and training anti-peace Ethiopian elements to carry out its proxy war and cause destruction in the country," Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi told Parliament on Thursday.(More...)

Analyst says Somalia a Handicap for Ethiopia

VOA -- The al-Qaida terrorist organization has issued a call for Islamic extremists around the world to come to the aid of Somalis fighting the country's Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and its chief backer in the region, Ethiopia.

As VOA Correspondent Alisha Ryu reports from VOA's East Africa Bureau in Nairobi, Ethiopia, which still has thousands of troops in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, is facing a threat it had hoped it had eliminated, when Ethiopia's military dismantled the leadership of Somalia's Islamist movement last December.

Appearing recently in an Internet video on al-Qaida's official media Web site, a prominent leader in the organization, Abu Yahya al-Libi, said it was the duty of all Muslim holy warriors to go to Somalia and help Somalis end what he called "the occupation of Abbyssinians and their apostate lackeys." (More...)

Chicago Tribune: Ethiopia, the birthplace of coffee

In this caffeine-addled corner of the world, the bean and its brew are both blessing and curse, swirled together in a single cup.

JIMMA, Ethiopia -- Inside the coffee plant's corrugated metal fence, men look more like mules as they lug 100-pound sacks of coffee on their backs.

But as midday nears, a heavenly scent wafts from the corner, where Ahmed Achoumeto, 25, pounds a pile of black coffee beans in preparation for the noontime break.

"I am terribly addicted. If I don't get coffee, I can't see properly," he said, standing barefoot in the dirt, grinding the beans with a primitive 3-foot-long wooden pestle and a mortar made of a hollowed tree stump. "Almost everyone here is addicted."(More...)

Zimbabwean Opposition Leader Released

HARARE, Zimbabwe Mar 29, 2007 (AP)— The country's main opposition leader was freed after being held by police for several hours, party officials said Thursday, as southern African leaders gathered in Tanzania to discuss the crisis in Zimbabwe.

Police denied arresting Morgan Tsvangirai Wednesday as he prepared to talk to reporters about a wave of political violence that left him briefly hospitalized earlier this month.

"It doesn't matter how long he was deprived of his freedom, he was still arrested," Tsvangirai's aide, Eliphas Mukonoweshuro, told The Associated Press Thursday.(More...)

Today's Top Stories

-Mugabe defiant as condemnation grows
-Rwanda to probe downing of former president's plane(Rwanda to investigate the death of a former president killed when his plane was shot down, widely seen as the trigger for its 1994 genocide)
-Democrats turn up the heat on Bush over Iraq
-How Britons were conned by Iranian gunboat trick (The speed and cunning shown by the Revolutionary Guards suggests that their action was premeditated)
-Castro Attacks Bush on Biofuels in First Article Since Surgery
-Arabs endorse peace plan, warn of nuclear arms race
-Ten of the best April Fool's Day hoaxes: US museum




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(03.28.07) Recommends:

Arcade Fire on Take Away Shows!

You've heard the hype that Arcade Fire is the most important indie-rock band of its generation. Perhaps you're not convinced. This video elegantly shows a band owning it. Yes, that's Richard Reed Perry, the band's Napoleon Dynamite-esque bass player ripping out pages of a magazine, creating a steady beat for the band. And yes, that's you, skeptical you, thinking "why yes, magazine pages as bassline, it makes perfect sense." This is a band that is so needed.

#41 - Arcade Fire - Neon Bible & Wake Up
Uploaded by lablogotheque

Here's more info about the Take Away Shows! series.

Now Europe Will Never Know Why We Should Teach the Bible in School!

This Week's Time Magazine Covers:

Ah... this is giving me nostalgic memories of Newsweek last fall:




Why all the fluff on the cover of American magazines? Do they think scary covers won't sell or something?

Thanks Wonkette

Amazing Photographs from China

"Humanizing China" - from EastSouthWestNorth

From the Survival Page:

It is necessary to purchase admission tickets in order to pick garbage

A mountain resident carries his wife home. She just had her tubes tied.

