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| Ethiopia security forces kill up to 50 people in crackdown on peaceful protests | Ethiopia security forces kill up to 50 people in crackdown on peaceful protests |
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| The violence-torn Horn of Africa is seeing a fresh wave of repression as Ethiopian authorities crack down on protests by the country’s largest ethnic minority. | The violence-torn Horn of Africa is seeing a fresh wave of repression as Ethiopian authorities crack down on protests by the country’s largest ethnic minority. |
| Human rights groups say an attempted land grab by the federal government has seen violence flare in the Oromia region, with up to 50 protesters killed by security forces so far this month. | Human rights groups say an attempted land grab by the federal government has seen violence flare in the Oromia region, with up to 50 protesters killed by security forces so far this month. |
| Campaigners from the Oromo ethnic group say they have been labelled “terrorists” by Ethiopian authorities as they fight the government’s plan to integrate parts of Oromia into the capital Addis Ababa. | Campaigners from the Oromo ethnic group say they have been labelled “terrorists” by Ethiopian authorities as they fight the government’s plan to integrate parts of Oromia into the capital Addis Ababa. |
| Some Oromo protesters fear that they will be forcibly evicted from their land as part of the rapid expansion of the capital, which they call a federal “master plan”. | Some Oromo protesters fear that they will be forcibly evicted from their land as part of the rapid expansion of the capital, which they call a federal “master plan”. |
| The government has claimed that the protesters are planning to “destabilise the country” and that some of them have a “direct link with a group that has been collaborating with other proven terrorist parties”. | The government has claimed that the protesters are planning to “destabilise the country” and that some of them have a “direct link with a group that has been collaborating with other proven terrorist parties”. |
| International observer groups have condemned the violent crackdown on protest movements, however. | International observer groups have condemned the violent crackdown on protest movements, however. |
| “Instead of condemning the unlawful killings by the security forces, which have seen the deaths of more than 40 people in the last three weeks, this statement in effect authorises excessive use of force against peaceful protesters,” said Muthoni Wanyeki, Amnesty International’s regional director for East Africa, the Horn and the Great Lakes. | “Instead of condemning the unlawful killings by the security forces, which have seen the deaths of more than 40 people in the last three weeks, this statement in effect authorises excessive use of force against peaceful protesters,” said Muthoni Wanyeki, Amnesty International’s regional director for East Africa, the Horn and the Great Lakes. |
| “The suggestion that these Oromo – protesting against a real threat to their livelihoods – are aligned to terrorists will have a chilling effect on freedom of expression for rights activists,” he said. | “The suggestion that these Oromo – protesting against a real threat to their livelihoods – are aligned to terrorists will have a chilling effect on freedom of expression for rights activists,” he said. |
| The latest round of protests, now in their third week, has seen the federal government mobilise its Special Paramilitary Police units from other states, as well as army units, against the ethnic Oromo people, Ethiopia’s biggest ethnic group of about 25 million people out of a population of approximately 74 million. | The latest round of protests, now in their third week, has seen the federal government mobilise its Special Paramilitary Police units from other states, as well as army units, against the ethnic Oromo people, Ethiopia’s biggest ethnic group of about 25 million people out of a population of approximately 74 million. |
| Firefighters walk through smoke while fighting a forest fire near the Basque town of Berango, near Bilbao, northern Spain, | |
| A reveller takes part in the "Enfarinats" battle in the southeastern Spanish town of Ibi. During this 200-year-old traditional festival participants known as Els Enfarinats (those covered in flour) dress in mock military clothes and stage a mock coup d'etat as they battle using flour, eggs and firecrackers outside the city town hall as part of the celebrations of the Day of the Innocents. | |
| Vatican Gendarme adjusts his cloak as Pope Francis celebrates the holy Mass for the families in St.Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, | Vatican Gendarme adjusts his cloak as Pope Francis celebrates the holy Mass for the families in St.Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, |
| A man walks near a building on fire following a reported air strike by government forces in the rebel-held region of Eastern Ghouta, on the outskirts of the Syrian capital Damascus. Syria's nearly five-year war has left more than 250,000 dead and forced some 12 million people from their homes | A man walks near a building on fire following a reported air strike by government forces in the rebel-held region of Eastern Ghouta, on the outskirts of the Syrian capital Damascus. Syria's nearly five-year war has left more than 250,000 dead and forced some 12 million people from their homes |
| A local dressed up in the traditional "caretos" costume poses during a winter mascarade in the northern Portuguese parish of Parada de Grijo, some 20 km from Braganca, during the Sao Estebao festivities | A local dressed up in the traditional "caretos" costume poses during a winter mascarade in the northern Portuguese parish of Parada de Grijo, some 20 km from Braganca, during the Sao Estebao festivities |
