Ethiopia's Berhanu Hayle seeks a Boston Marathon repeat

By Svea Herbst-Bayliss | BOSTON

Ethiopian runner Lemi Berhanu Hayle will defend his Boston Marathon title in a wide open race on Monday against a men's field that includes the first American champion in three decades and no clear favorite.

Berhanu Hayle won last year's race in two hours 12 minutes 44 seconds after pulling away from twice champion and countryman Lelisa Desisa, who is not competing this year.

The last men's repeat winner was five-time champion Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot of Kenya, who completed a triple in 2008.

An Ethiopian woman, Atsede Baysa, will also be defending her title after winning in 2:29:19.

Berhanu Hayle's main challengers will include countryman Sisay Lemma, who ran 2:05:16 in Dubai last year, and Kenyans Geoffrey Kirui who ran 2:06:27 in Amsterdam last year and Emmanuel Mutai, who was second in New York and Chicago, and has the field's fastest personal best of 2:03:13.

The hilly Boston course usually leads to slower times than other major marathons.

"Any move (Berhanu Hayle) makes will be taken seriously by the others," said Scott Douglas, a contributing editor at Runner's World. "With no clear standouts this year, Boston will be a very interesting race to watch."

Making a farewell appearance will be Meb Keflezighi, who gave Boston an emotional boost when he became the first American man to win in three decades in 2014, one year after a pair of brothers of Chechen origin killed three people and injured more than 200 at the finish line with a pair of homemade bombs.

Keflezighi, 41, plans to retire from competition after November's New York City marathon.

"It will be very emotional to get to Hopkinton (where the race starts), but I'm excited. I know the course and I'm 100 percent healthy," he said.

Galen Rupp, who won marathon bronze at the Rio Olympics but has had foot problems this year, and Jared Ward, who wrote his masters thesis on marathon pacing, join a large U.S. contingent.

Strong women contenders include Kenyans Gladys Cherono, Edna Kiplagat and Brigid Kosgei.

These women will be racing in part because of Kathrine Switzer, who became the first woman to finish the then all-male Boston race with a bib 50 years ago.

Switzer, 70, will wear the same number - 261 - when she steps to the line to race again on Monday. "I will put on the full regalia: the bib plus the eye liner, mascara and lipstick," she said.

(Reporting by Svea Herbst-Bayliss; Editing by Scott Malone and Larry Fine) Read more here

Ethiopian, Singapore Airlines, Air Europa sign agreement to expand travel connectivity

Star Alliance members, Ethiopian Airlines and Singapore Airlines will expand their “codeshare” agreement from 1 June 2017, offering seamless connectivity options to customers travelling between Africa and Asia.

Ethiopian Airlines’ daily non-stop services to Singapore from Addis Ababa, due to be launched in June 2017, will be covered by the expanded codeshare agreement, the airline said in a statement issued Wednesday by Jedidah Promotions, its media consultants.

Under the expanded agreement, Ethiopian Airlines customers will be able to access multiple destinations in Australia, China, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Thailand and Vietnam leveraging on Singapore Airlines’ wide network.

In turn, Singapore Airlines customers will enjoy access to Ethiopian Airlines’ vast intra-African network, including in such countries as Botswana, Burkina Faso, Chad, Cote D’Ivoire, Kenya, Nigeria, Mozambique, The Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.

“The two airlines will synergize their respective networks in Asia and Africa to offer customers the best connectivity options with one ticket and one single check-in at the first boarding airport. It will also play a critical role in enhancing investment, trade and tourism ties between a rising Africa, and a highly developed, innovative, and business-friendly Singapore,” said Girma Shiferaw, acting vice president, strategic planning and alliances, Ethiopian Airlines.

According to Tan Kai Ping, Singapore Airlines senior vice president, marketing planning, “we are delighted with our expanded codeshare operations with Ethiopian Airlines. This significant expansion of our important partnership is in line with our ongoing effort to continuously expand our network reach and to offer customers more travel options and convenience when travelling between Africa, Asia and Southwest Pacific.”

The airlines first began code sharing on each other’s flights to and from Dubai in 2011.

The expanded codeshare flights are subject to regulatory approvals and will be progressively made available for sale across various sales channels.

Ethiopian Airlines operates the youngest fleet on the African continent with an average aircraft age of less than five years, serving more than 90 international destinations across five continents with over 240 daily departures.

Singapore Airlines operates a modern passenger aircraft fleet of more than 100 aircraft. Together with wholly owned passenger airline subsidiaries SilkAir, Scoot and Tigerair, the SIA Group’s combined network covers more than 130 destinations around the world.

Ethiopian Airlines, has also signed a codeshare agreement with Air Europa, effective from April 11, 2017.

The new partnership is a free sale codeshare agreement, thereby allowing the partner airlines access to each other’s network by creating smooth connection at their respective hubs.

Imanol Pérez, deputy commercial director of Air Europa, expressed his satisfaction with the agreement reached with Ethiopian Airlines as it allows Air Europa to have presence on the African continent and offer its passengers a wider choice of travel destinations.

