By Cassandra Drudi, The Ottawa Citizen

OTTAWA, CANADA – An Ethiopian refugee was sentenced to five years in prison yesterday for a 2006 sexual assault against a Nunavut woman in Ottawa.

The woman had asked strangers for a ride to her hotel from the ByWard Market and ended up being attacked in the bathroom of a rooming house.

“This is intended to send a strong message of denunciation in respect of this violent and opportunistic crime against a vulnerable visitor to our community,” said Ontario Superior Court Justice Charles Hackland, reading from his four-page sentencing decision.

Gideon George Antonatos, 24, has six more months of the five-year sentence to serve. He received two-for-one credit for the 27 months he has already spent in custody.

Judge Hackland also sentenced Mr. Antonatos to three years of probation following his prison sentence.

“Mr. Antonatos has shown little remorse,” the judge said. “The sentencing objectives of denunciation and deterrence are paramount in this case, although I do allow that rehabilitation remains a goal, given Mr. Antonatos’s age of 24 and lack of previous history of sexual offences.”

Mr. Antonatos, a convention refugee from Ethiopia who came to Canada in 2000, is also subject to a deportation order.

Mr. Antonatos was found guilty of sexual assault causing bodily harm in July, following his second trial on the charges.

The first ended in a mistrial when a jury couldn’t come to a consensus on whether he had raped the woman, as she claimed.

The second trial ran into trouble in April, when the distraught victim refused to answer any more of the prosecutor’s questions about the sexual assault. After dismissing the jury, Judge Hackland allowed the trial to proceed by judge only, relying on the woman’s testimony from the first trial.

At a sentencing hearing last month, assistant Crown attorney Walter Devenz said the February 2006 rape of the 26-year-old woman in the basement of a Lowertown rooming house by Mr. Antonatos and two other still-unidentified men was an “egregious and animalistic” act.

The woman, who was in Ottawa attending a workshop, had been drinking at a ByWard Market bar with a friend and then was unable to get a cab. She accepted a ride with the three men, including Mr. Antonatos.

Instead of taking her to her hotel, they went to a Bruyère Street rooming house where she was sexually assaulted after making attempts to escape.

By Lanetra Bennett, WCTV

TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Police say they have a person of interest in the robbery of the BP store at Highway 90 and Ward Street in Quincy.

The store’s owner, Wondwossen Gizaw, was shot multiple times around 1:00 Tuesday morning.

Gizaw, an immigrant from Ethiopia, is still in stable condition at TMH.

Police say they saw three black men, dressed in black, with red gloves on surveillance video.

The chief says they may have a lead on one of the men–who is not one of the shooters.

No arrests have been made.

Anyone with information should call (850) 627-7681.

CNN

For Liz McCartney, selection as one of the Top 10 CNN Heroes of 2008 could not have come at a better time.

“With the recent storms in Texas and southwest Louisiana, we have experienced a sudden drop in volunteers,” said McCartney, whose St. Bernard Project helps Hurricane Katrina survivors rebuild their homes just outside New Orleans, Louisiana.

“While other areas need help, this recognition is letting the American people know that the New Orleans area still matters,” McCartney said.

The diverse group of honorees includes a Cambodian activist who offers free schooling to children who work in Phnom Penh’s trash dump; a Georgia prosthetist-orthotist who provides limbs and braces to hundreds of people in Mexico; and a Virginia woman who tapes video messages from incarcerated parents for their children.

CNN’s Anderson Cooper announced the 10 honorees Thursday on “American Morning.”

“Our Top 10 CNN Heroes are proof that you don’t need superpowers — or millions of dollars — to change the world and even save lives,” Cooper said.

CNN launched its second annual global search for ordinary people accomplishing extraordinary deeds in February. The network has aired weekly CNN Hero profiles of those people, chosen from more than 3,700 nominations submitted by viewers in 75 countries.

A panel made up of world leaders recognized for their own dedication to public service selected the Top Ten. The Blue Ribbon Panel includes humanitarians such as Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, Jane Goodall, Kristi Yamaguchi and Deepak Chopra.

“What an incredible group of people and how difficult it was to select only 10,” said Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, a panel member.

Archbishop Tutu added, “They all deserve to win. Thanks for saluting these remarkable human beings.”

Each of this year’s Top 10 CNN Heroes will receive $25,000 and will be honored at “CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute,” airing from the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood on November 27.

Hosted by Cooper, the Thanksgiving night broadcast will culminate with the announcement of the CNN Hero of the Year, selected by the public in an online poll that began Thursday morning.

Continuing through November 19, viewers can log on to CNN.com/Heroes to participate in the poll. The person receiving the most votes will receive an additional $100,000.

In alphabetical order, the Top 10 CNN Heroes of 2008 are:

Tad Agoglia, Houston, Texas —
Agoglia’s First Response Team provides immediate help to areas hit by natural disasters. In a little over a year, he and his crew have aided thousands of victims at more than 15 sites across the United States, free of charge.

Yohannes Gebregeorgis, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia —
Moved by the lack of children’s books and low literacy rates in his native Ethiopia, Gebregeorgis established Ethiopia Reads, bringing free public libraries and literacy programs to thousands of Ethiopian children.

