South African Got Talent. 11 years old poet

4 Ethiopian track team members missing from international meet in Eugene

By Wendy Owen | wowen@oregonian.com
Four members of an Ethiopian track team were reported missing Saturday morning in Eugene where they competed in the IAAF World Junior Championships.
“The individuals left campus ahead of the rest of the team,” said Julie Brown, University of Oregon spokeswoman.
The Ethiopian region is under intense political upheaval, and athletes seeking asylum from unstable areas have historically used athletic tournaments to leave their country. Asked whether that was the case for the Ethiopians, Brown said she did not know why they left and could not confirm they were seeking asylum.
Brown said detectives are looking for the four but are not concerned for their safety. Rather, they want to make direct contact to confirm they are OK.
“At this point we don’t have reason to believe that these individuals are in harm’s way,” she said.
The University of Oregon Police Department is leading a missing persons investigation with assistance from theEugene Police Department, and Brown said law enforcement agencies statewide have been notified.
Portland FBI Spokeswoman Beth Anne Steele said the agency was aware of the situation and was acting in a supporting role, without clarifying.
It is the first time the University of Oregon has hosted the IAAF World Junior Championships, which includes with athletes from 170 countries, Brown said.
The missing runners include a 17-year-old boy and three women believed to be between ages 18 to 20.
Ethiopians at the track meet declined, throughout the team doctor, to speak to a reporter from The Oregonian.
If the four are seeking asylum, the process is a long one that starts with an application available online, said attorney Anna Ciesielski of the Oregon Immigration Group.
“They’re likely to be here lawfully depending on their visa (for the track competition),” Ciesielski said.
After they apply for asylum, they will continue to be in the United States legally until their case is resolved.
“It’s definitely months in the making,” Cielsielski said.
Those seeking asylum must be fingerprinted and go through a criminal background check before the Office of Asylum in San Francisco sends a representative to Portland to interview them, she said.
If a person is denied, they can present their case in federal immigration court for a second assessment.
Asylum seekers are more common on the East Coast than in Oregon, Cielsielski said.
“It’s really hard to get to the U.S., and you can’t file for asylum outside the country,” she said.
As for their chances to be granted asylum, Cielsielski said it’s difficult for people from many countries, but Ethiopians and Somalis “have a pretty decent chance.

አዲስ አበባ ዩኒቨርስቲ ለአቶ ቢል ጌት የክብር ዲግሪ ሽለመው። Bill Gates receives Honorary Degree from Ethiopia

Bill Gates receives Honorary Degree from Ethiopia 

Ethiopia's Addis Ababa University on Thursday conferred Microsoft founder, Bill Gates with an honorary degree in recognition for his role to humanity.

"It is a special honour to receive an honorary degree from Addis Ababa University," Gates said, after receiving the degree from the university.

"This is one of the leading institutions of higher learning in Africa – a continent whose future has been a central interest of my career ever since my wife and I began our foundation nearly 15 years ago."
His speech at Addis Ababa University marks 20 years since he first set foot on Africa, which inspired the establishment of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Addressing students at the university, Gates said: "Africa is now in an incredible position to shape its own destiny for the better, for one very simple and powerful reason: the countries of Africa are learning from each other".
He acknowledged the development gains made through foreign governments, international aid, and non-profit organisations, such as his organisation towards developing the continent.
"The real fuel for development will be the resources of African nations themselves - whether that's in the form of government funding, private-sector investment, or just plain human creativity at all levels of society," Gates continued.
"This is where the idea of 'African countries learning from each other' becomes so important. If you want to spend your national budgets as effectively as possible, there is now a clear path for doing exactly that - and Africans themselves are defining that path, for others to follow if they choose."
Gates, the world's richest man, also heaped praise on Liberia, Malawi, and Tanzania, for the great progress made in reducing child mortality rates, but acknowledged that there is still a long way to go before Africa reaches its full potential.
"There is no path to lasting growth within Africa that is not widespread growth. It's not possible. If Africa seeks prosperity, it must provide for the health and nutrition of all - including the poorest," he said.
After stepping down as Microsoft chairman, Gates has directed his focus to his foundation's efforts to tackle health issues in Africa.
In recent efforts to eradicate polio, he secured $335 million in pledges from six fellow billionaires – including $100 million each from Mexico's Carlos Slim and former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg.
He has also been credited for getting other wealthy personalities involved with philanthropy.
According to Forbes, Gates and Warren Buffett have so far convinced more than 100 of the super-rich to sign on to the Giving Pledge, a promise to donate at least half their net worth to charity.

