Smugglers toss Ethiopian and Somali refugees to sharks

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Also in the news:
[Al-Qaida urges jihadis to go to Somalia] - [Miner says struck gold in Ethiopia] - [Ethiopian army camp attacked ] - [Ugandan troops say they are being used as guinea pigs]

International:
[U.S. begins large show of force in Persian Gulf] - [Sewage 'tsunami' kills four in Gaza] - [Historic deal 'a new era' for N. Ireland] - [Semi-identical twins discovered] and more of today's top stories!

What of the Ethiopian hostages?: State-run Eritrean ERITV channel shows a senior Afar elder who negotiated the release of five European hostages.(AFP) There are still eight Ethiopian hostages missing. Attention of the world media and that of the Ethiopian government has significantly dwindled after the release of the European hostages. Negotiations have ceased; search parties have been called off

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(Picture - Ethiopian Television Network)
International Ethiopian Women’s Organisation Radio Interview with Artist Telela Kebede
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A MESSAGE FROM TENSAE RADIO
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Smugglers toss Ethiopian and Somali refugees to sharks

Knife-wielding smugglers forced 450 Somalis and Ethiopians overboard into stormy seas along a remote stretch of Yemen coastline at Ras-Alkalb in the Gulf of Aden last Thursday.

The smugglers forced their passengers overboard so they could make a speedy departure after being spotted by Yemeni security forces, UNHCR spokeswoman Astrid van Genderen Stort said.

Survivors also reported that several Ethiopian women and at least one Somali were raped and abused by the smugglers during the voyage from Bosaso in Somalia's Puntland region.

Since January 2006 at least 30,000 people have fled violence and hardship in Somalia and Ethiopia for Yemen, according to UNHCR. About 500 people have died and at least 300 are missing and believed dead.(More...)

Al-Qaida urges jihadis to go to Somalia

WASHINGTON(UPI) -- Al-Qaida has urged Islamic extremists around the world, especially in the information sphere to aid Islamic militias in Somalia.

In a new video released at the weekend by the group's official media arm, the as-Sahab Institute, Abu Yahya al-Libi, a prominent al-Qaida leader called on "my Muslim brothers to stand with their brothers (in Somalia) and go forth to fight at their side."

"All the things which make jihad an individual duty are present in their battle against the Abyssinian occupiers and their apostate lackeys," he said about the situation in Somalia, a reference to the Ethiopian military that in December ousted the Islamic Courts Union, the Islamic militia coalition that had controlled most of the country.(More...)

Ugandan troops say they are being used as guinea pigs

The Ugandan government is reviewing its involvement in Somalia as its troops await the arrival of peacekeepers from other African countries.

“We are assessing the situation on the ground and the magnitude of the assignment before the government decides on the way forward,” Isaac Musumba, the State Minister for Regional Co-operation, said.

He added that he had not received any communication from the African Union regarding when the peacekeepers promised by other African countries would join the Ugandan troops.

Meanwhile, a Ugandan captain in Somalia, who asked not to be identified, said the countries that had promised to send troops were not ready to take the lead. “True, many have pledged to join us, but they are waiting for us to test the waters first,” he said, adding that the situation was complicated by the presence of terrorists and the warfare tactics adopted by the Islamists.(More...)

Miner says struck gold in Ethiopia

ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - A mining company said on Monday it had found an estimated 10,000 tonnes of gold in southern Ethiopia that could be worth more than $1 billion.

Privately-owned National Mining Corporation (NMC) said the discovery was made at Dawa Dagiti in southern Oromia region.

"When production starts the country could earn up to $1 billion from gold exports that would help its development," NMC administrator Melaku Beza told a news conference in Addis Ababa.

He gave no more details. Gold is one of Ethiopia's top hard currency earners, along with coffee, hides and skin.(More...)

-Learn more about the National Mining Corporation Plc.

Ethiopian army camp attacked

Mogadishu - Ethiopian troops opened fire after a major explosion occurred at their camp on the outskirts of the Somali capital on Monday, and one person was killed, said a witness.

It was not clear what had caused the explosion or who the troops may have been firing at, and officials were not immediately available for comment.

The explosion was heard in parts of Mogadishu and Mohamed Nur Warsame, a minibus driver, said he saw the Ethiopian troops firing indiscriminately as he drove in the area.(More...)

A mysterious aerial device falls in Somalia

Mogadishu -- A mysterious device which some say could be a surveillance satellite has fallen near buulo burde town in south Somalia.

Villagers report that the device fell five days ago in area which lies forty kilo meters north of Buulo burde town.

The device occupies an area of one hundred Meters Square as villagers who spotted this device confirmed.

“In the evening of last Wednesday, a large device flew over our head and moments later, we heard a large sound, BAM” said Ilyas Ali, a villager who lives nearby where this large device has fallen.(More...)

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SEW - poem by Asradew
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Today's Top Stories

-Putting bucks in Starbucks
-Senate to look at improper FBI spying
-U.S. begins large show of force in Persian Gulf
-Iran Says Detained Brit Troops Are Healthy
-Sewage 'tsunami' kills four in Gaza (At least four Palestinians drowned in a tsunami of raw sewage on Tuesday when a water treatment reservoir burst)
-U.S. offers nearly $60 mln to prepare Abbas's forces
-Historic deal 'a new era' for N. Ireland (Long-time foes reach agreement to share office beginning)
-Semi-identical twins discovered(Scientists have revealed details of the world's only known case of "semi-identical" twins)






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