Postman delivering mail on difficult rural route


From the Relationships page:

A peasant is about to transplant his kidney to his diabetic son

Chatting with an admirer on the other side of the barbed wire fence of the factory

Modern garbage


From the Desires page:

The lucky winner at an instant lottery game

Sales distributors receive news of a ban

Curbside beauty parlor

Via Neatorama

Afar Diaspora group calls for the release of Ethiopian hostages

Check back with ETP for more news throughout the day

Also in the news:
[Swedish Teen Released From Ethiopia] - [Archaeologists find Ethiopia's lost Islamic kingdom] - [Prominent politician murdered in Mogadishu] - [Dancing to a better future in Ethiopia]

International:
[Britain Presses Iran; Woman May Be Freed] - [Senate backs troop withdrawal from Iraq] - [Arab summit opens in Riyadh] - [World's Tallest Man Marries] and more of today's top stories!

(Photo - Rosa Verhoeve) Founded in 1996 by international choreographer R. Maldoom, "Adugna Potentials" is Ethiopia's only professional contemporary dance troupe. Leading choreographers from Europe and Africa come to teach in the company and its members have gone on to perform at international art and dance festivals (More on this below)
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A MESSAGE FROM TENSAE RADIO
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Afar Diaspora group calls for the release of Ethiopian hostages

(Stuttgart, Germany)ETP -- The Afar forum - an association of Diaspora Ethiopians from the Afar region, in a statement released today, has called for the release of Ethiopian hostages held since the beginning of March by ARDUF rebels.

The marginalization of the Afar people in terms of basic development while their resources are exploited by the governments of Ethiopia and Eritrea, High-handed micro management by the Ethiopian ruling party through appointed puppets; are some of the reasons for discontent in the Afar region, the statement said.

In addition, The Afar forum called for the release of Afar politicians, intellectuals, and merchants in Eritrea who, the group claims, have been detained for more than a decade. It also called on the Ethiopian government to free all prisoners of conscience without any preconditions. [Read the press release]

Denmark tops WEF's networked readiness index, Ethiopia 4th from bottom

Ethiopia occupies 119th position in the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Networked Readiness Index (NRI) 2006-2007, from 115th position in the 2005-2006 Index.

Denmark is number one for the first time in the sixth Global Information Technology Report (GITR) 2006-2007's "Networked Readiness Index", moving up 2 positions from last year and reflecting an upward trend dating back to 2003.

The NRI examines the preparedness of countries to use ICT effectively on three dimensions — the first is the general business, regulatory and infrastructure environment for ICT; second, the readiness of the three key stakeholders (individuals, businesses and governments) to use and benefit from ICT; and third, their actual usage of the latest information and communication technology available.

Accompanying Ethiopia; Cameroon, Paraguay, Mozambique, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, Angola, Burundi and Chad are in the bottom 10 of the Index.

Archaeologists find Ethiopia's lost Islamic kingdom

PARIS -- French archaeologists said Tuesday that they had uncovered the remains of three large towns that may have been the heart of a legendary Islamic kingdom in Ethiopia.

Ancient manuscripts have long told of the kingdom of Shoa, which, between the 10th and 16th centuries straddled key trade routes between the Christian highlands and Muslim ports on the Red Sea. But Shoa's precise place on the map has never been clear.

The National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) said a team of archaeologists had laid bare the remains of three medieval towns, Asbari, Masal, and Nora, on a high escarpment of the Rift Valley.

Shoa - also written as Shewa - was an autonomous state from about the 10th century, until it was absorbed by the sultanate of Ifat at around the end of the 13th century.

The three towns "may have constituted the heart of the Shoa Muslim kingdom before it came under Ifat's political control," the researchers, led by CNRS' Francois-Xavier Fauvelle, suggest.(More...)

Swedish Teen Released From Ethiopia

A 17-year-old Swede has been released from Ethiopia where she was imprisoned for the past three months.