| An ultra-Orthodox Jewish man gestures the v-sign for victory from behind police tape at the site of a reported attack by a Palestinian assailant near Jerusalem's Old City. "Police officers spotted a man who aroused their suspicions and approached him to check," a police spokeswoman said. "The terrorist pulled out a knife and tried to stab the policeman and was quickly killed by police gunfire." | An ultra-Orthodox Jewish man gestures the v-sign for victory from behind police tape at the site of a reported attack by a Palestinian assailant near Jerusalem's Old City. "Police officers spotted a man who aroused their suspicions and approached him to check," a police spokeswoman said. "The terrorist pulled out a knife and tried to stab the policeman and was quickly killed by police gunfire." |
| Children queue to receive food and toys during a distribution by members of the Youth Movement for the Future of Ivory Coast (REJACI) in a poor neighbourhood in the suburb of Cocody, in Abidjan | Children queue to receive food and toys during a distribution by members of the Youth Movement for the Future of Ivory Coast (REJACI) in a poor neighbourhood in the suburb of Cocody, in Abidjan |
| Maxi yacht Comanche powers through heavy swells outside Sydney's harbour during the 71st Sydney to Hobart Yacht race, Australia's premiere bluewater classic race. | Maxi yacht Comanche powers through heavy swells outside Sydney's harbour during the 71st Sydney to Hobart Yacht race, Australia's premiere bluewater classic race. |
| Fire photographer Tod Sudmeier gets hit with flying embers from strong winds at the Solimar brush fire that started early Saturday morning in Ventura County, California. A wildfire in Southern California burned over 1,000 acres of land, forced the closure of parts of two major highways and led to evacuations on Saturday, fire officials said. | Fire photographer Tod Sudmeier gets hit with flying embers from strong winds at the Solimar brush fire that started early Saturday morning in Ventura County, California. A wildfire in Southern California burned over 1,000 acres of land, forced the closure of parts of two major highways and led to evacuations on Saturday, fire officials said. |
| Novice Buddhist monks react to the camera during the Jangchup Lamrim teachings conducted by the Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama (not pictured) at the Tashi Lhunpo Monastery in Bylakuppe in Karnataka, India | Novice Buddhist monks react to the camera during the Jangchup Lamrim teachings conducted by the Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama (not pictured) at the Tashi Lhunpo Monastery in Bylakuppe in Karnataka, India |
| Pope Francis waves during the "Urbi et Orbi" (to the City and the World) Christmas message from the balcony overlooking St. Peter's Square at the Vatican | Pope Francis waves during the "Urbi et Orbi" (to the City and the World) Christmas message from the balcony overlooking St. Peter's Square at the Vatican |
| Winter swimmers (L) look on as a man (R) wearing a Santa Claus hat and beard jumps into a pool carved into thick ice covering the Songhua River, to celebrate the upcoming Christmas, in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, China, | Winter swimmers (L) look on as a man (R) wearing a Santa Claus hat and beard jumps into a pool carved into thick ice covering the Songhua River, to celebrate the upcoming Christmas, in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, China, |
| Fruits are displayed for sale at a market in Hanoi, Vietnam. Vietnam saw record low inflation of 0.63 percent in 2015 but the rate could rise to 5 percent next year on anticipated increases in electricity, education and healthcare prices, the government said on Thursday. The inflation average was the lowest since Vietnam started calculating it in 2006, which the General Statistics Office (GSO) attributed to falling oil prices globally. | Fruits are displayed for sale at a market in Hanoi, Vietnam. Vietnam saw record low inflation of 0.63 percent in 2015 but the rate could rise to 5 percent next year on anticipated increases in electricity, education and healthcare prices, the government said on Thursday. The inflation average was the lowest since Vietnam started calculating it in 2006, which the General Statistics Office (GSO) attributed to falling oil prices globally. |
| The child of Kurdish migrants stands outside a tent at the Grande Synthe migrant camp near Dunkerque in northern France. More than 2,000 migrants, mostly Iraqis and Kurds, live in the camp. The UN refugee agency and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said this week more than one million migrants and refugees reached Europe this year, most of them by sea, more than four times the figure for 2014 | The child of Kurdish migrants stands outside a tent at the Grande Synthe migrant camp near Dunkerque in northern France. More than 2,000 migrants, mostly Iraqis and Kurds, live in the camp. The UN refugee agency and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said this week more than one million migrants and refugees reached Europe this year, most of them by sea, more than four times the figure for 2014 |
| A diver dressed as Santa Claus greets children during a show before Christmas at the Aquarium of Paris | A diver dressed as Santa Claus greets children during a show before Christmas at the Aquarium of Paris |
| Expedition 46 Flight Engineer Tim Kopra on a spacewalk, in which Kopra and Expedition 46 Commander Scott Kelly successfully moved the International Space Station's mobile transporter rail car ahead of Wednesday's docking of a Russian cargo supply spacecraft. | Expedition 46 Flight Engineer Tim Kopra on a spacewalk, in which Kopra and Expedition 46 Commander Scott Kelly successfully moved the International Space Station's mobile transporter rail car ahead of Wednesday's docking of a Russian cargo supply spacecraft. |
