Most Popular Articles

• Ethiopia’s football follies Full time?

  Aug 24, 2016 by Admin / 756 Views

  The country is overdoing its stadium-building

  Aug 13th 2016 | ADDIS ABABA |
  

  

  BROKEN windows, fraying nets, chairs with missing legs; the Yidnekachew Tessema Stadium in Addis Ababa has seen better days. Rehabilitated by Emperor Haile Selassie after his return from exile in 1941, it was once a proud monument to Ethiopia’s restored independence following five years of Italian occupation. In 1962 it hosted the African Cup of Nations (Afcon); the national football team, known as the “Walias”, won. But the Walias, like their stadium, have struggled since. In 2012 they ended a 31-year stretch in the wilderness by qualifying for Afcon. In 2013 they duly crashed out in the first round.

  Enough is enough, says the government. Ethiopians are proud of their sporting heritage: the country’s long-distance runners are among the best in the world. “We were the founders of African football,” says Juneydi Basha, head of the Ethiopian Football Federation. Addis Ababa hosts the African Union; the government wants it to host Afcon again.

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• Australia Will Suddenly Move 1.8 Meters North On New Year's Day

  Aug 2, 2016 by Admin / 735 Views

  

  Hold on tight, Australians – on New Year’s Day 2017, your entire country will jut northwards by 1.8 meters (5.9 feet). If, dear reader, you are now adorned with a doubt-infused frown, then you’ve probably clocked that this won’t be due to some apocalyptic shift in plate tectonics. Continental drift, however, does have a role to play in this geographic kerfuffle.

  The Australian Plate is moving about 7 centimeters (2.8 inches) northwards every single year. This motion has accumulated over the decades to produce a significant discrepancy between local coordinates on maps and global coordinates in digital navigation systems used by satellites.

  At present, this difference amounts to an error of 1.5 meters (4.9 feet). This is enough to cause a problem to anything in Australia that uses GPS-like systems, including smartphones and vehicles.

  "If you want to start using driverless cars, accurate map information is fundamental," Dan Jaksa, a member of Geoscience Australia, told BBC News. “We have tractors in Australia starting to go around farms without a driver, and if the information about the farm doesn't line up with the coordinates coming out of the navigation system there will be problems.”

  In order to stave off a grim future where autonomous tractors plough into helpless farm animals by mistake, the nation’s local coordinates will jump northwards at the start of next year. By 2020, the inexorable march of plate tectonics will catch up to the adjustment, and both the analogue and digital coordinate sets will match up for the first time since 1994, when the local coordinate system was last updated.

  So as to stop this silliness happening again, a new as-of-yet unspecified system will be implemented in 2020 that will keep the two sets of coordinates matched in real-time. “Once we have a system that can deal with changes over time, then everybody in the world could be on that same system,” Jaksa added.

  Australia was attached to Antarctica until around 85 million years ago, whereupon they began to initially rift apart. By 45 million years ago, 21 million years after the non-avian dinosaurs bit the dust, they had completely separated from each other. Although the Australian Plate initially fused with the Indian Plate, they have since become segregated, perhaps as little as 3 million years ago.

  In 50 million years’ time, Australia will collide into the southeastern coast of China, eventually forming a brand new mountain range. It will be one of the earliest jigsaw pieces that will culminate in the formation of Pangaea Ultima, the next true supercontinent, 250 million years from now. By then, it’s likely that our coordinate technology would have moved on quite a bit.

  source iflscience.com

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• Haile GebreSelassie Biography

  Jul 7, 2016 by Admin / 690 Views

  Intro

  Haile Gebre Selassie is regarded universally as the greatest distance runner of all times. With a career that sees him breaking records as they are made, Haile has built an extraordinary reputation as an exceptional athlete who is setting a new level in long-distance running.

  The Beginning - Brief Bio

  Haile was born in the province of Arsi in Central Ethiopia. Arsi is a fertile region in the central Ethiopian plateau that has produced great long-distant runners like Derartu Tulu, Fatuma Roba, and of course, Haile Gebreselassie. Haile was inspired by his countrymen, the Ethiopian marathon legend, Abebe Bikila and also 5k and 10k Olympic gold medalist Miruts Yifter. As a child he had to run 10 kilometers a day each way to go and come back from school. At age 16, without any formal training, he entered the Addis Ababa marathon, and finished in 2:42.

