tagged w/ Ethiopian
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The Ethiopian airliner carrying 90 people exploded and plunged into the sea off Lebanon just after takeoff in stormy weather early on Monday. Here are some key details on the crash:
- Ethiopian Airline Flight 409 was heading from Beirut to the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa
- The plane exploded into four pieces before crashing shortly after takeoff at 2:30 am (0030 GMT) in a heavy thunderstorm ,a defense ministry official said
- Witnesses reported seeing flames as the plane plunged into the sea.
- The official number of passengers was 90, including: 54 Lebanese, 20 Ethopians, 3 French, 1 Turkish, 1 Syrian, 1 Jordanian and 1 African.
- The black box has not been found yet according to Minister Ghazi Aridi
- Defense minister Elias Murr said it was unclear what caused the crash
- President Michel Suleiman ruled out terrorism or sabotage . “Up until now we have ruled out foul play,” Suleiman told reporters.
- Lebanese MP Yassin Jaber, said 15 of those on board hailed from the southern town of Nabatiyeh.
- The plane is Boeing 737-800. It is one of the latest versions of the world’s most widely used short to medium-haul airliners, and is capable of carrying up to 189 passengers. Ethiopian Airlines ordered 10 more Boeing Next-Generation 737-800s for a total price of $767 million last Friday
- The plane lost contact with the airport control tower shortly after takeoff and crashed into the Mediterranean sea 2.5 nautical miles off the coastal town of Naameh, south of the airport, according to Minister Ghazi Aridi
- “The control tower was assisting the pilot of the plane on takeoff and suddenly lost contact for no known reason,” Aridi told reporters.
- A massive international search and rescue operation involving the Lebanese army and navy , the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) , France, Britain, Cyprus and the United States in which helicopters and ships are used is still ongoing and dozens of bodies have been found
- Prime Minister Saad Hariri, parliament speaker Nabih Berri as well as a number of ministers and deputies were at the airport to comfort the families of the victims
- Ethiopian Airlines, which was established in 1946 and operates an all-Boeing fleet, is considered one of Africa’s best carriers
- The Lebanese health ministry said it had set up a crisis unit in a bid to identify the victims through DNA tests or jewelery items found.
- Hariri declared Monday a national day of mourning, as parliament cancelled a scheduled legislative session.
- One French passenger was identified as Marla Sanchez Pietton, the wife of France’s ambassador to Lebanon, Denis Pietton, according to the French embassy
- Thousands of Ethiopians are employed as domestic workers in Lebanon and Ethiopian Airlines operates a regular flight between Addis Ababa and Beirut.
http://ow.ly/16qtaOThe Ethiopian airliner carrying 90 people exploded and plunged into the sea off... more
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the official video of Gabriel Teodros new video Third World Wide
Produced by Kitone
Directed by Salvatore Fullmorethe official video of Gabriel Teodros new video Third World Wide
Produced by Kitone... more
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Years of conflict in Somalia have left large parts of the country in the hands of warlords while its capital, Mogadishu, is contested by Ethiopian-backed government forces and armed insurgents.
The city has been abandoned by at least half of its residents. The BBC's World Affairs Correspondent, Mark Doyle, sent this report from a war zone few Western journalists dare to visit.
The bombed-out buildings are shocking enough.
There are street after ruined street of them in the centre of Mogadishu.
Some have been reduced by shellfire to rubble. Others retain a building-like shape - the rough skeletons of once-ornate Italian colonial apartment blocks or shopping arcades.
But the really eerie side to many parts of Mogadishu is the lack of people.
The last 18 months of fighting have seen the population plummet in a way that even the infamous Black Hawk Down year - 1993 - did not achieve.
According to the United Nations, at least half of Mogadishu's population - perhaps 500,000 people - have fled.
Years of conflict in Somalia have left large parts of the country in the hands of... more
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BERLIN — Haile Gebrselassie broke his own marathon world record on Sunday, becoming the first runner to finish under 2 hours, 4 minutes.
The Ethiopian clocked 2:03:59 to win his third straight Berlin Marathon, beating the mark of 2:04:26 he set last year over the same flat course. He also became the first runner to win the race three times.
"Today, I'm so, so, so happy. Everything was perfect today," Gebrselassie said.
Running under clear, sunny skies in mild temperature, Gebrselassie paced himself well and controlled the race from the start.
The 35-year-old Gebrselassie was way out front as passed through the Brandenburg Gate and ran to the finish line to applause from the crowd lining the route.
Gebrselassie said his training in the buildup to the race was hindered by an injury.
"I had a small calf muscle problem and I stopped for a week, and then I started again a week ago," he said. "Then today I had, you know, some doubts ... but it was really very good."
The Ethiopian praised Berlin and its spectators in helping him break his 26th world record.BERLIN — Haile Gebrselassie broke his own marathon world record on Sunday,... more
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Messianic Jews in Israel say they want an inquiry into the burning of hundreds of copies of the New Testament by Orthodox Jews in Or Yehuda last week.
The books were given to the town's Ethiopian Jews by the Messianic Jews, who believe in Jesus as a saviour.
Or Yehuda's deputy mayor says he received complaints about the books, and arranged for them to be burnt.
He has now apologised after his actions have been compared to those of Nazis who burnt Jewish holy scriptures.
Proselytizing to Ethiopian Jews is sensitive because historically they were the target of missionaries who converted many to Christianity in Ethiopia - though they later argued the conversion was forced and they had never really abandoned their Jewish faith.Messianic Jews in Israel say they want an inquiry into the burning of hundreds of... more
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