According to a press release from the Swedish Foreign Ministry, the girl’s release comes after intensive work on her behalf by the Foreign Ministry and embassies.

Three Swedes remain captive in Ethiopia accused of taking part in fighting. They were seized in Kenya after fleeing unrest in Somalia.(More...)

Dancing to a better future in Ethiopia

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (Reuters) - Music echoes through an overcrowded neighborhood in the Ethiopian capital, drawing dozens of children off the streets to get a glimpse of another world -- the world of dance.

Inside a garage transformed into a dance studio, the floor crackles at every jump and sunlight pours from huge holes in the tin roof.

For Junaid Jemal, who like millions of other children in Ethiopia sold goods on street corners hoping to make enough money for a warm meal, joining the dance troupe that rehearses in the studio was an escape from hopelessness.(More...)

-More pictures from 'Adugna'

Prominent politician murdered in Mogadishu

Mogadishu 28 -- Gunmen have shot dead the former Somali consulate to Dubai, Mr. Abdi Naasir Ahmed Aadan better known as “Serjito”.

Mr. Serjito was killed along with another man who was riding with him in his car around Tri Biano neighborhood in Mogadishu.(More...)

Also see:
-Senior politician killed in Mogadishu

Zimbabwe opposition chief arrested again

The leader of Zimbabwe's main opposition party was arrested again today, in what appeared to be the latest round of intimidation aimed at political opponents by Robert Mugabe's regime.

Morgan Tsvangirai was seized in an armed raid by the President's security forces at the headquarters of his Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) in Harare along with around 20 other members of staff, it has been revealed.

The forces were armed with teargas cannisters, sticks, riot helmets and AK47 rifles when they launched their assault.

Fearful for their safety, shopkeepers near the MDC's Harvest House headquarters reportedly closed as the raid took place.

Mr Tsvangirai's arrest came as Mr Mugabe was due to attend a summit called about the crisis in his country in Tanzania.(More...)

Today's Top Stories

-Acid attack on woman shocks Ethiopia
-Senate backs troop withdrawal from Iraq
-Britain Presses Iran; Woman May Be Freed(Britain Freezing Talks With Iran Until 15 Navy Crew Members Released)
-EU extends Microsoft's deadline
-Arab summit opens in Riyadh
-Buzz Grows Over Queen's Upcoming U.S. Stay
-World's Tallest Man Marries




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(03.27.07) Recommends:

Amy Cutler, Recent Works.



I first stumbled upon the brilliance of Amy Cutler in 2004, when she was a Visiting Artist and exhibiting at the Kemper. I've watched from afar as her career continued its upward trajectory, including inclusion in the 2004 Whitney Biennial, and publication of a book of her art:



I've even blogged about her in passing. And just today I stumbled upon a press release announcing her newest exhibition, Recent Works, showing at Leslie Tonkonow Artworks + Projects in NYC. Her work is like childhood fairy tales mixed with News of the Weird. It usually features women and animals and hybrid women-animals in whimsical settings. I'm not qualified to judge whether it is fanciful for fanciful's sake, or if it is making a comment on contemporary culture. I encourage you to search the links provided and come to your own conclusion. But regardless, I can't get enough of her work.

Smugglers toss Ethiopian and Somali refugees to sharks

Check back with ETP for more news throughout the day

Also in the news:
[Al-Qaida urges jihadis to go to Somalia] - [Miner says struck gold in Ethiopia] - [Ethiopian army camp attacked ] - [Ugandan troops say they are being used as guinea pigs]

International:
[U.S. begins large show of force in Persian Gulf] - [Sewage 'tsunami' kills four in Gaza] - [Historic deal 'a new era' for N. Ireland] - [Semi-identical twins discovered] and more of today's top stories!