| Aisha, 15, (L) (who asked to withhold her last name), a Syrian refugee from Raqqa, waits with a fellow refugee while harvesting cannabis in the Bekaa valley, Lebanon. Syrian refugees work to harvest and process spiky-leafed cannabis plants in neighboring Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley. Often farmers of cotton and wheat back home in Raqqa province - now the de facto capital of Islamic State - the conflict in Syria drove them to seek safety in a region where Syrian migrant workers used to spend a few months a year before returning home. | Aisha, 15, (L) (who asked to withhold her last name), a Syrian refugee from Raqqa, waits with a fellow refugee while harvesting cannabis in the Bekaa valley, Lebanon. Syrian refugees work to harvest and process spiky-leafed cannabis plants in neighboring Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley. Often farmers of cotton and wheat back home in Raqqa province - now the de facto capital of Islamic State - the conflict in Syria drove them to seek safety in a region where Syrian migrant workers used to spend a few months a year before returning home. |
| Students dressed up as Christmas gifts take part in a Christmas parade in Beirut, Lebanon, | Students dressed up as Christmas gifts take part in a Christmas parade in Beirut, Lebanon, |
| The first stage of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket returns to land in a time exposure at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, on the launcher's first mission since a June failure, in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The rocket carried a payload of eleven satellites owned by Orbcomm, a New Jersey-based communications company. | The first stage of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket returns to land in a time exposure at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, on the launcher's first mission since a June failure, in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The rocket carried a payload of eleven satellites owned by Orbcomm, a New Jersey-based communications company. |
| Russian Communist party supporters hold portraits of Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin as they take part in a ceremony to mark the 136th anniversary of his birth at Red Square in Moscow | Russian Communist party supporters hold portraits of Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin as they take part in a ceremony to mark the 136th anniversary of his birth at Red Square in Moscow |
| AFP/Getty | AFP/Getty |
| Rescuers look for survivors after a landslide hit an industrial park in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong province. A massive landslide at an industrial park in southern China buried 22 buildings and left 22 people missing, state media reported, as more than 1,500 emergency workers searched the scene. | Rescuers look for survivors after a landslide hit an industrial park in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong province. A massive landslide at an industrial park in southern China buried 22 buildings and left 22 people missing, state media reported, as more than 1,500 emergency workers searched the scene. |
| Left-wing Podemos (We Can) party leader Pablo Iglesias casts his vote in Spain's general election in Madrid, Spain | Left-wing Podemos (We Can) party leader Pablo Iglesias casts his vote in Spain's general election in Madrid, Spain |
| Reuters | Reuters |
| A man prepares decorations ahead of the birthday of Prophet Mohammed in Sidon, south Lebanon | A man prepares decorations ahead of the birthday of Prophet Mohammed in Sidon, south Lebanon |
| Reuters | Reuters |
| US Press Secretary Josh Earnest speaks to the press in the briefing room at the White House in Washington, DC, with Star Wars characters R2D2 and Storm Troopers. The new Star Wars movie "The Force Awakens" was shown at the White House for children of military families. | US Press Secretary Josh Earnest speaks to the press in the briefing room at the White House in Washington, DC, with Star Wars characters R2D2 and Storm Troopers. The new Star Wars movie "The Force Awakens" was shown at the White House for children of military families. |
| AFP | AFP |
| A couple carrying a freshly cut Christmas tree at a plantation in Negenborn, Germany | A couple carrying a freshly cut Christmas tree at a plantation in Negenborn, Germany |
| Paratroopers from the Qatari armed forces take part in Qatar's National Day celebrations in Doha | Paratroopers from the Qatari armed forces take part in Qatar's National Day celebrations in Doha |
| Indian sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik gives the final touches to his sand sculpture of Mother Teresa at steel city Rourkela in Sundargarh district, in the north-west tip of Orissa state. Pope Francis has recognised a second miracle attributed to the late Mother Teresa, clearing the path for the nun to be elevated to sainthood next year, the Vatican said | Indian sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik gives the final touches to his sand sculpture of Mother Teresa at steel city Rourkela in Sundargarh district, in the north-west tip of Orissa state. Pope Francis has recognised a second miracle attributed to the late Mother Teresa, clearing the path for the nun to be elevated to sainthood next year, the Vatican said |
| A Haitian journalist covering demonstrators marching to the Ballot Tabulation Center in Sonapi, to protest against the Provisional Electoral Council, the election results and also to request an independent commission to review the election outcome, is overcome by tear gas fired by police in Port-au-Prince | A Haitian journalist covering demonstrators marching to the Ballot Tabulation Center in Sonapi, to protest against the Provisional Electoral Council, the election results and also to request an independent commission to review the election outcome, is overcome by tear gas fired by police in Port-au-Prince |