  Haile rose to international prominence in 1992 when he won the 5000m and 10,000m World Junior championships. In 1993 at the Stuttgart World championships, he won the 10,000m and got second in the 5000m. Haile set his first World Record in the 5000m in 12:56.96 in Hengelo, Holland in 1994. By breaking the 6 year old world record of Said Aouita.

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• Global Firepower Rank

  Aug 1, 2016 by Admin / 689 Views

  The finalized  ranking relies on over 50 factors to determine a given nation's Power Index ("PwrIndx") score. This allows smaller, though more technologically-advanced, nations to compete with larger, lesser-developed ones. Modifiers in the form of bonuses and penalties are added to refine the list. Some things to observe in regards to the finalized ranking:

  • Ranking does not simply rely on the total number of weapons available to any one country but rather focuses on weapon diversity within the number totals to provide a better balance of firepower available (i.e. fielding 100 minesweepers does not equal the strategic and tactical value of fielding 10 aircraft carriers).
  • Nuclear stockpiles are NOT taken into account but recognized / suspected nuclear powers receive a bonus.
  • Geographical factors, logistical flexibility, natural resources and local industry influence the final ranking.
  • Available manpower is a key consideration; nations with large populations tend to rank higher.
  • Land-locked nations are NOT penalized for lack of a navy; naval powers ARE penalized for lack of diversity in available assets.
  • NATO allies receive a slight bonus due to the theoretical sharing of resources.
  • Current political / military leadership is NOT taken into account.

  As of 4/1/2016 there are a total of (126) countries included in the GFP database.

  Rank

  Country

  GFP Power Index rating 

  1 

   

  

   

  0.0897 - United States of America (North America; NATO)

  2

   

  

   

  0.0964 - Russia (Asia)

  3

   

  

   

  0.0988 - China (Asia)

  4

   

  

   

  0.1661 - India (Asia)

  5

   

  

   

  0.1993 - France (Europe; NATO; Eunion)

  6

   

  

   

  0.2164 - United Kingdom (Europe; NATO; Eunion)

  7

   

  

   

  0.2466 - Japan (Asia)

  8

   

  

   

  0.2623 - Turkey (Asia; Middle East; NATO)

  9

   

  

   

  0.2646 - Germany (Europe; NATO; Eunion)

  10

   

  

   

  0.2724 - Italy (Europe; NATO; Eunion)

  11

   

  

   

  0.2824 - South Korea (Asia)

  12

   

  

   

  0.3056 - Egypt (Africa; Middle East)

  13

   

  

   

  0.3246 - Pakistan (Asia)

  14

   

  

   

  0.3354 - Indonesia (Asia; Southeast)

  15

   

  

   

  0.3359 - Brazil (South America; Latin)

  16

   

  

   

  0.3591 - Israel (Middle East)

  17

   

  

   

  0.3684 - Vietnam (Asia; Southeast)

  18

   

  

   

  0.3909 - Poland (Europe; NATO; Eunion)

  19

   

  

   

  0.3958 - Taiwan (Asia)

  20

   

  

   

  0.4068 - Thailand (Asia; Southeast)

  21

   

  

   

  0.4071 - Iran (Middle East)

  22

   

  

   

  0.4192 - Canada (North America; NATO)

  23

   

  

   

  0.4209 - Australia (Asia)

  24

   

  

   

  0.4335 - Saudi Arabia (Middle East)

  25

   

  

   

  0.4442 - North Korea (Asia)

  26

   

  

   

  0.4514 - Algeria (Africa)

  27

   

  

   

  0.4913 - Spain (Europe; NATO; Eunion)

  28

   

  

   

  0.5147 - Greece (Europe; NATO; Eunion)

  29

   

  

   

  0.5774 - Sweden (Scandanavia; Eunion)

  30

   

  

   

  0.5867 - Ukraine (Europe)

  31

   

  

   

  0.6286 - Mexico (North America; Latin)

  32

   

  

   

  0.6378 - Czech Republic (Europe; NATO; Eunion)

  33

   

  

   

  0.6584 - Myanmar (Asia; Southeast)

  34

   

  

   

  0.6679 - Malaysia (Asia; Southeast)

  35

   

  

   

  0.7073 - Argentina (South America; Latin)

  36

   

  

   

  0.7078 - Syria (Middle East)

  37

   