What of the Ethiopian hostages?: State-run Eritrean ERITV channel shows a senior Afar elder who negotiated the release of five European hostages.(AFP) There are still eight Ethiopian hostages missing. Attention of the world media and that of the Ethiopian government has significantly dwindled after the release of the European hostages. Negotiations have ceased; search parties have been called off

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(Picture - Ethiopian Television Network)
International Ethiopian Women’s Organisation Radio Interview with Artist Telela Kebede
__________________________________________________

A MESSAGE FROM TENSAE RADIO
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Smugglers toss Ethiopian and Somali refugees to sharks

Knife-wielding smugglers forced 450 Somalis and Ethiopians overboard into stormy seas along a remote stretch of Yemen coastline at Ras-Alkalb in the Gulf of Aden last Thursday.

The smugglers forced their passengers overboard so they could make a speedy departure after being spotted by Yemeni security forces, UNHCR spokeswoman Astrid van Genderen Stort said.

Survivors also reported that several Ethiopian women and at least one Somali were raped and abused by the smugglers during the voyage from Bosaso in Somalia's Puntland region.

Since January 2006 at least 30,000 people have fled violence and hardship in Somalia and Ethiopia for Yemen, according to UNHCR. About 500 people have died and at least 300 are missing and believed dead.(More...)

Al-Qaida urges jihadis to go to Somalia

WASHINGTON(UPI) -- Al-Qaida has urged Islamic extremists around the world, especially in the information sphere to aid Islamic militias in Somalia.

In a new video released at the weekend by the group's official media arm, the as-Sahab Institute, Abu Yahya al-Libi, a prominent al-Qaida leader called on "my Muslim brothers to stand with their brothers (in Somalia) and go forth to fight at their side."

"All the things which make jihad an individual duty are present in their battle against the Abyssinian occupiers and their apostate lackeys," he said about the situation in Somalia, a reference to the Ethiopian military that in December ousted the Islamic Courts Union, the Islamic militia coalition that had controlled most of the country.(More...)

Ugandan troops say they are being used as guinea pigs

The Ugandan government is reviewing its involvement in Somalia as its troops await the arrival of peacekeepers from other African countries.

“We are assessing the situation on the ground and the magnitude of the assignment before the government decides on the way forward,” Isaac Musumba, the State Minister for Regional Co-operation, said.

He added that he had not received any communication from the African Union regarding when the peacekeepers promised by other African countries would join the Ugandan troops.

Meanwhile, a Ugandan captain in Somalia, who asked not to be identified, said the countries that had promised to send troops were not ready to take the lead. “True, many have pledged to join us, but they are waiting for us to test the waters first,” he said, adding that the situation was complicated by the presence of terrorists and the warfare tactics adopted by the Islamists.(More...)

Miner says struck gold in Ethiopia

ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - A mining company said on Monday it had found an estimated 10,000 tonnes of gold in southern Ethiopia that could be worth more than $1 billion.

Privately-owned National Mining Corporation (NMC) said the discovery was made at Dawa Dagiti in southern Oromia region.

"When production starts the country could earn up to $1 billion from gold exports that would help its development," NMC administrator Melaku Beza told a news conference in Addis Ababa.

He gave no more details. Gold is one of Ethiopia's top hard currency earners, along with coffee, hides and skin.(More...)

-Learn more about the National Mining Corporation Plc.

Ethiopian army camp attacked

Mogadishu - Ethiopian troops opened fire after a major explosion occurred at their camp on the outskirts of the Somali capital on Monday, and one person was killed, said a witness.

It was not clear what had caused the explosion or who the troops may have been firing at, and officials were not immediately available for comment.

The explosion was heard in parts of Mogadishu and Mohamed Nur Warsame, a minibus driver, said he saw the Ethiopian troops firing indiscriminately as he drove in the area.(More...)

A mysterious aerial device falls in Somalia

Mogadishu -- A mysterious device which some say could be a surveillance satellite has fallen near buulo burde town in south Somalia.

Villagers report that the device fell five days ago in area which lies forty kilo meters north of Buulo burde town.

The device occupies an area of one hundred Meters Square as villagers who spotted this device confirmed.

