Amid complaints on the bidding process, a Moroccan based information technology (IT) vendor, M2M Group, is poised to bag what is now the largest supply contract ordered by the state owned Commercial Bank of Ethiopia (CBE). The company has offered the lowest offer of eight million dollars to supply 420 units of Automated Teller Machine (ATM) and 37 million Br for 4,000 point of sales (POS) machines.

Founded in 1990, M2M is locally represented by MUTI Engineering and has been shortlisted on its technical offer along with two international IT vendors, although seven have entered into the bid. The Indian CopyCat, which has offered 8.8 million dollars, and CBM, with 9.8 million dollars, had made it to the shortlist.

Italian builder Salini expects a possible merger with listed rival Impregilo (IPGI.MI) to create a national champion with sales of around $9.2 billion in 2015, its chief executive said on Monday, pointing to a special dividend if the plan succeeds.

Family-owned Salini, which posted 2011 revenue of 1.4 billion euros ($1.8 billion), has grown in recent years via acquisitions and expansion in markets such as Ethiopia, Kazakhstan, Nigeria and, recently, Denmark.

Ethiopia and Mali are set to begin preparing renewable energy projects specified in their investment plan under the Scaling Up Renewable Energy Program in Low Income Countries (SREP) after successfully achieving investment plan endorsement from the SREP sub-committee at their meeting on 8 March 2012 in Nairobi, Kenya. SREP is a program of the Climate Investment Funds (CIF) of which the African Development Bank (AfDB) is an implementing agency.

Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said income inequality has been recognized as a major threat to global macro-economic and social stability.

Speaking at the opening of the 13th World Congress on Public Health here on Monday Meles said inequality in incomes results in massive inequality in access to health services and health outcomes.

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – St. George routed Arba Minch 4-0 in the Ethiopia Premier League double header played here yesterday.

Dedebit FC defeated Mugher Cement 3-0 in the second match..

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – Ethiopian Airlines plans to start flights to Latin American Power house Sao Paulo, Brazil this summer.

Sao Paulo, one of the largest and richest cities in the world, with a population of about 20 million, is predicted to be the 6th biggest urban area by 2025. According to data from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), its GDP in 2006 was about USD 2.83 billion. If Ethiopian Airlines opens a flight to Sao Paulo, it would be its first venture into Latin America and the airline’s fifth continent after Africa, Asia, Europe and North America.

Ethiopia and Mali are set to begin preparing renewable energy projects specified in their investment plan under the Scaling Up Renewable Energy Program in Low Income Countries (SREP) after successfully achieving investment plan endorsement from the SREP sub-committee at their meeting on 8 March 2012 in Nairobi, Kenya. SREP is a program of the Climate Investment Funds (CIF) of which the African Development Bank (AfDB) is an implementing agency.

Asher Elias, founder and director of Tech Career, an intensive educational program designed to train Ethiopian-Israelis with high-tech skills to succeed in Israel’s strong technology industry, is the main guest-speaker at an event scheduled for Wednesday, May 2nd at the American Jewish Historical Society in New York.

Two University of Missouri–St. Louis engineering students will clock nearly 16,000 miles round trip this summer to work on a construction project in Africa.

Seniors Todd Bergman, of St. Louis, Mo., and Christian Glock, of Shrewsbury, Mo., are civil engineering students in the UMSL/Washington University Joint Undergraduate Engineering Program at UMSL. They leave May 12 for a two-week trip to Mekele, Ethiopia, as part of the Washington University chapter of Engineers Without Borders USA. The organization works with local partners to design and implement sustainable engineering projects.

Maaza Mengiste is the author of the critically acclaimed novel Beneath the Lion’s Gaze. She was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and graduated with an MFA in Creative Writing from New York University. Maaza is also the writer for the Ethiopia segment of the “Ten by Ten” project, a feature film that tells the stories of 10 extraordinary girls from 10 developing countries around the world.

These stories, written by a female writer from the girl’s country and narrated by a celebrated actress, describe a unique personal journey of triumph and achievement against incredible odds.

The traditional way of holiday celebrations, be it religious or otherwise, is adored by Ethiopians. Among religious holidays, Easter, which is celebrated by Christians, arguably occupies a more prominent place than any other religious holiday. In Christianity it is believed that Easter is celebrated to remember the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Orthodox Christians attends 56 days of fasting season prior to the holiday.

KYM Association Harar Medical Center has begun to accept patients as of March 30, 2010. Run by 3 volunteer doctors from Turkey, an average of 90 patients are treated per day.

Each day, the number of hospital admissions is expected to increase and the plan is to intake 180 patients per day. A new group of health volunteers will start work in the region of the 12th of April.

WESLEY RUZIBIZA is among the eight artists participating in the 2012 Theatre Stage Directors Workshop in Addis Ababa Ethiopia, this week.

The artists are Issa Habiba from Tanzania, Aida Mbowa of Uganda, Rogers Otieno of Kenya, Wesley Ruzibiza of Rwanda, Freddy Sabimbona of Burundi and Azeb Worku Sibane, Surafel Wondimu and Tesfaye Eshetu Habtu, all Ethiopians.

Aid is one of six key factors that have driven marked improvements in child wellbeing and survival over the last 20 years, according to a new report from Save the Children released on Tuesday. The independent research conducted by the Overseas Development Institute finds that over four million fewer children under 5 are dying each year than in 1990.

Meanwhile, 56 million more children were enrolled in school in between 1999 and 2009. 131 countries now have over 90 percent immunization coverage for diphtheria, tetanus and major preventable childhood diseases such as measles, compared to just 63 in 1990.

General Electric (GE), the U.S. giant, is poised to tap the opportunities that the Ethiopian government’s Growth and Transformation Plan (GTP) offers, according to knowledgeable sources.

GE, which set foot in Ethiopia in 2007, is planning to partner in the nation’s grand railway project, as it does so in a number of countries around the globe.

The railway project, set to be executed both in Addis Ababa and across the nation, is one of the major elements of the GTP. The transnational railway line is part of the national railway project to link the major cities and towns in Ethiopia along eight corridors. It is estimated that the project will require a total of 173.6 billion birr to be completed.