Since Oct. 5/2010, PM Meles Zenaiw appointed 30 Ministers(including 10 Ministers without Portfolio), 49 State Ministers(including Prof. Tekalegn Mammo Advisor to the Minister of Agriculture with the rank of a State Minister ), 36 Especial envoys, Ambassadors plenipotentiary and Ambassadors, and 1 Commissioner (Sport Commissioner Abagisa).

The public media outlets reported all the previous appointments, as they were immediately notified by a letter from the PM Office.

But not this time.

[Use the link at the bottom to download the full report in English or Amharic]

EU Observers released their final report on Ethiopian election on Monday. Given the moderateness of the report, it is puzzling why the Ethiopian government refused to host the press conference to release the report, which was held in Brussels rather than in Addis Ababa.

Thijs Berman, head of the European Union Election Observation Mission to Ethiopia will present its Final Report about the May 23/2010 election on Monday. However, the venue for the release of the report is Brussels, not than Addis Ababa.

Reason? Ethiopia refused to host the event, according to Thijis Berman.

Ethiopia recorded massive improvements in Human Development Index(HDI), according to the 2010 Human Development Report released on Friday. Ethiopia has recorded the third fastest annual HDI growth rate in the world since year 2000.

Editor-in-chief of Ethio-channel newspaper, an Amharic biweekly, released on bail after two weeks in custody. Conspicuously, ‘right activists’ and most media outlets kept silent.

Journalist Biruk Mekonen is indicted for defamation charges brought against the newspaper by the All Ethiopian Unity Party(AEUP)

BBC apologized today for its unfounded report that alleged millions of pounds raised for famine relief in Ethiopia had been used to buy arms. It took BBC 8 months to investigate and find out that its ‘investigative’ report is baseless.

It is to be recalled that in March 2010, and the subsequent days, BBC World Service broadcasted a report concerning the use of western aid for 1985 famine in Ethiopia.

The Prime Minister assigned Abay Tsehaye to a new post on Friday. Abay Tsehaye is to head the new giant sugar corporation as a Director-General, Minister with without Portfolio. Though, he is still serving as National Security Advisor to the PM.

Prime Minister Meles Zenawi appointed Arkebe Equbay, Shiferaw Jarso, Neway Gebreab
to be his Advisors as Ministers without Portfolio and Tekalegn Mamo as an advisor to Minister of Agriculture with the rank of a State minister on Wednesday, Oct 27/2010.

The Prime Minister office disclosed the appointment of 21 Special envoys and Ambassador plenipotentiaries, and 15 Ambassadors on Wednesday, Oct. 27/2010.

Ethiopia’s score on Global Hunger Index(GHI) improved from 43.7 in 1990 GHI to 29.8 in 2010 GHI. To meet the Millennium Development Goals, Ethiopia’s GHI score needs to be 21.27 by the year 2015.
The change in Ethiopia’s GHI score is a result of the improvements recorded in each of the three indicators in the last two decades. The proportion of undernourished in the population decreased from 71% (in 1990-92) to 44% (in 2004-06). The prevalence of underweight in children under five years decreased 39.2% (in 1988-92) to 34.6% (in 2003-08). The rate of Under five Mortality is reduced from 21% (in 1990) to 10.9% (in 2008).