Ethiopia: The world's best tourist destination a surprise package

Addis Ababa Ethiopia

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The world's best tourist destination? It's not Spain, the US, or even New Zealand, but Ethiopia, according to the European Council on Tourism and Trade.

The East African country, which suffered a series of famines in the 1980s, boasts some of the continent's most dramatic landscapes.
It was praised by the non-profit association of EU tourism organisations for its "excellent preservation of humanity landmarks".

The country's highlights include the monolithic rock-hewn churches at Lalibela, and the Simien Mountains National Park, a Unesco World Heritage Site.
The park is home to a number of endangered species, including the Ethiopian wolf and walia ibex.
Ethiopia also boasts the Danakil Depression, with its colourful sulphur and salt lakes.
Another attraction flagged up during the annual ceremony was the Fasil Ghebbi, the residence of the Ethiopian emperors during the 16th and 17th centuries.
In its application for the award, the Ethiopian government identified tourism as a key area if it is to tackle poverty.
"Ethiopia [has] a perfect record of promoting social-friendly tourism, and an ecological and poverty reduction strategy based on tourism," said European Council's Senator Ionel Agrigoraoiei.
The group clearly enjoys backing an underdog - last year's winner was Zimbabwe; in 2013 it was Laos.
But a few candidates that applied for consideration this year were typical tourist destinations - they included Nigeria, Algeria, Congo DRC, Jordan and Kazakhstan.
Just 20000 Britons visit Ethiopia annually, but Kuoni, the luxury tour operator, tipped it (alongside The Philippines and La Reunion) for a surge in visitors earlier this year.
Parts are off-limits, however. The Foreign Office advises against all travel to within 10km of the borders with Sudan, South Sudan, Kenya and Eritrea, and to parts of the country's north- and southeastern regions

 

Genzebe Dibaba sets African 1500m record of 3:54.11 in Barcelona

Genzebe Dibaba set an African 1500m record of 3:54.11 in Barcelona’s Estadi Joan Serrahima stadium on Wednesday evening (8).
Dibaba arrived in the Catalan city in the wake of her 5000m personal best of 14:15.41 when winning at the IAAF Diamond League meeting in Paris on Saturday, looking for a fast time but also not sure about how much her efforts in the French capital had taken out of her.
Not much it seems.
She followed the Cuban pacemaker Yuneisy Santiusty through to 700 metres but with two laps to go she took off on her own and turned the race into a time trial.
Dibaba produced the fastest time over the distance since 1997, moved up to ninth on the world all-time list, and improved on the Spanish all-comers' record of 3:55.30, which had stood to Algeria’s Hassiba Boulmerka since she won at the 1992 Olympics in the same city.
Into the bargain, Dibaba sliced just over a second off her previous personal best of 3:55.17, the existing world indoor record she set in Stockholm in February 2014.
Spain’s Solange Pereira was a distant second to Dibaba in 4:12.42.
Dibaba was not the only athlete to run a world-leading time in Barcelona on Thursday. Djibouti’s world bronze medallist Ayanleh Souleiman won the men’s 800m in a personal best of 1:43.08.
World youth 1500m champion Robert Biwott was second in a PB of 1:43.58, while Musaeb Balla set a Qatari record of 1:43.82 in third.
Phil Minshull for the IAAF

ሪዮት አለሙ ተፈታች: The Family Album

Eryot Almu released from prision after 4 years of imprisonment. She is part of the recent release by the Ethiopian government including 5 from Ethiopian 9-blogers team

With her parents

ሪዮት አለሙ ተፈታች ተባለ.

With here sister Eskedar Alemu

childhood picture

First night on her bedroom after 4 years  Eskedar Alemu

Family

Ethiopia frees some imprisoned journalists on the eve of Obama’s historic visit

Tesfalem Waldyes, Asmamaw Hailegeorgis, Zelalem Kibret, and six of their colleagues were arrested in April 2014 by Ethiopian authorities for “accepting money and working with foreign organizations and rights activists and using social media to destabilize the country,” a violation of the country’s controversial anti-terrorism law.

The other six journalists remain in jail.

The White House announced in June that president Barack Obama will become the first sitting US leader to visit Ethiopia, as part of a trip to east Africa later this month. However, the administration was quickly criticized by human-rights groups, who say his visit is at odds with “the president’s oft-repeated rhetoric about advancing human rights and strengthening African democracy and institutions.” The release looks like a concession by the regime to smooth the president’s path.

While Ethiopia boasts one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, it nevertheless has an abysmal human-rights record. Freedom House, the watchdog organization, ranks the country as one of the the worst performing in freedom, civil liberties and political rights.

የደቡብ አፍሪካው ፓስተር ተከታዮችን ፀጉር (WIG) አስበላቸው::

Prophet Penuel of the End Time Disciples Ministries in South Africa has reportedly ‘turned’ the hair of a woman into food which was consumed by church members

Why Tewodros Kassahun called Teddy Afro?

 

We will have the English Translation soon Powered by Ethiotrans.com 

click on the image to enlarge it

ፕሬዜዳንት ኦባማ ኢትዮጵያን ሊጎበኝ ነው ተባለ: Obama to be first sitting U.S. President to visit Ethiopia

ፕሬዜዳንት ኦባማ ኢትዮጵያን ሊጎበኝ ነው ተባለ

ይህ ከሆነ በስልጣን ላይ እያሉ  በመጎብኘት የመጀመሪያው የ አሜሪካ መሪ ያደርገዋል::

Washington (CNN)The White House announced Friday that President Barack Obama with travel to Ethiopia late next month, the first sitting U.S. President to do so.

While in Ethiopia, Obama will participate in bilateral meetings with the Governments of Ethiopia and with the leadership of the African Union

This visit "will build on the success of the August 2014 U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit by strengthening ties with our African partners and highlighting America's longstanding commitment to investing in Africa," said Press Secretary Josh Earnest in a statement.