Ethiopian Airlines is African Airline of the year

The statement quoted Mr Nick Fadugba, Chief Executive Officer of African Aviation as saying, “in the past 12 months, Ethiopian Airlines has further expanded its route network and modernised its fleet.

Ethiopian Airlines has been named the African Airline of the year, 2016, in recognition of its continued rapid growth, increased profitability and outstanding contribution to aviation development in Africa.

A statement by the airline on Monday in Abuja, disclosed that the award was announced at the 26th Annual Air Finance Africa Conference and Exhibition held in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Mr Meseret Bitew, Acting Chief Financial Officer, Ethiopian Airlines, said that the airline was pleased to win the award for the second time in a row.

Bitew added that the feat was a testimony of the airlines’ commitment to serve the people of Africa.

“The commendable success of Ethiopian Airlines attributes to the visionary leadership of Ethiopian management and the hard work of thousands of Ethiopian employees who work hard around the clock.

“We shall continue to play vital roles in connecting African countries with their major trading partners around the world and realise an economically liberal Africa.”

The statement quoted Mr Nick Fadugba, Chief Executive Officer of African Aviation as saying, “in the past 12 months, Ethiopian Airlines has further expanded its route network and modernised its fleet.

“It also inaugurated three new aircraft maintenance hangars as well as a new world-class in-flight catering facility and has strengthened its airline joint ventures in Africa.

“In addition, Ethiopian Airlines has achieved a record financial turnover and profitability in spite of various industry challenges.

“Currently, the airline is well on track to exceed the goals of its Vision 2025 Strategy.”

According to the statement, Ethiopian airline is a multi-award winning airline which includes Airline of the Year Award, for the fifth consecutive year, by African Airlines Association (AFRAA).

It also won the SkyTrax World Airline Award for Best Airline Staff in Africa, Best African Cargo Airline of the Year Award and Passenger Choice Award for Best Airline in Africa.

Read more here

Ethiopian domestic worker commits suicide

SIDON/BEIRUT, Lebanon: A domestic worker hung herself in the south Lebanon border town of Blida in Marjayoun, a security source told The Daily Star on Monday.

The Ethiopian worker was found hung on the branch of a tree near her employers' home with a small chair beside her.

Security forces arrived at the scene and opened an investigation.

The source told The Daily Star that security forces could not find any finger prints or "evidence of violence" on the body.

She was identified by her initials N.D.

A coroner examined the body and declared the death a suicide.

"We are not sure about why she committed suicide," the source said.

LBCI reported that she began working at the house three months  Read more here

Ethiopian continues humanitarian collaboration with Boeing

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• The humanitarian shipment is loaded on Ethiopian’s 18th B787 at Seattle

Ethiopian Airlines has flown 6.5 tons of humanitarian relief cargo from Seattle to Ethiopia on behalf of Conscience International (CI), Horn of Africa Neonatal Development Services and Seattle Alliance Outreach (SAO).

The carrier picked up the shipment, bound for St Paul’s Hospital and Bahir Dar University College of Medicine & Health Sciences, when it took delivery of another Boeing 787 aircraft – its 18th – from the Seattle-based manufacturer, as part of its fleet modernisation programme.

Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO Tewolde GebreMariam commented: “This round of our humanitarian delivery is a continuation of our commendable collaboration with Boeing that has served as a source of vital service for our community and neighbouring countries as well.”

The carrier’s 19th B787 is due for delivery by the end of this month (June) and will carry medical equipment and supplies for St Paul’s Hospital. Read more here

Beating Ethiopia's internet outage – Diplomacy, cash and technology

Ethiopian authorities recently blocked internet access across the country. The move was to preserve the integrity of nationwide examinations that started last week (May 31) and is expected to end on Friday June 8.

More often than not when internet cuts are imposed, people are advised to switch to Virtual Private Networks to access the service.

VPNs are basically network setup for use by a limited number of individuals, such as employees of a company and are often encrypted for security.

You are fortunate enough to have been employed at foreign organizations such as the embassies, the African Union (AU) and United Nations (UN) affiliates.

The Addis Standard news portal which was also affected by the internet cut ‘celebrated’ a limited release of the net and took the opportunity to share how people could join the privileged few who had internet despite the outage.

The three ways a person could get access bordered on diplomacy and international missions (as confirmed by the government), financial wherewithal and top technology.

