Ethiopia's former foreign minister, Seyoum Mesfin, addresses the final mediation report on South Sudan in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa, April 2, 2016. REUTERS
Ethiopia's former foreign minister, Seyoum Mesfin, addresses the final mediation report on South Sudan in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa, April 2, 2016. REUTERS
Ethiopia's former foreign minister, Seyoum Mesfin, addresses the final mediation report on South Sudan in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa, April 2, 2016. REUTERS
Ethiopia's former foreign minister, Seyoum Mesfin, addresses the final mediation report on South Sudan in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa, April 2, 2016. REUTERS

Ethiopia says former foreign minister killed by military after refusing to surrender


Soraya Ebrahimi
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Ethiopia on Wednesday said its military killed three members of the Tigray region's former ruling party, including former Ethiopian foreign minister Seyoum Mesfin.

Five members of the Tigray People's Liberation Front were captured and the three killed after they refused to surrender to the military, the government's task force for Tigray said on Twitter.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government declared victory in its conflict with the Front on November 28 last year after nearly a month of fighting.

Fugitive leaders of the Front pledged to continue the fight from mountains of Tigray in northern Ethiopia, but Reuters was unable to contact them for weeks.

The military said last week it had captured Sebhat Nega, a founding member of the Front.

At the weekend, it said it killed 15 members and captured eight, state-run TV reported.

Seyoum was Ethiopia's foreign minister from 1991 to 2010.

Air strikes and battles since early November in Tigray are believed to have killed thousands of people.

Fighting is continuing in some parts and more than 2 million people need aid, the UN said this week.

Phone and internet connections to the Tigray region are down and access to the area is strictly controlled.

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The National Archives, Abu Dhabi

Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.

Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en

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Tightening the screw on rogue recruiters

The UAE overhauled the procedure to recruit housemaids and domestic workers with a law in 2017 to protect low-income labour from being exploited.

 Only recruitment companies authorised by the government are permitted as part of Tadbeer, a network of labour ministry-regulated centres.

A contract must be drawn up for domestic workers, the wages and job offer clearly stating the nature of work.

The contract stating the wages, work entailed and accommodation must be sent to the employee in their home country before they depart for the UAE.

The contract will be signed by the employer and employee when the domestic worker arrives in the UAE.

Only recruitment agencies registered with the ministry can undertake recruitment and employment applications for domestic workers.

Penalties for illegal recruitment in the UAE include fines of up to Dh100,000 and imprisonment

But agents not authorised by the government sidestep the law by illegally getting women into the country on visit visas.

How to get there

Emirates (www.emirates.com) flies directly to Hanoi, Vietnam, with fares starting from around Dh2,725 return, while Etihad (www.etihad.com) fares cost about Dh2,213 return with a stop. Chuong is 25 kilometres south of Hanoi.
 

Red flags
  • Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
  • Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
  • Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
  • Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
  • Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.

Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching

Specs

Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request

Who is Mohammed Al Halbousi?

The new speaker of Iraq’s parliament Mohammed Al Halbousi is the youngest person ever to serve in the role.

The 37-year-old was born in Al Garmah in Anbar and studied civil engineering in Baghdad before going into business. His development company Al Hadeed undertook reconstruction contracts rebuilding parts of Fallujah’s infrastructure.

He entered parliament in 2014 and served as a member of the human rights and finance committees until 2017. In August last year he was appointed governor of Anbar, a role in which he has struggled to secure funding to provide services in the war-damaged province and to secure the withdrawal of Shia militias. He relinquished the post when he was sworn in as a member of parliament on September 3.

He is a member of the Al Hal Sunni-based political party and the Sunni-led Coalition of Iraqi Forces, which is Iraq’s largest Sunni alliance with 37 seats from the May 12 election.

He maintains good relations with former Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki’s State of Law Coaliton, Hadi Al Amiri’s Badr Organisation and Iranian officials.