The Great Ethiopia Run is the most incredible experience

• By Mark Douglas

Haile Gebrselassie has a problem.

You wouldn’t know it from a quick glance at his famous face, which is fixed with the beguiling smile that has accompanied him on a career that has touched heights that no other athlete has managed.

This is a man who broke 23 separate world records, collected two Olympic gold medals and earned four world titles.

He bestrode the track and the streets of famous marathons in Berlin, New York and Chicago and has now carried that success into the world of business, where he is one of the chief drivers of a resurgent Ethiopian economy that is creating millionaires faster than any other country in Africa.

But as he explains over delicious, jet-black coffee strong enough to wipe out the hazy affects of altitude, he can’t answer his phone right now. To prove the point, when his iPhone trills, he takes a quick look and sets it back down on the table in the small office that overlooks one of the busiest roads in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s bustling, frenetic and endearingly chaotic capital city.

“If I don’t know the number, I won’t answer. You know why?” he asks. “Because government ministers will ring me up and say ‘Haile – I need a ticket for the big run on Sunday!’”

Hearing this story is the perfect introduction to the Great Ethiopia Run – the colourful, barmy and brilliant little brother of our own beloved Great North Run.
Last Sunday I was invited to Ethiopia to take part in this 10k event, and line up alongside the 37,000 other hopefuls desperate to make it to the Jan Meda sports ground in downtown Addis.

Why? Well, the Great Ethiopia Run goes way back with the North East. The first kernel of an idea came when local girl Abi Masefield, a gym friend of the great Gebrselassie, mentioned the possibility about creating an African equivalent of our own famous half-marathon from Newcastle to South Shields.

Hosni Mubarak Saved

CAIRO — An Egyptian court dropped all remaining criminal charges against former President Hosni Mubarak on Saturday in a sweeping repudiation of the Arab Spring uprising that forced him from power.

The court dismissed murder charges against Mr. Mubarak in the killing of protesters demanding an end to his 30-year rule — charges that once inspired crowds to hang the president’s effigy from the lampposts of Tahrir Square in Cairo and captivated the region. His reviled security chief and a half-dozen top police officials were acquitted.

The court also acquitted Mr. Mubarak, his two sons and a wealthy business associate of corruption charges; the three others had come to personify the rampant self-dealing of Mr. Mubarak’s era as much as the president himself.


Demonstrators in Cairo rejoiced Friday upon hearing that President Hosni Mubarak had been toppled after 18 days of protests against his government.Egypt Erupts in Jubilation as Mubarak Steps DownFEB. 11, 2011
If normal legal procedures are followed, Mr. Mubarak could soon go free for the first time since his top generals removed him from power amid a popular revolt in 2011, although it was not clear whether those rules would be adhered to.

About 1,000 demonstrators gathered around Tahrir Square at night to protest the decision, but heavily armed security forces had closed off the traffic circle. By 9 p.m., the police were firing tear gas and birdshot to drive away the crowds, and by midnight state news media reported that at least one person had been killed and more than 85 were arrested.

More than five months after the inauguration of a military-backed strongman, President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, the authorities appeared to calculate that the Egyptian public was so weary of unrest that it had lost a desire for retribution against Mr. Mubarak, or at least that they now had a firm enough grip to suppress any backlash.

“Today’s verdict indicates a very deliberate decision by the regime to continue on the path of rewriting the history that led to Mubarak’s ouster and closing the file on the Jan. 25 revolution,” said Hossam Bahgat, a journalist and human rights advocate who had cheered on that revolt and is now studying in New York.

which group has more fun?

ማእቀብ (VIDEO)

Post by ሂኒ መዝናኛዎች.

A woman who deserves 1,000,000 Likes

A woman who deserves 1,000,000 Likes

Ethiopian Airlines Voted Best Airline from Africa by Kuala Lumpur Airport

Ethiopian Airlines, the largest and most profitable airline in Africa, is pleased to announce that it has been voted as the Best Foreign Airline of the Year from Africa at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport ( KLIA) 9th Annual Awards held on 21 November 2014.

Ethiopian started flights to Kuala Lumpur on 30 October 2012. Commenting on the award, CEO of Ethiopian Airlines Group, Ato Tewolde Gebremariam, said: “We are highly honored by the recognition from Kuala Lumpur Airport, one of the best airport hubs in Asia. Ethiopian is the airline of choice for travelers between Africa and Asia, thanks to our extensive network, ideal connectivity options with minimum layover in Addis Ababa and our globally recognized African flavored Ethiopian hospitality. In 2015, we plan to further expand our service in Asia by starting flights to Tokyo and Manila and avail better connectivity options for our esteemed customers.”

Ethiopian was voted in August 2014 in Anaheim, California as the Best Airline in Africa by Passenger Choice Awards, the most extensive survey of passengers in the industry. Recently, the African Airlines Association (AFRAA) recognized Ethiopian as the Best in Africa at its 46th Annual General Assembly held in Algiers in November 2014.
Ethiopian is a global Pan-African carrier currently serving 84 international destinations across 5 continents with over 200 daily flights using the latest technology aircraft such as the B777s and B787s.
- See more at: http://addisnews.net/ethiopian-airlines-voted-best-airline-africa-kuala-lumpur-airport/30825#sthash.FGIEqXyu.dpuf

Ethiopia to Make USD 20 Billion Investment for Power Development

During the second phase of the Growth and Transformation Plan (GTP II), which runs from 2015 to 2020, Ethiopia is going to spend a total of USD 20 Billion Birr on its power development program.
Commenting on this Mekuria Lemma, head of Strategy and Investment Division at the Ethiopian Electric Power (EEP), said this expenditure is in line with what the nation has been spending annually in the past three years, USD Two Billion.