“In the evening of last Wednesday, a large device flew over our head and moments later, we heard a large sound, BAM” said Ilyas Ali, a villager who lives nearby where this large device has fallen.(More...)

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SEW - poem by Asradew
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Today's Top Stories

-Putting bucks in Starbucks
-Senate to look at improper FBI spying
-U.S. begins large show of force in Persian Gulf
-Iran Says Detained Brit Troops Are Healthy
-Sewage 'tsunami' kills four in Gaza (At least four Palestinians drowned in a tsunami of raw sewage on Tuesday when a water treatment reservoir burst)
-U.S. offers nearly $60 mln to prepare Abbas's forces
-Historic deal 'a new era' for N. Ireland (Long-time foes reach agreement to share office beginning)
-Semi-identical twins discovered(Scientists have revealed details of the world's only known case of "semi-identical" twins)






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(03.26.07) Recommends:

More Andrew Bird.

I've been endlessly listening to two tracks in particular from Andrew Bird's newest record, Armchair Apocrypha. The first I mentioned on Friday. The other is Fiery Crash. This is such a great song.

Andrew Bird - Fiery Crash - mp3.

(mp3 via A.M. 180)

Somalia & Oil

ZNet Commentary
Somalia: An Oily Cliché^© March 25, 2007
By David Barouski

Today, it is a reflexive cliché to claim the United States (U.S.) is off on another oil-acquisition conquest anytime they invade an Arabic nation.

In the case of Somalia, the cliché may neverless be true.

Read the whole thing

Interesting:

The Somali Government has been reinstalled in Mogadishu and though violence is constant in the city, the government has moved forward. Many of the cabinet members are dual citizens, with the majority coming from Canada. Others are former warlords.

The Deputy Prime Minister is Hussein Farah Aideed, the son of the late warlord Mohammed Farah Aideed. In contrast to his father, Hussein is actually a naturalized American citizen and a former U.S. Marine who served in the Gulf War. He even served as a U.S. emissary during Operation Restore Hope, where he met with his father several times.

Related:
Somalia - Another Resource War Dressed up as a "Clash of Civilizations" and Darfur as a Resource War

If You Prepare for War, That's What You are Likely to Get

Anthony Arnove:

Eugene Debs wrote in a letter to the New York Sun in 1915, "If... the United States were to prove in good faith that it is opposed to the barbarism and butchery of war by issuing a proclamation of peace, and itself setting the example of disarmament to the nations of the world, its preparedness would be, not only in accordance with its vaunted ideals, but a thousandfold greater guarantee to the respect of its neighbors and to its own security and peace than if it were loaded down with all the implements of death and destruction on earth."

Howard Zinn:

Debs was talking about "preparedness" because the war in Europe had begun and, although the United States was not yet in the war, people were beginning to talk about preparedness for war. The American military is building up, and Debs sees this coming. He argues that the best thing we can do is to declare our belief in peace and to stop preparedness for war. You prepare for war, and then the momentum is created for going to war. We have seen that repeatedly.

Quoted from Terrorism and War, and interview with Howard Zinn.

Also see Sunk Costs, a concept in Behavioural Economics. In Sum: If you pay for it, you wanna know it isn't going to waste, even if what you use it for is irrational and doesn't benefit you.

The Week in Review

Look for the 'The Week in Review' segment below

Weekend news:
[Mogadishu ceasefire broken, meeting ends in failure] - [DR Congo-Ethiopia tie postponed ]

Armed Somali insurgents stand at Shiirkole neighbourhood in Mogadishu, March 23, 2007. Heavy fighting broke out for a third day on Friday in the Somali capital Mogadishu between insurgents and Ethiopian troops supporting the interim government. REUTERS/Shabelle Media (SOMALIA)

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The “New Breed” of African Leaders and the Future of Human Rights and Democracy in Africa

Friday, April 6, 2007
9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Room 25 Mondale Hall
University of Minnesota Law School
229 19th Ave S.
Minneapolis, MN 55455

The Humphrey Institute, the Law School, and the Human Rights Center are proud to present a panel discussion event on African Leaders, the current state of Human Rights and Democracy in Africa, and U.S. Foreign Policy.(More...)
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(by Birkayehu Mekecha, a former Kinijit Official)
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Mogadishu ceasefire broken, meeting ends in failure

the Somali capital have reached an impasse, threatening a two-day truce, one of the elders involved in the negotiations said.

