KAMPALA, UGANDA (APA) – Uganda’s renowned scientist and minister of state for agriculture, Kibirige Sebunya died on Wednesday morning at the national referral hospital in Kampala.
He succumbed to cancer of the tongue and throat that had seen him admitted in hospital for a long time in Germany before he returned to Uganda.
Sebunya was famed for developing coffee varieties resistant to the wilt disease.
His extensive research led to the introduction of the clonal coffee which takes a relatively shorter time than other varieties to mature.
Information and National Guidance Minister Al hajji Ali Kirunda Kivejinja said Uganda has lost a dynamic and brilliant scientist and tough politician.
Dr Kibirige Sebunya died at Mulago hospital in Kampala this morning. He had been admitted at the hospital suffering from throat cancer. Sebunya had already been flown to different hospitals overseas but was brought back and admitted at Mulago.
Uganda’s third deputy premier and information minister, Alhaji Kirunda Kivejinja, said that government had worked tirelessly to save Dr.Kibirige’s life but unfortunately it was not possible.
He said that government and Uganda as a whole has lost a dynamic and brilliant scientist in Agriculture and tougher politician who will be greatly missed.
Meanwhile Uganda’s cabinet meets anytime from now to draw up strategies for the burial of the minister
Swedish independent oil and gas exploration and production company Lundin Petroleum has signed a farmout agreement with New Age African Global Energy for the production sharing contracts in Ethiopia.
Lundin Petroleum will transfer a 15% license interest to New Age, in the production sharing contracts (PSCs) covering Blocks 2, 6, 7 and 8 located in the onshore Ogaden Basin, southern Ethiopia and a 50% interest in the PSC covering the Adigala Area, northern Ethiopia.
New Age will pay a disproportionate share of the costs related to the 2D seismic programs to be carried out on the blocks, as well as its interest share of Lundin Petroleum’s past costs and other ongoing costs. Lundin Petroleum will remain as operator of all of the Ethiopian blocks.
The farmout transaction is subject to approval of the appropriate regulatory authorities from the government of Ethiopia.
ADDIS ABABA (ST) — Ethiopia dictatorial regime rejected torture claims by Human Rights Watch against terror suspects saying the claims by HRW are “unsubstantiated and most are simply untrue”
“HRW, as usual, did not make a series of claims for which a close reading of its 60 page report fails to provide evidence” Ethiopia’s Woyanne’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
“Despite HRW’s claims none of these people has been maltreated” it said adding “one publicly testified to this when questioned by journalists last year, a point totally ignored by HRW”
The New York-based rights watchdog on Wednesday last week said that at least 90 people were rendered from Kenya to Somalia and then to Ethiopia in the aftermath of Ethiopia’s 2006 invasion of Somalia.
“In fact many of the details claimed by HRW are unsubstantiated and most are simply untrue.” The statement said.
The ministry added that the suspects were not “arbitrarily” arrested, but “they were found in a theatre of war or trying to cross the Somali-Kenya border.”
“There were strong grounds for suspicion of terrorist involvement. Under the circumstances of the time, it would have been irresponsible to leave them at large,” it said
“They were sent to Ethiopia because of the lack of acceptable or secure facilities in Mogadishu, as Mogadishu lacked secure and acceptable prisons.”
” Ethiopia Woyanne has not hidden the identity, fate or whereabouts of anyone brought from Somalia for investigation,” it said.
Ethiopia Woyanne on Thursday released eight Kenyans of the nine suspected terrorists who has been held in detention without charge since 2006 on suspicion of ties to Al-Qaeda-linked Islamists.
The move comes after Human rights watch (HRW) on Wednesday issued a 60-page report entitled “Why Am I Still Here?” investigating the fate of the detainees, and urged Addis Ababa for an immediate release.
The Kenya Muslim Human Rights Forum welcomed their return but said it was outrageous the eight had been held for so long without charge.
