June 1, 2014 Ethiopian This Week Radio program

  Our  June 1 , 2014 radio program present  interview  with  Evangelist  Daniel Tasew  over  the issue  of the  same sex marriage . As a  reminder , you  can listen our radio  program on air  every Sunday  from 7.30-  to  8.00  PM eastern time on  KFCD990AM , as  well  as by dialing  712-432-9790. Click the link below to listen the program.

https://ia902507.us.archive.org/20/items/June12014P/June12014P.mp3

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Seasoned Poet Maya Angelou dies

 The poet and memoirist Maya Angelou died on May 28th, at the age of eighty-six. A civil-rights activist and a professor at Wake Forest University, Angelou—born on April 4, 1928, in St. Louis, Missouri—was the author of works including “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” and received awards including the National Medal of Arts and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Her public life spanned decades and included a nomination for the Pulitzer Prize, as well as dozens of honorary degrees. Source ( New yorker )

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Ethiopia deports MENA's manager in Addis Ababa

The Egyptian Embassy in Addis Ababa sent an official note to the Ethiopian Foreign Ministry to express its deep regret at the decision of Ethiopian authorities to deport the manager of Egypt's official Middle East News Agency in Addis Ababa for no apparent reason. "The ministry has formally asked the Ethiopian authorities to provide explanations and clarifications for deporting [MENA's office manager] without notifying the Egyptian Embassy in Addis Ababa immediately once he was detained," spokesperson for the Egyptian Foreign Ministry Badr Abdel Aaty said. Relations between Cairo and Addis Ababa were strained after the latter started the construction of the Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile, which Egypt says would threaten its share of the Nile River water.

Source (Egypt Independent)

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Tullow hits water bearing reservoirs in Ethiopia

Tullow Oil (TLW) fell 1.4% on Friday to 840p after announcing that the Shimela-1 well,onshore Ethiopia, had encountered water bearing reservoirs and only traces of thermogenic gas shows were recorded after drilling to a final depth of 1,940 metres. This well, situated in the South Omo basin, near Chew Bahir and named after a common bird in the area, was considered particularly significant for the company's prospects. As recently as April a report identified the Shimela prospect as the first well in the area, adding that a second well location was also being considered for 2014. Previously, Tullow drilled the Sabisa-1 and Tuletule-1 in the South Omo Block, but while oil and gas shows were recorded in the first well, the second well was abandoned as a dry hole. Tullow has suffered a string of disappointing exploration results, announcing in April that the Mauritanian Tapendar-1 exploration well, in Block C-10, did not encounter hydrocarbons and has been plugged and abandoned, and in March declaring Force Majeure on its exploration licence in Guinea which delayed the drilling of the Fatala well, previously scheduled to commence in April 2014. The Shimela-1 well rig will now be moved to drill the Gardim-1 wildcat exploration well in a completely separate sub-basin, in the south-eastern corner of the Chew Bahir basin. Tullow operates the South Omo block with a 50% equity interest with Africa Oil taking a 30% stake andMarathon Oil (MRO) another 20%. "The prospectivity at the Gardim-1 well, which is targeting an independent petroleum system in a separate south-eastern sub-basin, is not affected by this result," said Angus McCoss, exploration director at Tullow Oil. The stock enjoys a lot of support at 750p, highlighted 'Guesstimate' on the Interactive Investor discussion board. The shares were as high as 1,130p last July. Source (Interactive Investor) 

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An exclusive interview over the verdict Mariam Ibrahim

May 25, 2014 Ethiopian This week radio show presents    an exclusive interview  with Global Enterprise Corporation Board Chair   Dr.  Belay Habtyesus  , over a 26 old Sudanese christen women , Meriam   Ibrahim who's eight months pregnant, and sentenced to death after convicted of "apostasy." She was also sentenced to receive 100 lashes for adultery. We ask Dr. Belay the unfairness of this verdict and at the same time the decision made by Islamic court has any   basis of true Islamic faith. Click the link below to watch the program . 

https://ia902508.us.archive.org/18/items/May252014p/May252014P.mp3

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Obama takes a walk around Washington DC Mall

US president Barak Obama takes a surprise walk around the area of the National Mall surrounding the White House.    Click the link below to watch the surprise uncensored video.

http://www.ethioonutube.com/video/510/President-Obama-Walks-The-Washington-Mall

  For daily Ethiopian related news, click our web site at

 http://www.ethiopianthisweek.com

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It is high time to take collective military action, say Eritrean refugees

