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.

~~~~~~~

Improved Relationship with Corporate Giant Starbucks

A report from Washington D.C. states that an agreement has been reached between Ethiopian coffee growers and Starbucks. Ethiopian coffee growers have already seen their export price rise from $1.30 a pound to $2 a pound. It is expected that prices will continue to climb over the next year or so. Starbucks has sold Harar and Sidamo in coffee shops for as much as $26 a pound. It is good to hear that Ethiopian coffee growers will see more profit for their work.

~~~~~~~~

Nokia launches Amharic-based mobile phone

In other brand-name news, Nokia has just launched an Amharic cell phone that features an Amharic-language keypad. Nokia has customized its phones to African languages in other African countries as well.

~~~~~~~~
Indian Company Inaugurates 10 $ MLN Worth Pharmaceutical Plant

An Indian company is building a pharmaceutical company on the outskirts of Addis. The company hopes to make anti-retroviral drugs available to the public at affordable prices as early as next year. They will also be producing a personal HIV diagnostic kit that will tell if a person is positive or not in 3 minutes. Other medications will be produced by the company as well.

~~~~~~~~

Millenium Entertainment A Success

Last week's celebration of the Ethiopian Millenium was reported to be a great success. 14,500 partygoers paid 1,500 Br for a ticket to attend a concert at the new 10-million-dollar concert hall on Bole Road. Some doubted that the hall would be ready, as the construction company was attempting to assemble the building in three months. However it was reported that the venue was indeed ready. Concert-goers reported that the stage was huge, the lighting was state of the art and the sound system was superb. Never before had Addis seen such a concert.