Here are some news highlights from Ethiopia this week. I've included a summary of each piece. You can click on the title of each story to go read the full story. As always, links are only good for a few weeks, unless you subscribe to the news service.

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Ethiopia: U.S. to Build Largest Embassy Structure in Addis

Adoptive families may soon have a more comfortable and accommodating U.S. embassy building to visit when they apply for their adopted children's visas in Addis. The United States government is planning... more

Here are some news highlights from Ethiopia this week. I've included a summary of each piece. You can click on the title of each story to go read the full story. As always, links are only good for a few weeks, unless you subscribe to the news service.

~~~~~~~ Ethiopia: Red Cross Society to Build a 12-Storey Complex

The Ethiopian Red Cross Society is planning to spend over 73 million birr to build a multi-purpose 12- storey building in Addis Ababa. The red Cross has been in need of funding, and is hoping that renting... more

Here are some news highlights from Ethiopia this week. I've included a summary of each piece. You can click on the title of each story to go read the full story. As always, links are only good for a few weeks, unless you subscribe to the news service.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ethiopia: Finland, Amhara Region Sign Agreement Worth 9 Million Euro

From the Daily Monitor (Addis Ababa) June 29, 2007

One of the Millennium Development Goals that Ethiopia is currently trying to implement calls for a reduction in the proportion... more

Here are some news highlights from Ethiopia this week. I've included a summary of each piece. You can click on the title of each story to go read the full story. As always, links are only good for a few weeks, unless you subscribe to the news service.

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Ethiopia: Country Likely to Take Highest Share of Bush's $30 Billion HIV/Aids Plan

It was reported by the Addis Ababa Daily Monitor that Ethiopia will receive the highest share of President George W. Bush's $30 billion Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. Kimberly... more

There have been a lot of rumors flying around regarding the future of Ethiopian adoption. Our agency has reported that the Children's Commission in Ethiopia has decided not let families with more than five children adopt from Ethiopia in the future. Families already in process will be allowed to complete their adoptions.

Our agency is very concerned about this pending change, and hopes it will not become a permanent rule. They feel that large families offer some really great advantages, especially when it comes to older children. Older kids often do best being parented by parents who have a lot of experience and who also have other Ethiopian children in the family as part of their... more

Here are some news highlights from Ethiopia this week. As always, links are only good for a few weeks, unless you subscribe to the news service. I've included a summary of each piece to help you decide if you are interested in reading the full story.

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30,000 Runners To Hit Road At Millenium

The Daily Monitor in Adds reported on Friday that 30,000 runners are expected to run in the 2007 TOYOTA Great Ethiopian Run. Elite athletes from all over the world will be running in this 10 km road race, which is scheduled... more

If you look at most of the news coming out of Ethiopia, it seems that bad news about Ethiopia is a lot easier to find than good. Ethiopian adoptees growing up in America may get a wrong picture of Ethiopia if all they ever hear about Ethiopia is people dying of AIDS and families who cannot care for their children any longer. That's why I think it is important to also tell our children about Ethiopian people who are doing great things.

Meseret Defar is one such person. She was born November 19, 1983 in Addis Ababa, and is an Olympic runner. She won gold in the women's 5000 metres at the 2004... more

Here are some news highlights from Ethiopia this week. As always, links are only good for a few weeks, unless you subscribe to the news service. I've included a summary of each piece to help you decide if you are interested in reading the full story. ~~~~~~~~

Sudan: Ahead of Rainy Season, UN Wraps Up Ethiopia Repatriation Programme

UN News Service (New York) 7 May 2007

Over 600 Sudanese refugees were recently moved across the Ethiopian border and relocated back to Sudan. The UN provided returning families with... more

There's big news in the world of international adoption these days. The countries sending the most orphans to the US are all being affected. So what's up?

China (sent 6,493 children to the US in 2006) On May 1st, China made their adoption laws much more restrictive. Overweight? Diabetic? On anti-depressants? Over 50? You probably won't be adopting from China. Why the changes? Currently China has fewer babies being abandoned and more domestic adoption happening. The new laws are simply a way of thinning out the ranks of adoptive families eager for baby girls. Russia (sent 3,706 children to the US in 2006) In Russia,... more

The BBC News reported on Friday that the fighting in Somalia has halted for the moment after the Ethiopian forces chased Somalian insurgents out of the suburbs of Mogadishu. According to the U.N., heavy fighting in the past two months has caused more displaced people in Somalia than in any other country in the world.

Stephanie Bunker, spokeswoman for UN relief coordinator John Holmes, said at least 350,000 people had fled fighting in Mogadishu since February. There is also concern for those trapped in the city, where more than 600 have died from acute diarrhoea and cholera. (Source: BBC 'Worst Refugee Crisis')

... more