Saudi Company Leases Ethiopian Land for Rice Export

A Saudi Arabian company has leased tens of thousands of acres in western Ethiopia to grow rice for export. The Ethiopian government says it will help provide food security for its citizens, but some who live in the region, say they’re not seeing any benefits.

Rastafarians in Ethiopia

Ethiopia has a small slice of the Caribbean in it. 60 years ago, Emperor Haile Selassie set aside 500 acres for western Blacks who wanted to return to Africa. Hundreds of Rastafarians have taken up the offer but they haven’t always been welcome.

No Metaphors – China Miéville’s Imagined Language

In the latest World in Words podcast, a science fiction writer conceives of a language in which is impossible to lie.

Drought Ravages Parts of East Africa

Seasons of failed rains is causing millions in East Africa to face starvation.

Ethiopia’s child brides

Name the northwestern region of Ethiopia, which is home to the Amharic language.

Leaving Malta

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Since 2002, nearly 10,000 African migrants – trying to get to mainland Europe – have landed on the tiny island nation of Malta. Many were rescued from leaky boats by the Maltese navy. Once there, they can be detained in prisons for up to 18 months and then languish for years in Malta without jobs and, and in some cases, without a decent place to live. But some manage to move on – and find new homes in Europe and in the U.S. This is Phillip Martin’s final report in our special series on nomadic migration and skin color. Download MP3

Slideshow: Nomadic immigration

The challenges faced by Africans living in Malta

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Since 2002, thousands of Africans have journeyed through deserts and risked their lives to reach the shores of the Mediterranean and north to Europe. Some have been rescued at sea by the Maltese navy and transported to Malta, which lies between Africa and continental Europe. When their requests for asylum elsewhere are denied, they become stuck – often indefinitely – in the EU’s smallest nation-state. In part 3 of his series on nomadic migration and skin color, Phillip Martin reports. Download MP3

Slideshow: Challenges of immigrants in Malta

From Libya to detention in Malta

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Malta sits between Africa and Europe.Because of its location, wave after wave of illegal immigrants traveling by boat have come ashore on a regular basis.Though migration waves have slowed down dramatically in recent months from a high of nearly 3000 in 2009, the tiny island nation of 400,000 citizens, receives more asylum seekers –for its size—than any other EU country.In an effort to discourage illegal immigration, Malta has one of the toughest detention policies in Europe, and some say it goes too far.This is part two of Phillip Martin’s special report on nomadic migration and skin color. Download MP3
Slideshow: The detention conditions in Malta

From Somalia to Denver, the long way

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Around the world, people are on the move in search of better lives. That is particularly true in Africa, where a wave of migrants is trying to reach Europe. Despite the dangers, they keep trying – and most do not succeed. Those who do are often on the move for years before they find a place to call home. In the first in a series of reports on nomadic migration to Europe and the United States, Phillip Martin tells the story of one man’s difficult journey to the US. Download MP3
Slideshow: Tales of immigration

Talking Travel: ‘Twas the weather nightmare before Christmas

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Imagine you’re in London and trying to get home to some other continent for the holidays. Suddenly there’s an unprecedented dump of snow, below zero temperatures (and we’re talking Fahrenheit!),  and  Heathrow grinds to a halt.  Well, that’s what’s happened to thousands of passengers now stranded at the airport, in hotels, on some friend’s floor.

• Download this episode (13:04)
• Lonely Planet website
• BBC Travel Website
• Subscribe to Talking Travel via iTunes
• Subscribe via RSS
• Subscribe via email

Chef Marcus Samuelsson

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Marcus Samuelsson is one of America’s top chefs. Indeed, he recently won the TV cooking competition, Top Chef Masters. Add that to accolades including 3 star-reviews from the New York Times and awards from the James Beard Foundation. Samuelsson was born in Ethiopia. But after his birth mother died, he was adopted by a couple from Sweden, where he grew up. Samuelsson’s food takes in influences from, among other places, Sweden, Ethiopia and New York City, where he lives. The World’s Alex Gallafent spoke to Samuelsson and asked the chef to share some of his musical influences too. (Photo: Alex Gallafent) Download MP3

• Video: Watch the Samuelsson cook for kids at the Harlem YMCA
• Marcus Samuelsson online
• Red Rooster Harlem

Ethiopian coffee

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Saturday is New Year’s Day in Ethiopia and most Ethiopians don’t celebrate by popping a bottle of bubbly. Instead, they hold a traditional coffee ceremony. In our Geo Quiz, we want you to name the region in the eastern highlands of Ethiopia where the beans for Ethiopian New Year’s coffee come from. Download MP3

• Geo Quiz Archive

Horn of Africa

Today’s Geo Quiz is about a geological event taking place slowly in the Horn of Africa. Since 2005, scientists have been studying a 35-mile long crack in the Earth’s surface in Ethiopia…

Ethiopian kids talk soccer

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Think you know a thing or two about international soccer? So do these delightful nine-year-old Ethiopian boys that the BBC’s East Africa reporter Will Ross met in the Ethiopian highlands. They don’t speak much English, but they are fluent in the language of soccer. (flickr image of kids in Addis Ababa: hypertornado) Download MP3

Rebuilding the Blue Nile footbridge

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

In the Blue Nile Canyon of Ethiopia, a single footbridge is the only connection for people who live on opposite sides of the river. The ancient bridge has been repeatedly destroyed and repaired over the centuries. Now, a team of American volunteers has built a new, sturdier suspension bridge across the chasm. Reporter Daniel Glick was there as the new span was put into place. Download MP3

• See photos
• Watch a video
• Bridges to Prosperity