Mogadishu has remained calm since Friday when a truce between Ethiopian military officials who had come to bolster the government and elders of Mogadishu's dominant clan, the Hawiye, took effect.

The truce halted much of this week's violence, during which dozens of people killed, most of them civilians. Most dramatic was the shooting down Friday - after the truce had begun - of a cargo plane during takeoff after it delivered equipment and supplies for African Union peacekeepers. The 11 Belarusian crew members all died.

Saturday's talks reached an impasse because the Hawiye elders want first to have discussions with President Abdullahi Yusuf and other transitional government officials before there are any further efforts to disarm people in Mogadishu, said Abdi Iman Omer, a spokesman for the elders late Saturday.(More...)

Also see:
-Somalia: 300 wounded in Somali battle

DR Congo-Ethiopia tie postponed

DR Congo's Nations Cup qualifier against Ethiopia, scheduled to be played on Sunday, has been indefinitely postponed because of last week's deadly clashes in Kinshasa.

"We'll set another date after we're in a more secure situation," said Constant Omari, president of DR Congo's football federation.

Street fighting broke out on Thursday in DR Congo between army forces and members of the military guard of a failed presidential candidate - clashes that aid groups say left more than 100 dead.(More...)

The Week in Review

• Monday - March 19, 2007

[ARDUF Rebels claim responsibility for kidnapping says Eritrea TV] - [ION: "En route" for Asmara?] - [Somali gunmen step up attacks after police commander slain] - [BoBo blog from Ethiopia] - [ION: The fallout over the kidnapping ]


• Tuesday - March 20, 2007

[Afar rebel leader says Ethiopian hostages safe] - [The IMF: Friend or Foe?] - [Ethiopia to assemble Ladas] - [Five killed in motar attacks in Mogadishu] - [WTO Member States Begin Grilling Ethiopia]


• Wednesday, March 21, 2007

[Political, Civic, Media and Religious groups call for peace and reconciliation in Ethiopia ] - [Members of the U.S congress ask the state department to Intervene in Ethiopia] - [Mogadishu clash kills 7, body dragged in streets]


• Friday - March 23, 2007

[A Mockery of Justice: Court Adjourned again ] - [U.S. Presses for Release of American Held in Ethiopia ] - [Tinton Falls man being held as POW by Ethiopia ] - - [Somalia silences Al-Jazeera]- [More Than 100 Deported From Kenya] - [Al-Qaeda names cell leader for Somalia]

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(03.23.07) Recommends:

Andrew Bird, "Armchair Apocrypha" (Fat Possum, 2007).

2007 refuses to stop with the great new music releases. Today I've got to talk about Andrew Bird. Every time I see his name, I think Andrew W.K. Every time I see his face, I think Josh Groban. That might be two strikes against him, but try this on for size: He has a music performance degree from Northwestern. According to the internet, he has taught at the Old Town School of Folk Music. He played violin in muthafuckin' Squirrel Nut Zippers. He might be the greatest rock 'n roll whistler ever. And now we all have "Armchair Apocrypha" to deal with.

This album has great music and great lyrics and, like I said, great whistling.

Andrew Bird - Scythian Empires - mp3.
(mp3 via Music For Kids Who Can Read Good)

His homepage.
His myspace.

Friday Funday, the Second

Good news from the Canadian Government!