Thousands of Eritrean refugees in Ethiopia on Wednesday vowed to take up arms and join opposition forces in the struggle to remove the government in Asmara. The decision by the Eritrean refugees comes as Eritrea celebrates its 23rd independence day. The Red Sea nation gained its independence from Ethiopia in 1991 after 30 years of struggle. President Issaias Afeworki who has lead the country since independence turned the country into a one-party state which is considered as one of the most repressive regimes in the world. In a joint communiqué extended to Sudan Tribune, the Eritrean refugees said the regime in Asmara has failed to bring democracy, human rights and freedom to its people and they don’t want to see the regime prolonging its grip on power. Despite gaining independence, the refugees said the younger generation in Eritrea has during the past 23 years become the victim of executions, imprisonment, disappearances, harassment and intimidation. “Eritrea was liberated but not its people” reads part of the statement adding that “tyrannical Eritrean regime is committed to further crimes and atrocities against innocent Eritreans” and it was time to take collective military action. They said some hundreds of refugee at camps in Ethiopia have decided to join the armed struggle rather than remain as refugees in Ethiopia for an indefinite period of time. “We don’t want to wait and see here for a miracle to happen that would bring a democratic system of governance in Eritrea.” Over the last ten years hundreds of thousands of Eritreans including members of the army and navy have fled their country to neighbouring countries, including Ethiopia, Sudan, Djibouti and Yemen.

In Ethiopia alone, there are 92,460 Eritrean refugees at end of April, Kisut Gebregzabiher a United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) representative in Addis Ababa told Sudan Tribune on Wednesday. Gebregzabiher said that an average of 2,000 Eritreans cross into Ethiopia every month fleeing political repression or to escape military service which is mandatory to all citizens aged between 18 and 50 and can last a lifetime. International human rights organisations say that Eritrea stands amongst world’s top worst human rights and press freedom records. The regime is also accused of turning the country into a “giant prison”. Reports indicate that there are up to 10,000 political prisoners languishing in the country’s harsh and secret detention centers, which are sometimes shipping containers.

The Eritrean refugees in Ethiopia further called up on those forces of change within the Eritrean ruling party, including the army to join them in the struggle to topple the regime so that democratic change is achieved.

Source( Sudan Tribune)

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Detained Journalists and Bloggers in Ethiopia Must be Charged or Released, says IFJ

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) on Tuesday severely criticised authorities in Ethiopia following the decision by a court to grant police nearly one more month to conduct investigations against the journalists and bloggers detained in the country last month. Three journalists and six bloggers were arrested on 25 and 26 April by police using an arrest warrant from a public prosecutor in Addis Ababa, the country’s capital city. The police on May 19 said that while the investigations continue the three journalists and six bloggers will remain in prison. “This is a clear human right violation,” said Gabriel Baglo, IFJ Africa Director. “These journalists and bloggers have not been charged yet and must be released immediately. The court is clearly hesitating because there are no strong charges against our colleagues” The IFJ criticism comes a few weeks after it wrote an open letter to U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry, during his visit to the country to ask him to raise his concerns about the ordeal of the imprisoned journalists when he met with Ethiopian Prime Minister, Hailemariam Desalegn. According to media reports, Kerry subsequently raised the arrests during meetings with the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Tedros Adhanom, on May 1. Following the meeting the IFJ welcomed Kerry’s action, but the Ethiopian court has now taken the decision to extend their detention. The journalists who have been arrested are Tesfalem Weldeyest, who writes independent commentary on political issues for Ethiopia’s Addis Standard magazine and Addis Fortune newspaper, Asmamaw Hailegiorgis, senior editor at an influential Amharic weekly magazine Addis Guday, and Edom Kassaye, who previously worked at state daily Addis Zemen Newspaper and is an active member of the Ethiopian Environmental Journalists Association (EEJA). The bloggers are reportedly members of the Zone 9 group, which is known to be very critical of government policy. They have a strong following on social media. They are: Atnaf Berahane, Befeqadu Hailu, Mahlet Fantahun, Natnael Feleke, Abel Wabela and Zelalem Kiberet. They are accused of using social media to create instability in the country and collaborating with international human rights organisations. According to independent news reports, Ethiopian police said on Saturday, May 17, that the detainees were to be charged with the country’s anti-terrorism proclamation, No 652, published on 28 August 2009, which violates international standards on freedom of expression. The IFJ believes that this proclamation directly threatens freedom of expression and human rights in the country which is Africa’s second worst jailer of journalists and media professionals. Independent sources have reported that at least three of the detainees have complained of severe torture and long interrogations, while they have only seen the their lawyers twice since their arrests. "Holding detainees without charge for a prolonged period is a new trend that is becoming routine and systematic,” said Baglo. “It is another severe blow to human rights in Ethiopia and the international community must stand up and fight against it.” Source ( IFJ)

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"I was never a Muslim. I was raised a Christian from the start,” says an 8 month pregnant women