“The governments of Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia broke humanitarian, international and national laws in the treatment of these people,” it said, accusing Washington of pressuring this African government to violate rights.
A ninth suspect, Abdulkadir Mohamed Aden, who is an Ethiopian-Canadian national still remains in Ethiopian Woyanne custody for yet undisclosed reasons.
In August Nairobi sent a team of officials to Addis Ababa to negotiate their freedom and a deal was reached with Ethiopian Woyanne Authorities.
Ethiopian Woyanne troops invaded Somalia in late 2006 to bolster the country’s feeble government against Islamist insurgents accused of ties with Al-Qaeda.
ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA – At a fashion trade show in New York this September, top international retailers, including Barneys New York, ordered more than 500 products from the Ethiopian leather goods and textiles consortium. Taytu, a consortium of twelve leather, leather product and hand-woven folkloric textile-producing small and medium enterprises (SMEs) participated in the Designers and Agents International Fashion Trade Show in New York, September 13-15, with support from USAID’s Agribusiness and Trade Expansion Program (ATEP). At the New York show, an unprecedented number of retail outlets and prestigious department stores visited the Taytu stand. Barneys New York ordered 240 leather bags from Taytu, marking a milestone in the consortium’s growth. Nine additional stores from the United States, one from South Korea and one from Japan confirmed orders for a total of 240 more items.
USAID’s ATEP supports Ethiopian efforts to maximize export earnings from priority sectors like the leather industry. Over the last two years, USAID’s ATEP and UNIDO have actively supported Taytu’s participation in high end trade shows in Europe and the United States. This participation has helped the consortium earn more than U.S. $50,000 in sample orders from the United States, Canada, Europe and Japan and lead to regular export engagements for the consortium’s member SMEs. USAID support has also helped build Taytu’s capacity through professional development of staff and the establishment of a modern showcase and retail outlet in the Dembel City Center in October 2007. Through this retail outlet, Taytu has sold more than U.S. $50,000 of products locally.
Taytu’s products incorporate unique designs inspired by age-old Ethiopian traditions with the superb quality of Ethiopian leather and indigenous workmanship of the SMEs’ artisans. Initially supported by UNIDO and ITC, Taytu was formed five years ago to market its members’ leather and textile products to high-end Western markets. USAID’s ATEP joined UNIDO in 2007 to support the consortium’s institutional capacity building and marketing activities of the consortium. The international support for this group of Ethiopian companies has contributed to an encouraging upturn in sales that signals Ethiopian products’ potential to compete in the international high fashion market.
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For further information, media should contact:
USAID Agribusiness and Trade Expansion Program
4th Floor, Ki-ab Building, Alexander Pushkin Street
P.O.Box 70696, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Tel: 011-3720060 Fax: 011-3720102
www.ethiopiaag.org
www.fintrac.com
KOSICE, SLOVAKIA – 30-year-old Ethiopian Dejene Yirdawe dominated the 85th International Peace Marathon in Kosice, East Slovakia. The oldest Marathon in Europe was staged this morning in cold conditions (8-10 degrees) and in strong winds (partly up to 8 metres/second), but there was no rain as on Saturday.
Dejene Yirdawe takes the Kosice Marathon with a PB
2:10:51 (MMM Kosice)
Yirdawe increased the pace after the 24th kilometre, leaving even pacemaker David Makori behind when the tempo became faster than the required 3:05 per kilometre. Yirdawe ended his solo successfully in 2:10:51, a personal best and the second best ever in the history of the event after last year’s course record 2:09:53 by Kenyan William Biama.
The Ethiopian was competing in his third Marathon (2:11:08 last year in Dublin and 2:14:11 this year in Tempe) and became the third Ethiopian male to win in Kosice after such legends as Abebe Bikila (1961) and Demissie Wolde (1969).
In a close battle for second three Kenyans finished within eight seconds of each other. Second place went to Jonathan Kibet who clocked his second best ever 2:12:23, beating Joseph Mutiso to third (2:12:25) and Sammy Rotich to fourth (2:12:31), who missed his PB by only 26 seconds). The winner won 12,000 Euro.