The Conservative Party has just released its new child care plan:


And our troops are getting brand new high tech army gear:

Pics from Modern Mechanix

Canada: Enemy of the United States of America? You heard it first on Fox, so you know it's true. What else can we learn from Fox today? Well, high gas prices should be blamed on liberals, you shouldn't drive and drive, Fox hearts GWB - he's the best president eva, and Al Gore's movie will destroy the economy. Here's the last roundup, in case you missed it. (Don't forget the rule: if the headline has a question mark, Fox thinks the answer is "yes") Via The Vanity Press

Captain America wanks

How do they get the birds to cry while they're sleeping? (Video) and speaking of endangered, better get ready for the Global Warmings:


And finally: toys that should never have been invented.

Previous Friday Funday

A Mockery of Justice: Court Adjourned again

Check back with ETP for more news throughout the day

Also in the news:
[U.S. Presses for Release of American Held in Ethiopia ] - [Tinton Falls man being held as POW by Ethiopia ] - - [Somalia silences Al-Jazeera]- [More Than 100 Deported From Kenya] - [Al-Qaeda names cell leader for Somalia]

International:
[Bishop ready to face guns, urges Zimbabweans to take to the streets ] - [Iraqi Deputy PM wounded in suicide attack] - [Iran nabs British sailors in Iraq waters] - [Gates Pushes To Shut Down Gitmo] and more of today's top stories!


Smoke is seen in a general view of Somalia's capital Mogadishu.(AFP/Jose Cendon). Ethiopian troops exchanged heavy mortar and machine-gun fire with insurgents for a thrid straight day in Mogadishu, leaving a trail of casualties and violence showing no sign of let-up.(More on this below)

__________________________________________________________

The “New Breed” of African Leaders and the Future of Human Rights and Democracy in Africa

Friday, April 6, 2007
9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Room 25 Mondale Hall
University of Minnesota Law School
229 19th Ave S.
Minneapolis, MN 55455

The Humphrey Institute, the Law School, and the Human Rights Center are proud to present a panel discussion event on African Leaders, the current state of Human Rights and Democracy in Africa, and U.S. Foreign Policy.(More...)
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A Mockery of Justice: Court Adjourned again

Lewit -- There was an unusual feeling of excitement in the air, and even the most skeptical among us dared hope that today was THE day.

All the regulars were there—the ferenj (journalists , observers, and diplomats) crowding the front rows, the immediate family members behind to the left, and additional relatives, friends and supporters left to fill in the gaps.

As usual, we had time to kill. After the greetings, speculations and words of encouragement were exchanged, casual conversation began to wane and the defendants had still not appeared.

I was in no mood to discuss my easter plans with those seated next to me, so I counted the white tiles on the ceiling and fidgeted nervously with the peeling plastic cover of my chair.

Finally, shortly after 10 o’clock, the defendants were brought in and everyone sprang to their feet, waving and smiling (now skilled in the art of communicating without words.)

The prisoners looked well and flashed us triumphant thumbs-up as they filed in. They appeared overjoyed to see one another again, and we silently interpreted this scene as the appropriate prelude to their immediate release.

After about 15 minutes everyone was settled in their seats and the judges filed in.

When it was clear that Judge Adil would not be present (a fact that was neither acknowledged nor recorded), all hope instantly evaporated.(More...)


Tinton Falls man being held as POW by Ethiopia

WASHINGTON — A 24-year-old American Muslim from Monmouth County been detained by Ethiopia and could be designated a prisoner of war for allegedly fighting for radical Islamists in neighboring Somalia

Amir Mohamed Meshal is in an Ethiopian jail pending a hearing to determine his status, the State Department said Thursday.

The case echoes complaints that other countries have lodged with the U.S. for the many people it has detained at the naval prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and elsewhere as part of the fight against on terrorism. The detention also has caused a diplomatic spat between the U.S. and Kenya.(More...)

Also see:
-U.S. Presses for Release of American Held in Ethiopia

Somalia silences Al-Jazeera

The Qatar-based Al-Jazeera satellite television network and two local private radio stations to stop broadcasting from the country's capital.