| Bangladeshi children attend a rally during the Victory Day celebrations in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Bangladesh marks its 44th Victory Day across the country remembering the country's war heroes. Bangladesh became a free nation on 16 December 1971 after a nine-month bloody war with Pakistan | Bangladeshi children attend a rally during the Victory Day celebrations in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Bangladesh marks its 44th Victory Day across the country remembering the country's war heroes. Bangladesh became a free nation on 16 December 1971 after a nine-month bloody war with Pakistan |
| Filipino children rest next to damaged houses in the typhoon-hit town of Magallanes, Sorsogon province, southern Manila, Philippines. At least four people were killed and hundreds of thousands were displaced as a powerful typhoon pummelled the Philippines for the second day, officials said. Typhoon Melor also toppled trees and electric posts, totally and partially destroyed houses, as well as rice paddies submerged in waters, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC). Thousands of air and sea passengers were stranded in different ports and airports as 64 domestic flights were cancelled while hundreds of ships stopped from sailing due to bad weather | Filipino children rest next to damaged houses in the typhoon-hit town of Magallanes, Sorsogon province, southern Manila, Philippines. At least four people were killed and hundreds of thousands were displaced as a powerful typhoon pummelled the Philippines for the second day, officials said. Typhoon Melor also toppled trees and electric posts, totally and partially destroyed houses, as well as rice paddies submerged in waters, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC). Thousands of air and sea passengers were stranded in different ports and airports as 64 domestic flights were cancelled while hundreds of ships stopped from sailing due to bad weather |
| Soldiers of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) jump as part of their winter training in temperature of negative 26 degrees Celsius at China's border with Russia in Heihe, Heilongjiang province, China | Soldiers of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) jump as part of their winter training in temperature of negative 26 degrees Celsius at China's border with Russia in Heihe, Heilongjiang province, China |
| The protests began last month in Ginci, a small town about 50 miles west of Addis Ababa. Initially, campaigners’ demands were limited and concerned the fate of a local stadium and the clearing of nearby forest for development by foreign investors. | The protests began last month in Ginci, a small town about 50 miles west of Addis Ababa. Initially, campaigners’ demands were limited and concerned the fate of a local stadium and the clearing of nearby forest for development by foreign investors. |
| The uprising spread quickly, however, to more than 130 towns across Oromia. And gruesome images of protesters wounded, or killed by security forces appeared on social media sites despite deliberate power blackouts and disruption of internet services. | The uprising spread quickly, however, to more than 130 towns across Oromia. And gruesome images of protesters wounded, or killed by security forces appeared on social media sites despite deliberate power blackouts and disruption of internet services. |
| The Prime Minister, Hailemariam Desalegn, said on state television on Wednesday evening that the government knew that “destructive forces are masterminding the violence from the front and from behind”. He said he would take “merciless legitimate action against any force bent on destabilising the area”. The government said that the outlawed Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) was involved. | The Prime Minister, Hailemariam Desalegn, said on state television on Wednesday evening that the government knew that “destructive forces are masterminding the violence from the front and from behind”. He said he would take “merciless legitimate action against any force bent on destabilising the area”. The government said that the outlawed Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) was involved. |
| Ethiopia’s anti-terrorism legislation permits the government to use unrestrained force against suspected terrorists, including pre-trial detention of up to four months. | Ethiopia’s anti-terrorism legislation permits the government to use unrestrained force against suspected terrorists, including pre-trial detention of up to four months. |
| People that have been subject to pre-trial detention under the anti-terrorism law have reported widespread use of torture and ill-treatment. All claims of torture and ill-treatment should be promptly and independently investigated by the authorities. | People that have been subject to pre-trial detention under the anti-terrorism law have reported widespread use of torture and ill-treatment. All claims of torture and ill-treatment should be promptly and independently investigated by the authorities. |
| “The government should desist from using draconian anti-terrorism measures to quell protests and instead protect its citizen’s right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly,” said Ms Wanyeki. | “The government should desist from using draconian anti-terrorism measures to quell protests and instead protect its citizen’s right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly,” said Ms Wanyeki. |
| Since moving into Ethiopia’s highlands in the 1600s, the Oromos have been discriminated against by the ruling Tigray and Amhara classes, who often saw them as “uncivilised”, according to the historian John Markakis. | Since moving into Ethiopia’s highlands in the 1600s, the Oromos have been discriminated against by the ruling Tigray and Amhara classes, who often saw them as “uncivilised”, according to the historian John Markakis. |