  

   

  0.7112 - Switzerland (Europe)

  38

   

  

   

  0.7147 - Norway (Scandanavia; NATO)

  39

   

  

   

  0.7182 - Netherlands (Europe; NATO; Eunion)

  40

   

  

   

  0.7501 - Peru (South America)

  41

   

  

   

  0.7502 - Colombia (South America; Latin)

  42

   

  

   

  0.7619 - Ethiopia (Africa)

  43

   

  

   

  0.7744 - Romania (Europe; NATO; Eunion)

  44

   

  

   

  0.7856 - Nigeria (Africa)

  45

   

  

   

  0.7882 - Venezuela (South America; Latin)

  46

   

  

   

  0.8252 - South Africa (Africa)

  47

   

  

   

  0.8283 - Chile (South America; Latin)

  48

   

  

   

  0.8384 - Uzbekistan (Asia)

  49

   

  

   

  0.8449 - Belarus (Europe)

  50

   

  

   

  0.8453 - Denmark (Scandanavia; Europe; NATO; Eunion)

  51

   

  

   

  0.8661 - Philippines (Asia; Southeast)

  52

   

  

   

  0.8683 - Bangladesh (Asia)

  53

   

  

   

  0.8722 - Kazakhstan (Asia)

  54

   

  

   

  0.8878 - Angola (Africa)

  55

   

  

   

  0.8952 - Finland (Scandanavia; Eunion)

  56

   

  

   

  0.9011 - Morocco (Africa)

  57

   

  

   

  0.9135 - Austria (Europe; Eunion)

  58

   

  

   

  0.9301 - United Arab Emirates (Middle East)

  59

   

  

   

  0.9342 - Iraq (Middle East)

  60

   

  

   

  0.9349 - Azerbaijan (Asia)

  61

   

  

   

  0.9678 - Yemen (Middle East)

  62

   

  

   

  1.0007 - Hungary (Europe; NATO; Eunion)

  63

   

  

   

  1.0199 - Portugal (Europe; NATO; Eunion)

  64

   

  

   

  1.0241 - Singapore (Asia; Southeast)

  65

   

  

   

  1.0391 - Belgium (Europe; NATO; Eunion)

  66

   

  

   

  1.0611 - Afghanistan (Asia)

  67

   

  

   

  1.0657 - Bulgaria (Europe; NATO; Eunion)

  68

   

  

   

  1.0733 - Croatia (Europe; NATO; Eunion)

  69

   

  

   

  1.1582 - Ecuador (South America)

  70

   

  

   

  1.2354 - Jordan (Middle East)

  71

   

  

   

  1.2356 - Sudan (Africa)

  72

   

  

   

  1.3169 - Libya (Africa)

  73

   

  

   

  1.3384 - Democratic Republic of the Congo (Africa)

  74

   

  

   

  1.3687 - Slovakia (Europe; NATO; Eunion)

  75

   

  

   

  1.3731 - Kenya (Africa)

  76

   

  

   

  1.4089 - Tunisia (Africa)

  77

   

  

   

  1.4219 - Oman (Middle East)

  78

   

  

   

  1.4601 - Kuwait (Middle East)

  79

   

  

   

  1.4637 - Cuba (Central America)

  80

   

  

   

  1.5148 - Georgia (Asia)

  81

   

  

   

  1.5483 - Bolivia (South America)

  82

   

  

   

  1.5508 - Zimbabwe (Africa)

  83

   

  

   

  1.5868 - Serbia (Europe)

  84

   

  

   

  1.6268 - Sri Lanka (Asia)

  85

   

  

   

  1.6539 - Zambia (Africa)

  86

   

  

   

  1.6722 - Turkmenistan (Asia)

  87

   

  

   

  1.7981 - Mongolia (Asia)

  88

   

  

   

  1.8224 - Cambodia (Asia; Southeast)

  89

   

  

   

  1.8307 - Chad (Africa)

  90

   

  

   

  1.8564 - Albania (Europe; NATO)

  91

   

  

   

  1.8778 - Bahrain (Middle East)

  92

   

  

   

  1.8793 - Uganda (Africa)

  93

   

  

   

  1.8956 - Qatar (Middle East)

  94

   

  

   

  1.9113 - Armenia (Asia)

  95

   

  

   

  1.9243 - Lebanon (Middle East)

  96

   

  

   