No survivors of Air Algerie plane crash in Mali, French president says

French troops who discovered the wreckage of the Air Algerie flight that disappeared over the African nation of Mali reported Friday that the plane appeared to have disintegrated and there were no survivors.
Photographs of the crash scene at Gossi near the Malian border with Burkina Faso showed small pieces of the aircraft scattered over a relatively small area of African desert.
The final death toll for Flight 5017, which plunged from the sky less than 50 minutes after taking off early Thursday from Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, stood at 118. The victims included the plane's six Spanish crew members.
Humanitarian workers, tourists and European expatriates were among those who died. Fifty-four of the passengers were French, including 10 people from the same family, and French President Francois Hollande described it as a tragedy for the “whole French nation … and others.”
“There are, sadly, no survivors,” he told journalists Friday morning. “Our thoughts are with the victims, their families and friends. We stand by their side.”

French television station France 2 aired video of the crash scene from above that showed a blackened crater in the sand. Debris suggested the plane hit the ground at a high speed and shattered.
Witnesses said there were “no seats, no luggage, no trace of human beings,” describing the plane as “pulverized.”
Among the dead were three generations of the Reynaud family from the Rhone Alpes region of France. Michel Reynaud, his former wife, their two sons and two daughters-in-law as well as four grandchildren were returning from Burkina Faso after attending a family wedding.

An Air Algerie flight carrying 116 people from Burkina Faso to Algeria's capital disappeared from radar early Thursday over Mali, officials said. France's foreign minister said no wreckage had been found but the plane "probably crashed." (July 24)

“It's a tragedy, it was the holiday of a lifetime for them,” a grieving friend told the French newspaper Le Dauphine Libere.
Soon after a French military drone identified the crash site at Gossi early Friday morning, French soldier, in Mali to fight Islamic militants, secured the area with the help of Malian troops.

ዘመናዊ ልመና በኢንተርኔት/Modern Begging

ዘመናዊ ልመና በኢንተርኔት
ኢቤይ  ከሚባለው ድረ ገጽ ላይ ኮምፒተር ልገዛ ብዬ ሃምሳ ዶላር ($50) የሚለውን ዋጋ ሳይ ሰፍ ብዬ ጫን ጫን አድርጌ  መግለጫውን ሳነበው ለካን ግለሰቡ/ቧ ኮምተር ለመሸጥ ሳይሆን ለልመና ነበር የመጣው/ችው። ለሁሉም ልመናውን እናንተው አንብቡት::

" I am currently a Communications Major in college. I am trying to buy an IMac and with bills and tuition I simply cannot afford to drop couple thousand on an IMac. Honestly I saw other people trying this method so I said why not. It would be a great help. This is donation only I am not selling an IMac I am asking for a handout. Send me an amount you can give and I will accept. I do not expect you to buy it out right for me although it would be greatly appreciated that is why there is a make and offer option. Thank you in advance for your time and reading this description." 

Source  

Ethiopia begins wine production (Deutsche Welle )

Ethiopia begins wine production

In 2007 the late Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi met the French wine magnate Pierre Castel, and a plan was hatched - to start producing high-quality wine in Ethiopia. The vineyard they envisaged now sits beside a lake, south of the capital Addis Ababa, and it’s just started shipping its first vintage - much of it bound for the Ethiopian diaspora. 

