NEW YORK – Rampant piracy off the Somali coast, demonstrated by the latest hijacking of a Ukrainian ship carrying heavy weapons, can be likened to so-called ‘blood diamonds,’ the illicit trafficking in gems used to finance civil wars in West Africa in recent years, the top United Nations envoy for the strife-torn Horn of Africa country said today.
“There is a striking similarity between the actions of these unscrupulous pirates and the activity in blood diamonds in Liberia and Sierra Leone during the civil wars in these countries,” Special Representative Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah declared in a news release.
“No ship, big or small, industrial or commercial, civil or military is spared. With the seizure of the Ukrainian ship a new line has been crossed. This act should not and will not be rewarded.”
Currently some dozen ships are being held by pirates, generally for heavy ransom, and Mr. Ould-Abdallah said piracy had become a multi-million dollar business attracting many Somalis using various political or social covers.
Piracy has driven the price of insurance and subsequently retail prices higher in the whole region, adding to the sharp rise in oil and food costs to make life even harder for the poor, he added. He called on journalists not to allow themselves to be used to broadcast messages from the pirates or help glorify their actions.
“The international community is determined to stop these pirates who are undermining efforts to bring peace to Somalia and maintain stability in the region,” he declared. “This cannot and will not be allowed to continue.”
UN food operations in Somalia have been directly impaired by the pirates who have seized numerous chartered boats carrying supplies for the UN World Food Programme (WFP).
UNITED NATIONS: Ethiopia’s Woyanne foreign minister on Monday called for the U.N. to deploy peacekeepers to neighboring Somalia, where Islamic militants appear to be gaining strength.
Foreign Minister Seyoum Mesfin’s comments came just days after an attack on an African Union peacekeepers’ base in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, killed at least 11 civilians.
Mesfin urged the U.N. Security Council to deploy a peacekeeping mission “as soon as possible,” or provide resources to strengthen the current AU mission, which includes about 2,600 peacekeepers.
He praised the AU peacekeepers from Uganda and Burundi, who arrived in Somalia last year.
“It is never too late for others to follow their example,” Mesfin told world leaders during his speech to the U.N. General Assembly.
Ethiopia Woyanne, whose troops helped push the Islamists from the Somali capital in December 2006, says that it wants to withdraw.
A U.N. peacekeeping force including American troops met disaster in Somalia in 1993, when militiamen shot down two U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopters and battled U.S. troops, killing 18. The battle was recounted in the book and movie “Black Hawk Down.”
ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA (APA) – Millions of Ethiopian Muslim are celebrating this year’s Eid-ul Fitr with a mass gathering prayer ceremony at the Addis Ababa stadium.
Around one million Muslims gathered early on Tuesday at the stadium and the surrounding area.
The head of the development and relief affairs of the Ethiopian Islamic Affairs Supreme Council, Hajji Teshale Kero said that the humanitarian activities of the Muslim community during the Ramadan should be strengthened.
He urged the gathered Muslims to remember and care for needy Muslims.
He said he appreciated the tolerance among Ethiopia’s various religions including the Muslim and Christian communities who equally celebrate the other’s holidays.
Addis Ababa mayor Kuma Demeksa told the gathering of Muslims that the government is giving due attention for all religions in the country, which are a symbol and heritage of Ethiopia.
“Ethiopia is a country where tolerance among religions could be an example for others,” he said.
The prayer ceremony was broadcast live on Ethiopian Television.
The Internet Society (ISOC) is organizing a high level policy meeting on “Broad and equitable access to the Internet”, which will take place on 16 October 2008 in Dakar, Senegal.
This event, which is specifically addressed to high level policymakers, is organized by ISOC in collaboration with ISOC Sénégal and the Agence de Régulation des Télécommunications et des Postes (ARTP) of Senegal, following three days of regional meetings dedicated to Internet Governance and Development (13-15 October 2008).
Broad and equitable access to the Internet is intended to address the regulatory challenges that African policy makers face in this new era of Internet and telecommunication infrastructure development. In particular, it will feature discussions among key area specialists and decision makers about the regulation of undersea cables as well as the new wireless technologies that so many African countries are successfully deploying to connect their rural zones. The meeting will also examine how to optimise the use of universal service funds, which can be instrumental in providing access to areas that are not typically attractive for commercial operators.
The meeting is expected to trigger high level policy discussions between the participants on the issues that African heads of states, ministers, regulators, and other policy makers have identified as important for Internet development on the continent. These discussions will develop the dialogue from other recent fora, including Connect Africa in Kigali, the Second Conference of African Ministers in charge of communication and information technologies in Cairo, and the 9th Forum on Telecom/ICT
Regulation and Partnership in Africa in Dakar.
For additional information please contact Mr Dawit Bekele, Regional Bureau of ISOC via email [email protected] or phone +251 911 22 13 33, or visit the website.
Rupa Mohan, Editor, [email protected]
Internet Society (ISOC), www.isoc.org
ISOC’s key initiatives target the critical issues that affect all aspects of Internet development and growth. They embody ISOC’s philosophy that the Internet is for everyone and they provide the organization with a solid foundation from which to positively influence standards development, access, business practices, and government policies. www.isoc.org
TORONTO, September 28th. Ethiopia’s Mulu Seboka didn’t let humid and breezy conditions slow her down as she set a new personal best of 2:29:06 to convincingly win the 9th Annual Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon. Her performance smashed the previos course record by more than four minutes, set last year by compatriot Asha Gigi, who was third today. Ukraine’s Olena Shurkhno ran a very smart race to come through for second in 2:30:13, a PR by more three minutes. The men’s race proved far more tactical, and was decided in an exciting sprint to the line as Kenneth Mungara held off fellow-Kenyan Peter Kiprotich by 2 seconds for the victory, 2:11:01 to 2:11:03.