A New Hampshire man has returned to his native Sudan in a desperate bid to save his pregnant wife from hanging. Daniel Wani, a Sudanese immigrant with U.S. citizenship, is now fighting for his wife's life after she was jailed with their 18-month-old son and sentenced to death for refusing to recant her Christian faith. "I'm just praying for God. He can do a miracle," Wani's distraught brother, Gabriel Wani, told WMUR of his brother's recent travels from their home in Manchester. Meriam Ibrahim, 26, who's eight months pregnant, was sentenced to death Thursday after convicted of "apostasy." Because of the Islamic court's refusal to acknowledge her 2011 marriage to Wani, who's a Christian, she was also sentenced to receive 100 lashes for adultery. As in many Muslim nations, Muslim women in Sudan are prohibited from marrying non-Muslims, though Muslim men can marry outside their faith. By law, children must follow their father's religion. Ibrahim's father was Muslim but he left her mother, who was an Orthodox Christian from Ethiopia, when she was a child, according to her family's attorney, Al-Shareef Ali al-Shareef Mohammed. She was consequently raised Christian.

brahim was given four days to repent, accept Islam as her religion and ultimately escape death, said Mohammed, but it was an offer she refused. Ibrahim and Wani married in a formal church ceremony in 2011 and have a son named Martin, who is with her in jail. The couple runs several businesses, including a farm south of Khartoum.

Ibrahim's case first came to the attention of authorities in August, when members of her father's family complained that she was born a Muslim but married a Christian man.

They claimed that her birth name was "Afdal" and that she changed it to Meriam. Mohammed said the document produced by relatives to show she was given a Muslim name at birth was a fake. Ibrahim refused to answer Judge Abbas Khalifa when he called her "Afdal" during Thursday's hearing. Meriam is a common name for Muslims and Christians alike. "I was never a Muslim. I was raised a Christian from the start," she said.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/u-s-citizen-rushes-sudan-save-pregnant-wife-life-article-1.1798460#ixzz32RQMtIqc

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May 18, 2014, Ethiopian This Week Radio program

May   18 , 2014 Ethiopian This  Week  Radio program features an insight of   Homosexuality from   Biological ,  Anatomical as well as  Social science  perspective . Our guest of the week is a pediatrician by profession, a columnist   by passion Dr. Belay Habteyesus.  Click the link below to listen the whole program.

https://ia902502.us.archive.org/26/items/May182014p/March182014p.mp3

** As   a reminder, you can always follow our weekly program via phone by dialing 712-432-9790. No access code is needed. If you have any comments, suggestions, news, or would like to advertise on our website, please contact us by emailing ethiopianthisweek@gmail.com.

We thank you,

ETW Team

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Egypt's presidential front-runner Al-Sisi Is ready to visit Ethiopia over the Nile dispute

"Dialogue and understanding are the best way to resolve the crisis," al-Sisi said in an interview with the state-run Al-Ahram daily on Saturday.

"This is better than going into a dispute or an enmity with anyone," he added.

The former army chief, who led the army to unseat elected president Mohamed Morsi last July, said that he is ready to visit Ethiopia "if this serves Egypt's interests".

"I will not hesitate in making any effort for my country and its water rights, which is a life-or-death issue," he added Relations between Cairo and Addis Ababa soured last year over Ethiopia's plans to build a $6.4-billion hydroelectric dam on the Blue Nile, which represents Egypt's primary water source.

. The project has raised alarm bells in Egypt, which fears a reduction of its historical share of Nile water. Water distribution among Nile basin states has long been regulated by a colonial-era treaty giving Egypt and Sudan the lion's share of river water. Ethiopia, for its part, says it has never recognized the treaty.  Source (World Bulletin/News Desk). 

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Pregnant Sudanese woman sentenced to death for becoming Christian

A 27-year-old woman, who is eight months pregnant, has been sentenced to death in Sudan for converting to Christianity from Islam, sparking protests in a country already riddled with social strife.

 Mariam Yahya Ibrahim had been ordered to give up her newly-adopted Christian faith by Thursday and return to Islam. Judge Abbas Khalifa asked Ibrahim whether she agreed to return to Islam. After she said, "I am a Christian," a charge of apostasy was declared and the death sentence was handed down, according to judicial sources, quoted by Reuters. "We gave you three days to recant, but you insist on not returning to Islam. I sentence you to be hanged to death," the judge told the woman, AFP reported. The woman had also been charged with adultery for marrying a Christian man. Amnesty International immediately condemned the sentence, calling it "abhorrent." The organisation said the woman was raised as an Orthodox Christian, her mother's religion, because her father, a Muslim, was reportedly absent during her childhood.  Source ( AFP) 

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Ethiopian Woman Hit by a Bus in SilverSpring , MD declared dead

 It was around 5:00am on Tuesday April 29, 2014. Tsehay was walking to the bus stop to start her day near Kennedy High School, But unfortunately while she was crossing, she was hit by a bus, Close families told Admas Radio. Right after the accident she was taken to Sub Urban hospital in Maryland and goes to a surgery. After the surgery, she was put on life support for a week. On May 7, the doctors declared she is Brain dead and has to be removed from life support. This was a bad news for families , friends and Ethiopians in Maryland area. At this moment, she is removed from life support. Tsehay, who is 34 years old has been working 2 jobs to maintain life and support her families back home. Her mother is sill in Addis and she didn't see her for the past 4 years. Your prayers and support for sending her remains is  asked.