Latest Travel News To Israel (Jluy 2014)

Latest Travel News To Israel

USA TODAY: THE "TOURISTS ARE STAYING" IN ISRAEL

An article published on July 16, 2014 in USA Today reports that "tourists are staying" in Israel despite the current situation in the region. The Jewish Agency for Israel, which currently has 4,200 American Jews age 18 to 30 participating in its short- and long-term programs, reported that none of its groups had canceled visits because of the conflict. North America was the number one source of tourism to Israel in 2013 with approximately 623,000 of 3.5 million arrivals.

BEIT GUVRIN-MARESHA CAVES NAMED ISRAEL'S 8TH UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE

The Beit Guvrin-Maresha caves were recently named a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the eighth site in Israel to be included in the prestigious list. Located in the Judean Valley, Beit Guvrin-Maresha features a system of more than 500 caves located across a three-square-mile area outside of Jerusalem, which UNESCO describes as "a microcosm of the Land of Caves," and as a "city under a city," characterized by a selection of manmade caves excavated from a thick layer of soft chalk. Artifacts excavated at Beit Guvrin-Maresha date back to the Iron Age to the Crusader period, and include oil presses, stables, underground cisterns and channels, baths, tomb complexes and places of worship.

ISRAEL'S ALL-NEW TOP94 EXTREME SPORTS CENTER AND PARK EILAT

Top94, a new, state-of-the-art, extreme sports center, recently opened in Eilat, Israel's southern resort city on the Red Sea. Top94 offers a wide range of activities for travelers and locals alike, including archery and paintball courses, a 1,400-foot go-kart track, bicycling tours on mountain bikes or tandem bikes, a 650-foot omega zip line route, Israel's longest, and a 65-foot-high rappelling course. www.top94.co.il

FEMALE POP MUSIC SUPERSTARS TO PERFORM IN ISRAEL THIS SUMMER

Israel will host its first-ever performance by Lana Del Ray this summer at Tel Aviv's Nokia Theater, August 20. In addition, pop superstar Lady Gaga will perform in Tel Aviv as part of her "artRAVE: The ARTPOP Ball" tour at Hayarkon Park, September 13. The performances follow concerts by The Rolling Stones and Justin Timberlake in Israel this summer.

JERUSALEM AND TEL AVIV VOTED BEST CITIES IN THE MIDDLE EAST BY READERS OF TRAVEL + LEISURE MAGAZINE

The readers of Travel + Leisure magazine recently voted Jerusalem Best City in the Middle East and Africa as part of its 19th annual World's Best Awards. Tel Aviv scored #3, after Cape Town (#2).

LOW-COST AIRLINES TO LAUNCH NEW FLIGHTS FROM EUROPE TO ISRAEL

Hungarian airline Wizz Air now offers new direct weekly service from Sophia, Bulgaria to Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion International Airport, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. In addition, the low-cost airline EasyJet will launch new weekly service from Hamburg, Germany to Tel Aviv, beginning in November 2014.

TRIPADVISOR LISTS JERUSALEM AMONG "WORLD'S TOP 10 DESTINATIONS ON THE RISE" 2014

Jerusalem was recently named to a list of the "World's Top 10 Destinations on the Rise" 2014 by leading travel website TripAdvisor. TripAdvisor notes that Jerusalem is home to a "profound cultural and historical significance" and eludes to the fact that religious pilgrims have been traveling to Jerusalem for centuries."

NEW GUINNESS WORLD RECORD FOR LARGEST SHABBAT DINNER SET IN TEL AVIV

A total of 2,226 residents of Tel Aviv gathered at the Tel Aviv Port last month for a massive Shabbat dinner, setting a new Guinness World Record for "Largest Shabbat Dinner Ever Served." The event took more than a year to prepare and consisted of 800 bottles of wine, 2,000 loaves of challah bread, 74 bottles of vodka, 1,800 pieces of chicken, 1,000 pieces of beef and 250 vegetarian options.

