When Michael Jackson gave up the ghost recently, we may have witnessed an eerie embodiment of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. In both F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel and in the Oscar-nominated film version starring Brad Pitt, Benjamin Button ages in reverse: Born a shriveled old man, he dies a... [view entry]

Ethiopia’s parliament on Tuesday adopted a new anti-terrorism bill despite criticism by rights groups that the legislation violates civil liberties. The law, proposed last year after a string of bomb attacks in the capital, comprises 38 sections and paves the way for arrests and searches without court warrants. Of the... [view entry]

U.S president Barak Obama is coming to Africa next week, on the continent where his father was born, for his first trip as president to Sub-Saharan Africa. The Reuter’s Ross Calvin asks what Obama hopes to accomplish on the trip. Here is the start of the article. Africa has not... [view entry]

Head of the Dessie Diocese, Aba Gebre Silassie was arrested on charges of ‘inciting violence’ that caused the death of three people in the town last week, according to Addis Neger. Police in Dessie town have shot and killed two young people who were among the crowd demonstrating to demand... [view entry]

The Holy Synod of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church is set to hold an emergency meeting Monday, Addis Neger reported. The Synod is expected to look at recent actions taken by Patriarch, Abune Pauols such as ‘disbanding the recently formed executive committee, suspending the bishop the Addis Ababa Dioceses and other... [view entry]

Reporters and editors of three Amharic newspapers were brought to court today in connection with their coverage of the Ginbot 7 trial. Awra AmabTimes, Ethio-channel and Mesenazeriya have been implicated on charges of disclosing names of the prosecutor’s witnesses who testified against the Ginbot Seven suspects on Monday. Prosecutors say... [view entry]

The eyes of the fashion world will be focused on the Germany’s capital as the fashion week kicked off yesterday. The event which runs Wednesday through Friday gives young designers a better chance to grab attention with their collections. “Germany’s Next Top model” winner Sara Nuru is in Berlin for... [view entry]

Described as an ‘Ethiopian Obama’ and a brilliant speaker and organizer, Birtukan Mideksa has become a symbol of democracy in her own country, compared with figures like Burma’s Aung San Suu Kyi.” (Independent: 3 Feb 2009), writes journalist Daniel Howden. Birtukan the first woman leader of a major political party... [view entry]

The popular Ethiopian singer Teddy Afro has appeared before Court of Cassation this morning to hear a decision on an appeal filed by the prosecutor protesting the reduction of his prison terms from six to two years. But Teddy left the courtroom without hearing a final word and his case... [view entry]

Ethiopian police have shot and killed two people who were helping to build a church at a site which is also claimed by Muslims, officials say. Violence broke out when police tried to stop the construction in Dessie, 250km (155 miles) north-east of Addis Ababa. The police say they were... [view entry]