More reports of Ethiopian soldiers entering Somalia; Prime minister denies troop increase
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Also in the news:[Court adjourned for tomorrow] - [Thousands flee Somalia fighting] - [Museveni in Eritrea over Somalia] - [Foreign media and observers to be banned from Ethiopia’s future elections] - [Encouraging Results Seen in U.S.-Financed HIV/Aids Project]
International:
[African troops killed in Darfur] - [At least 13 killed in South Pacific tsunami] - [Israel makes surprise offer to meet with Arab leaders] - [Pope John Paul II Step Closer To Sainthood] and more of today's top stories!
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Letter from the Ethiopian community in Europe protesting PM Meles's invitation
To speak out against Prime Minister Meles’s Invitation to the Summit, click here, find the MEP you wish to contact -- write or callALDE event schedule
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Court adjourned for tomorrow
(By EZ)
The court is adjourned again; this time for tomorrow. The briefing continued today with remaining part of the documentary evidence summarized. The testimonies of ten witnesses were also summed up. Seventy-nine witnesses had have testified in the trial. The court said the briefing will continue tomorrow.
The court said it would have continued in the afternoon if one of the judges hadn't been sick. This was the same reason given on Friday for not continuing the proceeding in the afternoon. The sick judge is Leul Gebremariam.
More reports of Ethiopian soldiers entering Somalia; Prime minister denies troop increase
Agence France-Presse
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"The Ethiopian forces broke into the hospital. They broke the doors of the offices. They have collected all the medicine and they also detained one of the doctors," said doctor Muhamud Hassan, from the Al Hayat hospital.
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MOGADISHU (AFP) - Hundreds of Ethiopian troop reinforcements entered Mogadishu Monday, after four days of heavy fighting sparked by an Ethiopian offensive against Islamist rebels and clan gunmen.
Residents on the outskirts of Mogadishu said the fresh Ethiopian deployment entered the capital on the road from Baidoa, where the interim government is based.
Ethiopian troops and their military hardware remained in positions in the Ali Kamin neighbourhood, near the main soccer stadium, where fighting has been fiercest and sporadic gunfire rang out Monday.
No clear death toll is available from fighting since the Ethiopian army launched its drive to rid the capital of hostile militia on Thursday, but the International Committee of the Red Cross estimates that dozens of civilians have been killed.(More...)
Also see:
-Ethopia sends more troops to Mogadishu
-Hundreds more Ethiopian troops enter Somali capital
-More troops enter Mogadishu
-Extra troops enter Mogadishu
-Somalia: More Ethiopian tanks en route to hostile Mogadishu
-Reinforcement Ethiopian Forces Close to the Capital
-Fresh Ethiopian troops arrive in Somalia
Foreign media and observers to be banned from Ethiopia’s future elections
(reprint)
ETP -- A bill introduced by the ruling party EPRDF aims to bar foreign observers and foreign media from the country’s elections unless and otherwise specifically invited by the government.
The bill also makes it illegal for domestic journalists to state their opinions regarding Election Day outcomes until an official result has been made available.
Under this bill, all types of Election Projections are strictly prohibited and perpetrators could be fined, or spend up to a year in Jail. The bill is almost certainly guaranteed to be law since EPRDF sponsored bills in Ethiopia’s parliament have never failed to pass in the past.
After this bill passes, it will be final and not subject to either administrative or judicial review.
Most see this bill as a disturbing continuation of the government’s trend in taking Ethiopia towards total one-party despotism.
Somalis bury dead as battles subside
MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Mogadishu residents buried their dead and ventured onto streets for the first time in five days on Monday during a lull in battles pitting Ethiopian and Somali troops against Islamist and clan insurgents.
Although one land mine exploded in south Mogadishu as a government convoy passed, the coastal capital was generally quieter after four days of ferocious fighting that residents say have killed several hundred people.
The United Nations said 47,000 Somalis have fled Mogadishu in the last 10 days, making a total of 96,000 since February.(More...)
Thousands flee Somalia fighting
Tens of thousands of people have fled the Somali capital, Mogadishu, after days of intense violence said to be the worst in 15 years, the UN has said.
Many used a lull in the fighting to flee the city on Monday, after four days of Ethiopian troop attacks on Islamist insurgents and local militias. However, hundreds of extra Ethiopian troops have also arrived in Mogadishu.
Hospitals have reported scores of people killed, while residents have spoken of indiscriminate shelling.(More...)
Also see:
-47,000 Somalis flee violence in capital
-Attacks continue as people flee
Museveni in Eritrea over Somalia
In what seems an unexpected return route from his Asia trip. Museveni and his wife, Janet, were received at the airport by Eritrean President Isaia Afeworki, according to a press release from state house.
The two-day visit is likely to focus on the worsening situation in Somalia, where Ugandan peacekeepers reported their first death on Saturday. Five more Ugandans were injured, two of them seriously, when mortar shells pounded the presidential palace they were guarding.
The casualties, whose identities can only be revealed after their families have been informed, were on Sunday morning evacuated to Nairobi.(More...)
Ethiopia: Encouraging Results Seen in U.S.-Financed HIV/Aids Project
A "remarkable" achievement have been registered in decreasing HIV prevalence and improve the quality of life of people living with HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia over the last five years, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Family Health International (FHI) declared on Wednesday.
The two NGOs said the achievement was made possible through the AIDS Prevention and Care Project, called IMPACT which helped strengthen prevention, care, and support and treatment services.
"When the project began there were less than 50 public sectors counseling and testing sites in the country," Dr. Kevin A. Rushing said.(More...)
Today's Top Stories
-African troops killed in Darfur-Tsvangirai hopeful on Zimbabwe, urges pressure
-Hillary Clinton raises historic campaign money
-Israel makes surprise offer to meet with Arab leaders(In a dramatic response to an Arab peace initiative, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert yesterday invited Arab leaders to a regional peace conference)
-Iran sees UK shift that may help end sailor row: TV
-At least 13 killed in South Pacific tsunami
-Nepal's Maoists join government (Nepal's former rebels, who just last year were waging a bloody war for a Maoist state, joined an interim government Sunday as part of a landmark peace agreement)
-Pope John Paul II Step Closer To Sainthood
-Grieving couple commits suicide after dog dies
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