AMERICAN ACTRESS AND SINGER VANESSA WILLIAMS TOURS ISRAEL

American actress and singer Vanessa Williams arrived in Israel last week for the first time ever. Her visit included an extensive tour of historical, natural and contemporary sites throughout the country, from the Sea of Galilee, Haifa and Safed, the birthplace of Kabbalah, in the north to Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. The visit follows recent Israel vacation tours by leading American actors Michael Douglas and Blair Underwood.

ISRAEL LAUNCHES NEW INITIATIVES SIMPLIFYING TRAVEL FROM JERUSALEM TO TEL AVIV'S BEACHES

Israel has announced the launch of the all-new Beach Bus, simplifying travel for visitors in Jerusalem looking to experience Tel Aviv's renowned Mediterranean beaches. The Beach Bus departs every Friday at 10:00am and 10:05am from the Katamon and Rehavia districts of Jerusalem and stops at the Dolphinarium in Tel Aviv. The Beach Bus also offers return transport from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem at 3:30pm.

JERUSALEM SEASON OF CULTURE SUMMER 2014 LINEUP FEATURES CITYWIDE ART, DANCE AND MUSIC FESTIVALS

Jerusalem is offering a diverse collection of contemporary art, dance, music and cultural events this summer as part of its annual Calendar of Culture 2014, including: Under the Mountain: Festival of New Public Art (July 25-31), combining cutting-edge performance art, life and politics; Frontline (August 10-14), a collaboration with Tel Aviv's TEDER pop-up radio bar and Jerusalem's Radio Raash Hour, including a week of broadcasts, performances by local indie rock bands and DJs at the Hansen compound in Jerusalem; and 3,876-Between Knife and Fork (August 20 - September 7), a fascinating culinary arts project featuring two top Israeli chefs, Kamel Hashlamon and Assaf Granit, during which travelers will take part in a fascinating culinary experience based on the food, the peoples and the trends that have passed through Jerusalem for thousands of years, located atop a quirky building on Mount Zion. www.jerusalemseason.com/en

DESIGN MUSEUM HOLON UNVEILS NEW EXHIBITION FEATURING THE WORKS OF LEGENDARY JAPANESE DESIGNER ISSEY MIYAKE

The Design Museum Holon has recently unveiled GATHERING. Featuring Issey Miyake 132 5., a new exhibition showcasing the works of legendary Japanese designer Issey Miyake curated by internationally renowned trend-forecaster and curator Li Edelkoort, on display now through October 25, 2014. The exhibition includes several design pieces created by more than 50 top Israeli artists using three-dimensional craftsmanship, which reinvigorates design, lending body and beauty to archetypical chairs or giving form and volume to lighting structures, on display in its upper gallery, as well as select pieces from Issey Miyake's 132 5. collection in its lower gallery. www.dmh.org.il

ISRAEL MUSEUM IN JERUSALEM UNVEILS NEW "BIG BAMBU" PROJECT

Jerusalem's Israel Museum recently unveiled Big Bambu, a new exhibition created by American artists Mike and Doug Starn, on display now through October 1, 2014. Big Bambu is a 55-foot-high, massive wooden structure comprised of 10,000 bamboo poles and 260,000 feet of climbing rope, which was designed with no architectural blueprint. Big Bambu was built over a seven-week period and allows participants to enter a bamboo forest, climb upward through its mazes and view Jerusalem from above the Israel Museum's Billy Rose Art Garden. www.english.imjnet.org.il

NEW HOTELS TO OPEN IN SEASIDE CITY OF JAFFA THROUGH 2016

The seaside city of Jaffa will soon see the opening of three new high-end boutique properties, including the Market House Hotel, adjacent to the Jaffa Flea Market, slated to open this year, as well as the highly anticipated W Jaffa and Orchid Hotel, slated to open in 2016.