Ethiopian Airlines has announced a promotional drive to make travel cheaper in the current global economic {www:distress}.
Ermajechew Regassa, the Airline’s Uganda manager, announced recently that the promotional drive that started on April 4 would last up to May 31 and would have major international routes on special discount rates.
One of the cheapest routes will be a return trip from Entebbe to New Delhi which has a current {www:market} rate of $850 but will now go for $500 in economy class. The other routes on {www:promotion} are Entebbe-Addis Ababa, going from $480 to $400.
The journey to two of China’s key trade cities (Guangzhou and Beijing) has also been made cheaper from $870 and $1000 to $700 and $800 respectively.
The other destinations with discounts are Entebbe to Dubai, Hong Kong and Mumbai.
“The current season is a low season. We feel there is need to offer promotional fares and due to the current economic crunch, we want to make travel less expensive,” said Regassa.
One of the biggest casualties of the current economic meltdown is the aviation industry. It has not only seen profits nosedive but also the drop in the number of passenger.
The situation in Uganda has been aggravated by the falling Uganda shilling, which has affected imports. In recent weeks, the dollar traded as high as sh2,200.
“The Ethiopian market segment is importing traders. Once importers are threatened because of the Uganda shilling versus the dollar exchange regime, things get worse,” said Regassa.
Regassa says despite tough economic times, Ethiopian Airlines is encouraging people to travel.
A massive funeral procession was held for Ethiopia’s legendary artist Tilahun Gessesse today in Addis Ababa, a city where he died unable to get the most basic emergency medical care. Tens of thousands of people participated in the procession as the video below shows. (Sorry for the quality of the video. It was recorded by the incompetent staff of the Woyanne-controlled ETV)
Part 1
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia – Western diplomats based in one of the world’s largest diplomatic hubs, Addis Ababa boycotted a dinner party organized by the Ethiopian government to honor Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir.
President al-Bashir had received a warm welcome from his Ethiopian hosts on his {www:arrival} in Addis Ababa on Tuesday morning for his two-day official visit.
Al-Bashir was welcomed by Ethiopian Prime Minister dictator Meles Zenawi and many other African diplomats at Bole international airport but no Western diplomat or representative showed up.
China, Venezuela Cuba and North Korean ambassadors joined their African counterparts at the airport to welcome President al-Bashir.
Hundreds of Sudanese living in Ethiopia warmly welcomed the president both at the airport and at a separate party.
The Ethiopian regime hosted a lavish state dinner in honor of President al-Bashir on Tuesday evening.
Though invited, US and many European diplomats boycotted the state dinner in {www:protest} against ad-Bashir whose arrest is sought by the International Criminal court over alleged abuse in Sudan’s Western Darfur region.
One Western diplomat told the Nation in Addis Ababa: “It’s not fair to sit for a dinner with a criminal”.
During a joint press conference with Mr Meles, President Bashir dismissed the notion that the {www:arrest} warrant could restrict him from traveling.
“We came to this meeting to show those who said we could not travel outside Sudan that we can travel outside Sudan,” President al-Bashir told journalists.
The Sudanese {www:leader} has visited Egypt, Eritrea, Libya, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Ethiopia since the ICC issued an arrest warrant on March 4.
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (ENA) – Funeral procession program for Ethiopia’s renowned artiste Tilahun Gesesse has been issued. The funeral is due to be conducted on Thursday.
Accordingly, a requiem service would be held overnight at the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa.
The remains of the departed is to be taken home. Then it is to be carried to Meskel Square on a carriage at 11:00 am.
Until 2:00 at Meskel Square, his obituary would be read out and messages by Prime Minister dictator Meles Zenawi (aka ‘The Butcher of Addis’) and his puppet President Girma Woldegiorgis is to be delivered.
Between 3:30 pm to 4:00 pm. the funeral is to be conducted at the cemetery of the Holy Trinity Cathedral.
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (AFP) – Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir yesterday taunted the international community by arguing that an arrest warrant against him for war crimes had earned him more support than ever.
Bashir made his statement after meeting Ethiopian Prime Minister dictator Meles Zenawi (who is also accused by international human rights groups of committing war crimes) in Addis Ababa, on his sixth foreign trip since the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued its warrant on March 4.
“For us, the ICC indictment has been positive,” Bashir told reporters.
The veteran leader is accused by the Hague-based court of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Sudan’s western region of Darfur, where the UN says six years of conflict has killed 300,000 people.
The arrest warrant was the court’s first against a sitting head of state and was seen as a key step in making world leaders accountable.
But Bashir, who has ruled over Africa’s fractious largest country for two decades, suggested the move had enhanced his domestic and regional standing.
“For the internal front in Sudan, we have all seen how the Sudanese people have come out in a spontaneous way to support the president of Sudan,” he said.
“We have found a very strong stance from the regional organisations like the Arab League and the African Union,” Bashir also said.
No Western representatives were at the airport for Bashir’s arrival yesterday.