“It was great race for me, without the wind I think I would be able to run under 2:09,” Yirdawe said. The top four times were included into top-6 of all-time in Kosice.
The city course (2 laps) proved to be fast, the first sign of which came back in 1997 at IAAF World Half Marathon Championships when for the first time the one hour barrier was broken at this event.
Top three women registered new personal bests. Winner Selina Chelimo of Kenya in her fifth Marathon achieved 2:34:23, the third fastest in the history of the event. It was also first Kenyan female victory here. A pari of Ethiopians, finishing second and third, debuted well in difficult windy conditions. Firehiwot Dado clocked 2:37:34 and junior Radiya Adlo (born 1989) 2:39:21. Kenyan Eunice Korir, who was fourth, achieved 2:42:34, but she hoped for her first sub-2:40. For the female winner the prize money was 6000 Euro.
The Slovak national champions were Imrich Pastor (he was also best European) who defended his title in ninth (2:26:05), and surprisingly Ingrid Petnuchova (6th) who improved to 2:48:23, to become the sixth best Slovak woman of all-time. In total more than 4000 runners from 34 countries competed in all races and categories.
Alfons Juck for the IAAF
Leading Results:
Men –
1. Dejene Yirdawe, ETH 2:10:51 PB (12,000 E)
2. Jonathan Kibet, KEN 2:12:23 (5000)
3. Joseph Mutiso, KEN 2:12:25 (3000)
4. Sammy Rotich, KEN 2:12:31 (2000)
5. Benson Cheruiyot, KEN 2:15:56 (1000)
6. Hussan Adelo, ETH 2:16:21 (600)
7. Joseph Lagat, KEN 2:16:46 (500)
8. Philip Bandawe, ZIM 2:24:13 (200)
9. Imrich Pastor, SVK 2:26:05 nat. champion (150)
10. William Kiptoo, KEN 2:26:09 (100)
Women –
1. Selina Chelimo, KEN 2:34:23 PB (6000)
2. Firehiwot Dado, ETH 2:37:34 PB (debut, 2500)
3. Radiya Adlo, ETH 2:39:21 PB (debut, junior, 1500)
4. Eunice Korir, KEN 2:42:34 (1000)
5. Mariya Butakova, BLR 2:46:15 (500)
6. Ingrid Petnuchova, SVK 2:48:23 PB, nat. champion (300)
7. Ivana Martincova, CZE 2:49:24
8. Nataliya Lehonkova, UKR 2:53:06
9. Valentina Delion, MDA 2:53:46
– (no others sub-3:00)
ADDIS ABABA (AFP) — Ethiopia’s [puppet] president announced Monday that a document providing a legal framework for the fight against terrorism would be submitted to parliament.
“At a time when terrorism threatens countries across the world, there is a need for sustaining security and protecting citizens,” President Girma Woldegiorgis said at the opening of the new parliamentary session.
“It is of the utmost importance that a legal framework exist in the fight against terror. As such, a text will be introduced to parliament regarding the issue,” he added.
He gave no further details on the bill nor did he say when it would be tabled but added: “Our country has been a victim on many occasions.”
The Ethiopian regime generally describes as terrorist a secessionist insurgency in the Somali-ethnic Ogaden region, where fighting continues to claim many lives.
On September 28, four people were killed and 22 wounded in a bomb explosion in Jijiga, the capital of Ethiopia’s Somali province, which was attributed to an Islamist rebel group called Al-Itiihad Al-Islamiya.
Several other bomb attacks have been carried out in the capital Addis Ababa.
The Ethiopian army invaded neighbouring Somalia in late 2006 to rescue the embattled Western-backed transitional government there and oust the Islamic Courts Union which had taken control of the country.
Addis Ababa had justified its intervention as a means of countering the threat it said Islamist movement posed in Ethiopia.
