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At a ceremony held at the Ministry of Mines & Mineral Resources, Sierra Minerals Holding Limited (SMHL) recently signed their updated Mining Lease Agreement (MLA) with the Government of Sierra Leone. The updated MLA brings SMHL up to date with the latest legislation in the mining and minerals field in Sierra Leone.

During the meeting the Minister highlighted that the signing ceremony is a clear indication of the government’s support for the business sector, stressing the need for SMHL’s cooperation in meeting its corporate social responsibilities.

Sierra Leone’s capital Freetown is currently struggling to contain a cholera outbreak, which has affected over 1500 people and claimed at least 17 lives in the city. MSF, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, is already running three cholera treatment units in the city, and has treated over 500 patients. The number of people infected is escalating each day, and MSF aims to have two additional treatment facilities up and running in the next 10 days.

National Electoral Commission says it will charge all presidential candidates in the forthcoming election Le 100 million as nomination fee, up from Le 1 million in 2007, while parliamentary candidates will be required to pay Le 25 million up from Le 250,000.

Hundreds of residents of Lunsar town in the northern Port Loko district have blasted the iron ore miner, London Mining Company. They vented out their palpable feeling of anger at a 2-hour long debate organised by the BBC Media Action for community people, their leaders and mining companies, to discuss the benefits of minerals in their locality.

Less than twenty people said the minerals in their area had been of any benefit to them. Hundreds of others said they had had no benefit whatsoever from the ore their chiefdom is endowed with.

London Mining company has signed a US$110 million royalty agreement with BlackRock's World Mining Trust for iron ore sales from its Marampa mine in Lunsar, Port Loko district. It led to a 16% jump in shares to 172 pence for the iron ore miner.

The royalty is 2 per cent and is based on sales over the whole life of the company.

London Mining will get the money three days after expected completion on August 3 while the first royalty payment will be calculated on sales from the quarter ending 30 September 2012.

The Executive Director of the Attitudinal and Behavioural Change (ABC) Secretariat, Dr Ivan Ajibola Thomas has bemoaned the “rampant manifestation of negative attitudes at all levels of Sierra Leone, more so educational institutions, traditional organisations, Sierra Leone Police, contractors, transport sector, justice system, politics and mining sector among others”.