A record of more than 10,000 runners took off in a combined field of marathoners [3100] and half marathoners [7300], from the new Start/Finish venue at Nathan Phillips Square, City Hall, in the heart of downtown. Another 4,700 took part in the separate 5K fun run. Although the temperature did not rise much during the morning, it was already 17 degrees celcius at the 7:30am Start, with cloudy skies and high humidity. Seboka was content to sit in with the pacemakers and a group of 3 Ethiopians and 3 Kenyans for the first half of the contest. The group passed 10k in 35:05 and 21.1k in 1:13:49. Shurkhno, who appeared relaxed and focused all week in Toronto prior to the race, was content to sit back, patiently, almost a minute behind at halfway. By 30k, as they emerged from Tommy Thomson Park into a stiff breeze, Seboka and Gigi were alone at the front. With Shurkhno closing fast, and only 13 seconds back, Seboka made her decisive move. She looked strong and confident throughout the morning and the result never looked in doubt over the last 10k. “I wasn’t expecting the time to be that good,” said the diminutive Ethiopian who just turned 24 years old on Thursday. “But I was certain I would win! My fitness is good and nothing was going to stop me.” Seboka and the other Ethiopians said they were definitely inspired by watching Haile Gebreselassie’s world record run in Berlin on the internet before leaving their hotel for the start line in Toronto. “I left my village on my own when I was 17 to run in the big city. Haile is like a father to us, an inspiration, although he often tells me not to run so much.” But it was perhaps Seboka’s prodigious training regimen, of more than 200 km some weeks, with 40k runs most mornings and another one-hour run in the afternoon, that gave her an unassailable strength on the Toronto Waterfront. “This is my personal best. I’m still young. My dream is to be a champion. This is an important step. Perhaps I now have a chance to make the team for the World Championships,” she said. Shurkhno, who had set her previous PR of 2:33:37 only 5 months ago at the Country Music Marathon, was equally delighted with her disciplined performance, running only a minute slower in the second half than the first. In contrast, the other Africans wilted in the humidity: Gigi to 2:33:24; Caroline Cheptonui to 2:34:27 for 4th; and Atsede Bayisa to 2:35:56 for 5th.
The men’s race started promisingly. A group of 10, that included last year’s champion and Canadian All-comers record-holder, John Kelai, followed the 3 pacemakers nicely through 10k right on schedule for an expected sub-2:10, at 30:19. At halfway, only Zimbabwe’s George Mujaji had dropped off the back, and at 64:41, the group had only slipped from 3:02s to running 3:05s per kilometer. In the park, between 25k and 30k, the group steadily broke up, with only Peter Kiprotich, who had run 2:08:49 in Frankfurt last autumn, Kenneth Mungara, Prague winner in April, and Ethiopia’s Amensisa Ketema hanging onto a reduced pace from pacers Paul Kimugul and Willian Chebon. They passed 30k in 1:33:09. with the sub 2:10 looking decidedly unlikely. By the time Kimugul and Chebon stepped off at 32k, Kiprotich had a gap of about 25 metres on Mungara with Ketema a further distance back. Interestingly, Kiprotich then appeared to slow down to allow Mungara to catch him. The two then worked with some purpose getting back to 3:01 and 3:02 kilometres from 33km to 35km, and widening the gap to some 100m over Ketema. Between 37km and 38km first Kiprotich and then Mungara each tried a couple of time to get away. It was not until after 41km that Mungara made a successful effort and opened up a 5 metre gap that Kiprotich was unable to close, despite a thrilling sprint up Bay Street to City Hall. Ketema crossed third in 2:11:52. David Taurus came through for 4th in 2:12:13; Kelai was 5th in 2:12:43 suffering from cramps, with Rome winner Jonathan Yego 6th in 2:13:23.
Canada’s Dylan Wykes had a strong run in the conditions, in just his second marathon, finishing first non-African in 11th in 2:16:21, and helping Team Canada defeat Team Mexico and Team England in the developmental International Team Challenge.
A popular restaurant manager shot by a longtime friend Sunday night says he has no idea what provoked the attack.
According to witnesses, the gunman entered Meskerem Ethiopian restaurant as usual and greeted the manager, Muhaba Mohamed, with a hug. Everything seemed normal between the longtime friends, according to people who knew them.
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“I know both of them, they grow up together, they’re like one family,” said Rezene Sium, a friend of Mohamed’s.
Sium said he was outside at the time of the shooting, but witnesses told him there was no provocation. At some point, the gunman drew the pistol and fired one shot in Mohamed’s neck. After shooting Mohamed, the man fired two shots in the air and then shot himself in the head, police and witnesses said.
Several people at the bar attempted to stop the gunman, but the efforts were unsuccessful, according to Graham.
Sium says he’s talked to the wounded restaurant manager who is recovering at Howard University Hospital. Sium said he talked to Mohamed, who has no idea why his friend shot him.
D.C. police say they have no plans to close the restaurant or suspend its liquor license because it has no history of violence.
TORONTO, September 28th. Ethiopia’s Mulu Seboka didn’t let humid and breezy conditions slow her down as she set a new personal best of 2:29:06 to convincingly win the 9th Annual Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon. Her performance smashed the previos course record by more than four minutes, set last year by compatriot Asha Gigi, who was third today. Ukraine’s Olena Shurkhno ran a very smart race to come through for second in 2:30:13, a PR by more three minutes. The men’s race proved far more tactical, and was decided in an exciting sprint to the line as Kenneth Mungara held off fellow-Kenyan Peter Kiprotich by 2 seconds for the victory, 2:11:01 to 2:11:03.