1. The government in the wake of the ban confirmed that only access to social media was blocked and that other essential services like airline bookings and banking outfits had access to internet. Diplomatic outfits and international organizations operating in the country also have connection.

The Addis Standard thus wrote, ‘‘You are fortunate enough to have been employed at foreign organizations such as the embassies, the African Union (AU) and United Nations (UN) affiliates.”

2. ‘‘You have the means to pay extremely high amount of money to access Wi-Fi networks at luxury hotels.’‘

3. That a person possess the latest smartphones and they know how to configure domain name server of systems (DNS). Alternatively, that a person can install a version of VPN that has not been cracked by the authorities.

The exams that precipitated the shutdown

Thousands of students took the Grade 10 exams between May 31 until June 2 whiles Grade 12 papers will be taken between June 5 and June 8.

The respective exams are for university entrance purposes and also for enrollment into national vocational courses.

“The shutdown is aimed at preventing a repeat of leaks that occurred last year,” Mohammed Seid, public relations director of Ethiopia’s Office for Government Communications Affairs, told Reuters.

“We are being proactive. We want our students to concentrate and be free of the psychological pressure and distractions that this brings.”

2016 leakage and Ethiopia’s internet shutdown ‘attitude’

There was a widespread leak of questions last year leading to a cancellation of papers. The government has yet to speak on when services will be restored.

Beside shutdowns related to education, the government has also blocked internet in the wake of anti-government protests that hit the country last year. Addis Ababa said social media was to blame for spreading protests in the Amhara and Oromia regions.

The government said social media was being used to instigate the mass action that led to deaths of protesters. Ethiopia filters internet regularly using firewalls which often slows network access.

Across Africa, internet blackouts are increasingly becoming popular especially for political reasons. Uganda and Congo Republic blocked access during presidential elections in 2016. The most recent one was a three-month blockage by authorities in Cameroon’s anglophone region.

A United Nations Human Rights Council resolution last year declared the restrictions of internet access as a violation of human rights.

RSF blasts government

The media advocacy group, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) last week slammed the Ethiopian government for the internet shutdown. According to RSF, the action was “a danger to freedom of information and press freedom.” Read more here

Ethiopia blocks adoptions, leaving parents stranded

ADDIS ABABA: Ethiopia’s government has suspended adoptions, leaving dozens of foreign parents unable to unite with orphans they have legally adopted, according to officials from four western embassies whose citizens are concerned.
The measure has also frozen hundreds of pending applications for inter-country adoptions, blindsiding families who have in some cases waited years and spent thousands of dollars to adopt a child from the Horn of Africa nation.
A spokesman for Ethiopia’s Ministry of Women, Children and Youth Affairs declined to comment on the suspension, which diplomats said came into effect on April 21 without warning.
“We haven’t been explained what the reasons are behind (the ban), and what the intentions are,” Spanish Ambassador Borja Montesino told AFP.
Ethiopia is a popular destination for families interested in inter-country adoption.
Spanish families took in 1,200 Ethiopian children in 2010 and 2011, which even led to a brief backlog when the embassy had to halt applications for a while, Montesino said.
American families have adopted more than 5,500 Ethiopian children since 2011, according to the US Embassy.
Adopting a child can involve months, if not years, of vetting by adoption agencies, courts, and embassies, along with thousands of dollars in fees and travel costs.

Legal obligations
American Jon Oren and his wife are among those who had already been made legal parents of an Ethiopian child who they are now unable to take home.
The couple had been waiting for the required permission to take their new three-year-old son out of the country when the suspension took effect.
“Now that we’re legal parents, documented parents, I’m effectively responsible for his wellbeing,” Oren said.
“I kind of can’t just undo what I feel are my desires and even legal obligations as a father.”
About 40 other American parents are in a similar situation, according to a US Embassy statement to AFP, and more than 200 families who have only started the process to adopt have had their application put on hold.
In Spain, about 50 families have had their applications frozen, the ambassador said, while a British official said around a dozen families from the UK have been affected.
Ethiopia’s adoption system has faced allegations in the past that children who are not really orphans are being put up for adoption, prompting embassies to impose new regulations to vet prospective adoptees.
Jozef Naudts, deputy head of mission at the Belgian Embassy, said he had been told by officials that Ethiopia was reviewing its entire adoption system.
Five Belgian families’ adoptions have been blocked by the ban, he said.
“We are just hoping that a solution can be found for the families that are in the process and get kind of stuck because of this decision,” Naudts said. Read more here