The orders came as Ethiopia-backed government troops battled suspected Islamist insurgents in the capital Mogadishu for the second straight day, as months-long violence showed no sign of let-up.

Government spokesperson Hussein Mohamed Muhamoud said authorities had instructed the three organisations to immediately halt their work failure to which they would be forced to abide by the order.(More...)

Zimbabwe bishop ready to face guns, urges Zimbabweans to take to the streets

(CNN) -- A leading Zimbabwean cleric said on Thursday he was ready to face bullets in the street amid international condemnation of Robert Mugabe's regime and fears of a renewed wave of repression.

Pius Ncube, the Roman Catholic archbishop of the southern Bulawayo diocese, urged Zimbabweans to take to the streets in protest at the government's ongoing crackdown against dissenters opposed to the government, Reuters reported.

"The biggest problem with Zimbabweans is they are cowards, myself included, but as for me I am ready to stand in front, even of blazing guns," Ncube told a news conference.

"If only Zimbabweans are prepared to stand, so am I prepared to stand ... we are not going to be bullied."

Meanwhile Angola denied reports on Thursday claiming it had deployed members of a feared paramilitary police force to Zimbabwe in support of the government.(More...)

Al-Qaeda names cell leader for Somalia

A leader of the Council of Islamic Courts, the radical militia ousted from Somalia in December, has been named as al-Qaeda’s leader in the country, according to government intelligence.

Aden Hashi Ayro has been directing the insurgency in the capital, Mogadishu, Salad Ali Jelle, the Deputy Defence Minister, said yesterday.

Counter-terrorism experts believe that Ayro, who is in his mid30s, had al-Qaeda training in Afghanistan. United Nations officials have linked him to the killings of 16 people, including Kate Peyton, a BBC journalist. He was also believed to have been involved in a failed plot to bring down an Ethiopian airliner.(More....)

Plane crashes on third day of Mogadishu fighting

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - A plane carrying 11 people aiding African peacekeepers in Mogadishu burst into flames and crashed on Friday during a third day of fighting in an insurgency many fear could plunge Somalia back into civil war.

Local private radio Shabelle said the plane, a Russian-made Ilyushin used in the region to transport both cargo and troops, was hit by a missile as it took off from Mogadishu.

A witness said he had encountered one survivor wandering dazed among dead bodies and the wreckage of the plane.

At least 16 people have been killed and hundreds more wounded this week in the bloodiest clashes since the government and Ethiopian troops seized the coastal city from rival Islamists three months ago.(More...)

More Than 100 Deported From Kenya

Kenya Deported More Than 100 People From 19 Countries to Somalia and Ethiopia

MOMBASA, Kenya Mar 23, 2007 (AP)— Kenya deported more than 100 people from 19 countries to lawless Somalia after they crossed the border between the two countries illegally during fighting earlier this year, and the deportees were subsequently arrested by Ethiopian troops, a human rights group said Friday.

The Kenyan government denied the men and women refugee status and even sent its own citizens back to face an uncertain future in a country with no functioning legal system, said the chairman of Muslim Human Rights, Al-Amin Kimathi. Ethiopian forces fighting inside Somalia then took the suspects and flew them to two detention centers inside Ethiopia, he added.(More....)

Today's Top Stories

-72 die in Mozambique weapons depot blast
-Will America deliver the final shove that topples Mugabe?
-Gates Pushes To Shut Down Gitmo (Defense Secretary Argued For Closing Of Terror Prison During First Weeks On Job)
-Iraqi Deputy PM wounded in suicide attack (Iraq's Sunni Deputy Prime Minister was wounded today in a suicide bomb attack at a prayer hall in Baghdad that killed at least two people)
-Iran nabs British sailors in Iraq waters (Iranian naval vessels seized 15 British sailors in Iraqi waters on Friday)
-'Shooter' the Movie, Mark Wahlberg in Ethiopia?
-God-fearing villagers snub "satanic" bar codes




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