A diplomat speaking on condition of anonymity said Western ambassadors and envoys would boycott a state dinner in Bashir’s honour after receiving instructions from their capitals not to attend.
But Meles, whose country has often had tense relations with Sudan, stood by his neighbour and said the ICC’s landmark decision was “totally unacceptable”.
“What was done by the ICC to President Omar al-Bashir is an initiative with great implications not only for the people of Sudan, but also for Africans and for Ethiopia,” he said before going into talks with Bashir.
Meles condemned what he said was the “overpolitisation of the humanitarian issues and the overpolitisation of the international justice.”
Bashir has dismissed the notion that the warrant could restrict his travel.
No attempt has been made to arrest him during any of his recent trips, all to countries — Ethiopia included — that were not signatories to the 2002 international convention that created the ICC. Prior to his Ethiopian visit, Bashir on April 1 travelled to Saudi Arabia, where he performed the Umrah, or minor pilgrimage.
On March 30, he attended the Arab League summit in Doha, where other Arab leaders formally pledged their support for the indicted leader and condemned the court’s actions.
“We stress our solidarity with Sudan and our rejection of the ICC decision against President Omar al-Bashir,” the Arab leaders said in the summit’s final declaration.
Bashir has also travelled to Egypt and Libya since the warrant was issued but reserved his first trip for Eritrea.
Some of our DC-based readers may have spotted this anti-DLA Piper (a law firm) ad making its way around town via taxi. A reader sent us this photo, saying: :I saw this cab on Connecticut Ave. in front of the Mayflower yesterday and it caught my attention. Strange.”
Our first response was, “Bad PR for DLA Piper, but doesn’t everybody already know that blood money is the currency of Biglaw?” Our second response was to find out about this legislation and reach out to the firm.
The American Lawyer wrote in 2008 about the Piper’s playing the flute for the Ethiopian government. Partners Dick Armey, a former House majority leader, and Gary Klein lobbied on Capitol Hill on behalf of Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, who angered human rights advocates in 2005 with violent crackdowns on protesters during the elections there. The American Lawyer reports that the Piper was playing to the tune of over $50,000 a month. That’s a whole lot of injera.
The taxi ad refers to a bill, {www:S.3457}, introduced by Senators Feingold and Leahy “to reaffirm United States objectives in Ethiopia and encourage critical democratic and humanitarian principles and practices.” Or, in other words, a bill to encourage Ethiopia not to inflict violent crackdowns on its citizens. DLA Piper’s lobbying efforts may have paid off. The bill has been languishing with the Committee on Foreign Relations since 2008.
DLA Piper’s spokesman told us that the firm’s representation of the Ethiopian government actually ended in November. A statement from the firm refers indirectly to the protesting taxi driver (and other DLA Piper opponents): “There are some very vocal elements of the Ethiopian Diaspora, particularly in the Washington area, who are opponents of the current administration in Ethiopia and go to great lengths to try to embarrass or demean those who are associated with it.”
See the full statement, after the jump. DLA Piper may no longer have Ethiopia as a client, but the firm is actively helping to churn out new lawyers over in Addis Ababa.
DLA Piper says its representation of the Ethiopians ceased in November, though it’s still involved in pro bono initiative sending its lawyers to Addis Ababa to teach law school to aspiring Ethiopian esquires.
STATEMENT FROM DLA PIPER
For several years, DLA Piper provided advice and counsel to the democratically elected government of Ethiopia on a wide range of public policy, regulatory, legislative and legal matters. Our work focused on strengthening bilateral relations with the US, including humanitarian, economic and development assistance, trade and investment opportunities, and enhancing relationships with Congress and the Administration. In the past, the firm also provided legal support to the Government of Ethiopia at the International Court of Justice at the Hague on the Ethiopia-Eritrean border dispute. Our government affairs teams have worked with them in London and Brussels as well as Washington, DC.
This representation has ended, but we are continuing to assist Ethiopia on pro bono initiatives. In conjunction with the Northwestern University Law School, DLA Piper lawyers are teaching classes for the next generation of aspiring legal professionals at the law school in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa. This is in addition to a number of major pro bono projects we are working on across Africa, including a new project to document systematic sexual violence by the Mugabe government against politically active women in Zimbabwe.
Ethiopia is an emerging democracy and an important ally of the United States in a troubled region of the world. The country has made remarkable progress in the last two decades, moving from dictatorship to a system of free elections, and a commitment to prosperity and greater inclusiveness. There are some very vocal elements of the Ethiopian Diaspora, particularly in the Washington area, who are opponents of the current administration in Ethiopia and go to great lengths to try to embarrass or demean those who are associated with it. While we disagree with these individuals and do not believe their views reflect the majority of Ethiopian Americans, we fully support their right to voice their opinions on this matter.
Ethiopian Airlines has announced a promotional drive to make travel cheaper in the current global economic {www:distress}.
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (AFP) – Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir yesterday taunted the international community by arguing that an arrest warrant against him for war crimes had earned him more support than ever.
Some of our DC-based readers may have spotted this anti-