Carolyn LeCroy, Norfolk, Virginia —
After serving time in prison, LeCroy started The Messages Project to help children stay connected with their incarcerated parents. She and volunteer camera crews have taped roughly 3,000 messages from inmates to their children.

Anne Mahlum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania —
On her daily morning jogs, Mahlum used to run past homeless men. Today, she’s helping to transform lives by running with them, and others as part of her “Back On My Feet” program.

Liz McCartney, St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana —
McCartney moved to New Orleans to dedicate herself to helping Hurricane Katrina survivors move back into their homes. Her nonprofit St. Bernard Project has rebuilt the homes of more than 120 families for free.

Phymean Noun, Toronto, Ontario —
Growing up in Cambodia, Noun struggled to complete high school. Today, she offers hundreds of Cambodian children who work in Phnom Penh’s trash dump a way out — through free schooling and job training.

David Puckett, Savannah, Georgia —
Puckett started Positive Image Prosthetics and Orthotics Missions — PIPO — to provide artificial limbs and braces and care to people in southeastern Mexico. Since November 2000 his mission has helped more than 420 people, free of charge.

Maria Ruiz, El Paso, Texas —
Several times a week, Ruiz crosses the border into Juarez, Mexico, to bring food, clothing and toys to hundreds of impoverished children and their families.

Marie Da Silva, Los Angeles, California —
Having lost 14 family members to AIDS, the Los Angeles, California, nanny funds a school in her native Malawi — where half a million children have been orphaned by the disease.

Viola Vaughn, Kaolack, Senegal —
The Detroit, Michigan-native moved to Senegal to retire. Instead, a group of failing schoolchildren asked her to help them pass their classes. Today, her “10,000 Girls” program is helping hundreds of girls succeed in school and run their own businesses.

“It is very rewarding to be able to honor these amazing, often unheralded individuals who are making a tremendous difference in their communities and beyond,” Jim Walton, president of CNN Worldwide, said. “These stories of selfless achievement deserve to be told, and our multiple platforms around the world allow us to do that.”

By Yael Branovsky, ynetnews.com

Ethiopian protestors outside Israeli PM’s Office (Photo: Gil Yohanan)

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL – Two days after settling outside the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem in protest of the harsh conditions in their absorption center and their difficult economic situation, dozens of Ethiopian immigrants agreed Wednesday to adhere to the Jewish Agency and Immigrant Absorption Ministry’s call, and return to the Beit Alfa absorption center.

The protestors were driven back to the northern Israel kibbutz on six buses.

The immigrants, members of the Falash Mura communities, slept outside the PM’s Office without blankets or mattresses to lie on. They presented a grave situation: Shameful poverty and obstacles in their attempts to overcome it.

The Jewish Agency began dealing with the situation only after the demonstration was underway. Knesset Member Shlomo Mula (Kadima) called on the protestors on Tuesday to end the demonstration.

“I urge the elements behind the struggle to stop making political capital on children’s backs,” he said.

According to the agreement reached between the protestors and the Jewish Agency and Absorption Ministry, the immigrants will receive their unpaid national insurance pensions on Sunday.

In addition, an external element will examine their living conditions in Beit Alfa and report to the ministry and Jewish Agency. Children will receive additional transportation and the air conditioning in the absorption centers will be improved.

Six families protesting in Jerusalem refused to believe the agreement and chose to remain outside the PM’s Office throughout Yom Kippur.

Taka, who decided to stay in the capital with his four children, said, “I don’t want to stay in the place anymore and I don’t believe any agreement. I have had more than enough with the Jewish Agency and Absorption Ministry. We have suffered enough, and my family and I won’t go back there.”

On the other hand, Watatu, who ascended one of the buses heading back to the kibbutz, expressed his satisfaction with the demonstration’s results.

“We feel better and agree with the deal reached with the Absorption Ministry and Agency. I believe everything will be okay now,” he said.

The Israel Association for Ethiopian Jews said it would continue monitoring the situation at the absorption center.

By Sarah Bardeen, NPR

Jamaica and Ethiopia have long-standing cultural ties. Rastafarians believe that the late Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie was actually the second coming of the Messiah, and since the 1970s, reggae musicians have celebrated Selassie (and Ethiopia) in song. But no musician had thought to actually join reggae and Ethiopian music, until now.

That musician is English music producer Nick Page, a.k.a. Dub Colossus. Page is a dub reggae fanatic, and as a member of bands such as TransGlobal Underground, he’s fused different musical styles for years. It took a friend a year of pleading to convince Page to visit Ethiopia. Much to Page’s surprise, though, that weeklong trip to Addis Ababa turned into a two-year musical endeavor, culminating in the release of the album A Town Called Addis.

On the record, the two different traditions — Ethiopian music and dub reggae — bring each other to life. Warbling Ethiopian singers breathe crisp mountain air into dub’s humid depths, while dub’s heavy bass anchors the sometimes ethereal folk.

A Town Called Addis is a rare album. Originally a solo project by a lone producer, it literally took a village to create it. You can hear the dialogue and play in every song. Dub Colossus put his name on the album, but in fact two colossi meet on A Town Called Addis: Jamaica’s weighty reggae and Ethiopia’s thousand-year folk tradition. Rather than wrestling with each other, they actually find a way to dance.

Click here to listen.