  1.9561 - Tanzania (Africa)

  97

   

  

   

  1.9598 - Lithuania (Europe; NATO; Eunion)

  98

   

  

   

  1.9741 - Nepal (Asia)

  99

   

  

   

  1.9801 - South Sudan (Africa)

  100

   

  

   

  2.0476 - Ghana (Africa)

  101

   

  

   

  2.0791 - New Zealand (Asia)

  102

   

  

   

  2.1576 - Guatemala (South America)

  103

   

  

   

  2.1777 - Latvia (Europe; NATO; Eunion)

  104

   

  

   

  2.2177 - Paraguay (South America; Latin)

  105

   

  

   

  2.2291 - Uruguay (South America; Latin)

  106

   

  

   

  2.2407 - Cameroon (Africa)

  107

   

  

   

  2.2971 - Honduras (Central America)

  108

   

  

   

  2.3061 - Mozambique (Africa)

  109

   

  

   

  2.3138 - Estonia (Europe; NATO; Eunion)

  110

   

  

   

  2.3158 - Kyrgyzstan (Asia)

  111

   

  

   

  2.3958 - Slovenia (Europe; NATO; Eunion)

  112

   

  

   

  2.4322 - Tajikistan (Asia)

  113

   

  

   

  2.4372 - Nicaragua (Central America)

  114

   

  

   

  2.4719 - Niger (Africa)

  115

   

  

   

  2.4901 - Ivory Coast (Africa)

  116

   

  

   

  2.6638 - Mali (Africa)

  117

   

  

   

  2.7535 - Madagascar (Africa)

  118

   

  

   

  2.8204 - Gabon (Africa)

  119

   

  

   

  2.8447 - Republic of the Congo (Africa)

  120

   

  

   

  2.8574 - Bosnia and Herzegovina (Europe)

  121

   

  

   

  2.8947 - Laos (Asia; Southeast)

  122

   

  

   

  3.0997 - El Salvador (Central America)

  123

   

  

   

  3.2877 - Panama (Central America)

  124

   

  

   

  3.3534 - Namibia (Africa)

  125

   

  

   

  3.4241 - Somalia (Africa)

  126

   

  

   

  3.7343 - Central African Republic (Africa)

   

   

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• Ethiopia and Tanzania agree on power export deal

  Sep 5, 2016 by Admin / 688 Views

  August 28, 2016 (ADDIS ABABA) – Tanzania is set to sign electricity power export deal with Ethiopia making it the fourth African country purchasing electricity from the latter.

  

  The planned Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam project (AP)

  Ethiopia’s national power company (EEP) on Saturday announced that Tanzania has agreed to purchase 400 MW of Ethiopia’s hydro-power processed electricity.

  EEP’s Chief Executive Officer, Azeb Asnake said the agreement between the two countries will be finalized in the coming weeks.

  Azeb said the new power export deal will fosters economic integration and strengthens multilateral ties between the two countries.

  The power transaction will create further economic integration between Tanzania and Kenya as the latter sits between Ethiopia and Tanzania, the CEO told the state run Ethiopian News Agency.

  “Because when Tanzania gets electric power from Ethiopia, it has to pass through Kenya,” she said, adding, "When two countries are integrated economically, then they have to watch out for their political relationship as well”.

  The horn of Africa’s nation is investing billions of dollars to construct a number of hydro-electric power plants including what would be Africa’s largest Dam known as Grand Ethiopia Renaissance Dam (GERD).

  GERD which is being constructed along the Nile River in the Benshangul Gumz region near the Sudanese border is currently over 50 percent complete and will have power generation capacity of 8,000 MW.

  The Ethiopian government says construction of the massive dam project will transform the country’s vision to become a leading power exporter in the East African region hub for the renewable energy in Africa.

  Ethiopia hopes to become a middle income nation by 2025. Currently, it exports hydro-power processed electricity to its neighbors: Kenya, Sudan and Djibouti.

  Ethiopia intends to export power to seven neighboring countries after the completion of the mega dam project.

  Azeb further said Ethiopia also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Burundi and Rwanda.It also has plans to link its grid with South Sudan, Uganda and Yemen.

  According to official estimates Ethiopia’s potential power production capacity from hydro as well as geothermal, wind and solar energy over 60,000 MW which is roughly equal to half of Africa’s current installed capacity (147,000MW).

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