Source (AdmasNews and Dire tube)  

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Happy mother’s day!!

Happy mother’s day!!

May 11, 2014 Radio program

Ethiopian This Week Radio program wishes to all mothers a happy and a blessed mother’s day. ! Always remember your kids are gifts from the Almighty God! Below   is the link of our today’s Radio show. It is a must listen program. Don’t miss it!    

https://ia902502.us.archive.org/11/items/May112014P/May112014P.mp3

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South Sudan rivals Kiir and Machar agree peace deal

South Sudan's President Salva Kiir and his sacked deputy Riek Machar have agreed a peace deal after a five-month conflict. According to BBC, the deal calls for an immediate truce and the formation of a transitional government ahead of the drafting of a new constitution and new elections. The conflict in the world's newest state has left thousands dead and more than one million homeless. US Secretary of State John Kerry said the deal "could mark a breakthrough for the future of South Sudan". "The hard journey on a long road begins now and the work must continue," added Kerry, who had played an instrumental role in bringing together the two sides in the conflict. "I saw with my own eyes last week the stakes and the struggles in a new nation we helped courageous people create. The people of South Sudan have suffered too much for far too long."  The rivals signed the deal in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa late on Friday, after their first face-to-face meeting since the hostilities began. The agreement calls for a cessation of hostilities within 24 hours of the signing. A permanent ceasefire will then be worked on. Kiir and Machar are to issue immediate orders for troops to end combat and to allow in humanitarian aid. The deal was also signed by Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, who hosted the talks. Leading mediator Ambassador Seyoum Mesfin, from the regional IGAD bloc, congratulated Kiir and Machar for "ending the war". South Sudan gained independence in 2011, breaking away from Sudan after decades of conflict between rebels and the Khartoum government.  Source ( Walta )

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Sudan deports thirty Eritreans at the hub of Isayeas visit .

Sudan has deported 30 Eritreans, including at least six registered as refugees, back to their homeland where they risk detention and abuse, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Thursday. Sudan's ministry of foreign affairs could not immediately comment, and a source at the country's refugee commission had no information. The HRW statement came the same day that Eritrea's President Issaias Afeworki landed in Khartoum for a three-day official visit. The Eritrean group of 30 was arrested near the Libyan border in early February and held for three months without charge and without access to the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR), HRW said. "On May 1, 2014, Sudanese authorities in eastern Sudan handed 30 Eritreans over to Eritrean security forces," the group said, citing information from two advocates who were in telephone contact with the group. Opposition activists from Eritrea say the number deported was 45. "Sudan is forcibly returning Eritreans to serious risk of detention and abuse at the hands of a brutal government," said Gerry Simpson, senior refugee researcher at Human Rights Watch. The watchdog said international law forbids countries from deporting asylum seekers without first allowing them to apply for asylum and considering their cases. International law also prohibits deportation to places where they would face a risk of death or ill-treatment, HRW added. According to the UNHCR, an average of 600 refugees from Eritrea make their way to neighboring Sudan each month. Many Eritreans who enter Sudan travel on to Israel or try to reach Europe, often with the help of smugglers. Sudanese officials said last week that troops from Sudan and Libya had rescued hundreds of illegal migrants in the scorching desert border region between the two countries where traffickers had dumped them. Ten migrants died, according to Sudanese authorities. Troops escorted the survivors, some of them in ill health, to the northern Sudanese town of Dongola. This puts them too at risk of deportation, HRW said . Sourcce ( AFP)   Adar added that UNHCR did not expect Eritreans among the newly-rescued group to be sent back.  Source ( AFP)

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May 4, 2014 Ethiopian This Week Radio program

 May 4, 2014 Ethiopian This Week Radio show presents part two interview of a gay man who has been lived the most part of his life in the same sex relationship that is now identified as HIV positive. On the second part of our program we brought you discussion with Journalist Bethelem Selman over the upcpming family gathering event this coming Sunday   . Please click the link below and listen the program.    

https://ia902508.us.archive.org/26/items/May42014p/May42014p.mp3

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