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Ethiopian Telecom Nears Completion of Network Upgrade

cellular-news

­Ethiopia's monopoly mobile network, the Ethiopian Telecommunications Corporation (ETC) has finished the majority of a GSM network upgrade in the capital city region. ETC Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Amare Amsalu, told local Walta Info that 80 per cent of the upgrading works began last March has already been completed.

Upgrades across the rest of the country should be completed within the next few weeks. He said the corporation is undertaking the upgrading works at 400 stations in Addis Ababa alone and similar works would be carried out in various towns across the country.

The operator has also installed some 150 diesel generators to provide backup electricity due to the unreliable national grid.

Local media reports last October suggested that the network operator had signed a US$400 million agreement for the supply of 15 million lines for its mobile networks over a 4-5 year period.

The state owned monopoly ended Q1 '09 with an estimated 2.6 million subscribers, which according to figures from the Mobile World equates to a population penetration level of just 3.2%.

Ethiopian man shackles girl with dogs for 18 years

By Tsegaye Tadesse

ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Hundreds of women have rallied to demand the death penalty for a man who shackled a girl with dogs for 18 years and abused her, the Ethiopian News Agency (ENA) reported on Friday.

The unnamed suspect from Adama -- a town 100 km east of the capital Addis Ababa -- imprisoned the girl from the age of four, the agency said.

The man took custody of her when his mother, who had been caring for the girl, died. The victim's own mother suffered from mental illness.

"The suspect tortured, violated and brutally abused the girl for 18 years, shackling her with dogs in a secluded room inside his home," police told ENA.

"He starved the girl, only throwing her crumbs of bread once in a while, and she was forced to share the dogs' food to survive. She is in poor health."

The case echoes that of Austrian Josef Fritzl, whose trial for imprisoning his daughter in a basement for 24 years and fathering seven children with her captured world attention.

Fritzl was sentenced to life in prison in March.

Police say the girl -- who is now 22 -- is suffering from multiple wounds and is being treated in a hospital in the town.

Mayor of Adama, Tadelle Shigute, said the man will appear in court soon but did not give a date.

"It's hoped that he will receive a penalty which is befitting his crimes," said Tadelle.

Ethiopia- Bank Robber nabbed after a short chase near Indianapolis

Police said, the suspect Brook Abebe [a native of Ethiopia], 42, walked into the busy bank with two guns and fired a warning shot in the air. Abebe was apprehended about a mile from the bank after crashing a car into a ditch.

Police: Mail Carrier Shot As Robber Fled Bank

WANAMAKER, Ind. --

A mail carrier was shot in the face when he tried to intervene after a bank robbery just outside of Indianapolis Thursday afternoon, police said.

The robbery happened just after 3 p.m. at the Chase Bank branch near Southeastern Avenue and Franklin Road in Wanamaker, 6News' Rick Hightower reported.

Police said Brook Abebe, 42, walked into the busy bank with two guns and fired a warning shot in the air.

Postal carrier Robert Norman, who was outside at the time, went around the building to try and locate a getaway car, investigators said. That's when Abebe came out of the bank and the two men struggled, with Norman grabbing Abebe's gun.

Police said Abebe opened fire, hitting Norman in the eye, before fleeing.

Read More from theindychannel.com

Ethiopia - Person shot in face as bank robbery suspect flees

Wanamaker - An afternoon bank robbery left a mail carrier wounded and another man in custody. It happened in Wanamaker late Thursday afternoon at a Chase Bank on Southeastern Avenue.

The postal carrier, Robert Norman, is stable at Methodist Hospital. Norman has been on the job 30 years. On Thursday he ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The scene told a chaotic story: a postal truck behind police tape, FBI agents and IMPD everywhere, and a wad of money on the ground outside this Chase Bank. All of it was from an afternoon armed robbery where police say a suspect shot a postal worker outside..

"The suspect who was armed fired a shot striking the postal worker I believe in the eye," said Lt. Jeff Duhamell, Metro Police.

It happened just minutes after police say the suspect robbed the Chase Bank on this usually quiet street.

"Things like this don't happen," said Karen Bullock, witness.


Read More from WTHR

Ethiopia - President Girma stresses need to make public owner in fight against corruption

ENA -

President Girma Woldegiyorgis of Ethiopia said making the public owner in the fight against corruption is not the task of tomorrow. The National Anti-corruption Coalition founding workshop launched here on Thursday. The coalition is expected to be formed at the end of the workshop, July 4, 2009.

Opening the workshop President Girma said the government has designed various strategies to make sure corruption will not impede ongoing development and democratization activities.

Girma said though the strategies have been witnessed encouraging results, a lot remain to be done to avoid corruption entirely.

The fight against corruption will not be effective with effort of some institutions unless the large public actively participate in the fight.

The Federal Ethics and Anti Corruption Commissioner Ali Suliman on his part said the commission has been working with the public in the fight against corruption.

The commissioner said the establishment of the coalition will further scale up the participation of the public.

Ethiopia - ECX trades 2 billion birr coffee in eight months

ENA - Over 2 billion birr coffee was traded through the Ethiopian Commodity Exchange over the past eight months, Ethiopian Commodity Exchange Authority said on Thursday.

Speaking at a half-day workshop organized for coffee trading stakeholders, authority's director general, Ambassador Dr. Adissalem Balema said the national coffee trading is being smoothly undertaken through the new institution; the Ethiopian Commodity Exchange (ECX).

He said the smooth exchange shows that the authority is establishing excellent market system in the sector.

The director said the authority is undertaking various efforts to promote the modern market system in coffee sector.

The government is committed for the establishment of modern market system across the nation. It has also been addressing some problems encountered during the implementation process, he said.

The director urged stakeholders to scale up efforts for development of modern market systems in Ethiopia.