In addition, Air Europa also provides Ethiopian Airline´s passengers with excellent connectivity with other European, Spanish and American destinations to where Air Europa flies through its Madrid hub.

Air Europa operates in 51 destinations worldwide, of which 21 are domestic, 11 are in Europe and Tel Aviv, as well as 18 long haul destinations in North and South America and the Middle East.

The airline will also fly to Honduras this April and to Boston in June 2017. Read more here

Ethiopia sentences rebels accused of threatening massive dam

Addis Ababa - Ethiopia's government says 10 rebels who attacked vehicles headed to a massive dam project and killed nine people have been sentenced to prison.

Ethiopia has accused the rebels of being trained and equipped by neighboring Eritrea, which denies it. They were arrested in March.

The state-affiliated Fana Broadcasting Corporate reported on Thursday that the prison sentences ranged from nine years to life.

The government says the rebels' target was the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. The project has caused concern in Egypt, which says the dam will reduce its share of the Nile River.

The dam is estimated to be more than half complete.

Ethiopia and Eritrea fought a border war from 1998 to 2000 and have had border skirmishes since then. Each has accused the other of supporting armed rebel groups. Read more here

Ethiopian Airline signs codeshare agreement with Air Europa

Ethiopian Airline signs codeshare agreement with Air Europa

Accra, April 13, GNA - Africa’s largest airline group, Ethiopian Airlines, has signed a codeshare agreement with Air Europa, taking effect, from April 11, 2017. 

A statement issued in Accra by Mrs Hanna Atnafu, Manager, Corporate Communications, Ethiopian Airlines said the new partnership was a free sale codeshare agreement, thereby allowing the partner airlines access to each other’s network by creating smooth connection at their hubs.

The statement quoted Mr Busera Awel, Chief Commercial Officer Ethiopian Airlines, as saying: “We are pleased to optimise our collaboration with Air Europa through this instrumental code share agreement.”

He said as a customer focused airline, the company always strived to meet its customer’s ever growing demand, availing critical connectivity options.

“This strategic collaboration will enable our esteemed customer’s reach multiple destinations in Europe through one-point check-in at point of origin,” he added.

He said reciprocally, Ethiopian vast African network was an added advantage to customers of Air Europa; connecting 53 major cities in Africa with minimum layover at our Addis hub.

The statement also quoted Mr Imanol Pérez, Commercial Deputy Director of Air Europa as having expressed excitement and satisfaction for the agreement reached with Ethiopian Airlines.

“As it allows Air Europa to have presence in the African continent and offer its passengers a wider choice of travel destinations,” he said.

In addition, Air Europa also provides Ethiopian Airline´s passengers with excellent connectivity with other European, Spanish and American destinations where Air Europa flies through its Madrid hub.

Ethiopian Air currently serves more than 90 global destinations across five continents with more than 240 daily departures; operating the youngest and most modern fleet with an average fleet age of less than five years. 

Air Europa operates to 51 destinations all round the world of which 21 are domestic, 11 are Europe and Tel Aviv, 18 long haul destinations in North and South America and Middle East.  The Airline will fly to Honduras this month and in June to Boston. Read more here

Celebrating the Exodus with those still leaving Egypt

 
Some 1,600 members of the Ethiopian community participated in the largest seder ceremony in Israel, which took place in Yaffo. 

Rabbi of the community Rabbi Yehuda Sallah led the seder, with the help of some 80 volunteers from across Israel.

Gali and Haim Marciano from Elad in central Israel came with their 7 children to do the seder together with the immigrants. “It is an unusual experience. You really feel a type of exodus from Egypt,” Haim said. As someone who is used to our family seder, it was a really uplifting experience to celebrate the holiday with such a large group that went through, to a certain degree, and is still going through its own exodus from Egypt.”

“It was particularly exciting at those parts of the seder when that large group repeated word for word after Rabbi Sallah, and we all felt the meaning of the words ‘as one man with one heart.’ “Our table primarily consisted of women from one family and their children. You could feel very strongly how, despite the fact that the children have a much greater command of the language than the adults, everyone had a burning desire to take part in the seder. Our job as volunteers was basically to gently help where needed in order to allow the adults to fulfill the commandment of ‘And you shall tell your children,’ despite the language difficulties and the intergenerational gap that makes the matter a significant challenge for a good amount of the families,” Haim added.

During the evening, the volunteers held activities for the children which included a quiz and a costume reenactment of the exodus from Egypt.

“We are used to a certain seder during which we say everything and have our special customs,” Gali said. “We made a sort of compromise, but we got a lot more than we gave. We felt privileged to have participated and to be together with people who we are used to seeing as ‘the other’ but who, in reality, are our own flesh and blood. The scope of the activity, the organization, lodging for the volunteers, is just an exciting endeavor. I felt that the event not only honored the Ethiopian community, but the entire Nation of Israel.”
Rabbi Yehuda Sallah sounded emotional as he was asked to describe his feelings after the giant seder. “It was a special privilege to meet these quality people. I can only salute this quality group of people from all over Israel who decided to devote their seder to connection and immigrant absorption in the best sense. In the name of the Ethiopian community, I want to thank from the bottom of my heart those in whose merit this event was able to take place.” Read more here