News

By Mohamed Jaward Nyallay

US president Donald J Trump has named David Reimer as the United States new Ambassador to Sierra Leone, replacing Maria Brewer who has been here since October 2017.

The new ambassador is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service in the US.

According to the White House website, Reimer was nominated on the 10^th of June this year. Last week his name was submitted to the Senate for approval.

By Francis H. Murray

The Judiciary of Sierra Leone has announced that all magistrate courts will reopen to the public on Wednesday 1 July. The courts were closed in April after a remand prisoner tested positive for coronavirus. The Office of the Chief Justice made the announcement in a statement released last week.

The reopening comes with a number of measures aimed at minimizing the possibility of transmitting COVID-19 within court precincts. Some of the measures include allowing a lot fewer people to attend court cases than before.

By Mohamed Jaward Nyallay

Officials at the Pharmacy Board of Sierra Leone and the Ministry of Health and Sanitation have cautioned against the use of corticosteroid Dexamethasone as prevent against COVID-19. The warning comes as the drug continues to look promising, by curing critically ill COVID-19 patients.

A study by Oxford Recovery Trial in the UK showed that the drug was effective in increasing the chance of recovery for patients who were critically ill; those on ventilators and other oxygen devices.

By Mohamed Jaward Nyallay

The Director General of the National Minerals Agency (NMA), Julius Mattai says the country will receive a full set of processed and interpreted geophysical data by the first week of August. He was speaking during the handing-over ceremony of the processed data by the Ministry of Mines and Mineral Resources on Thursday.

By Mabinty M. Kamara

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has called on member states to take immediate action to protect women and girls from sexual and gender-based violence.

The ECOWAS statement comes in the backdrop of increased reports of sexual violence cases in the region not least in Sierra Leone.

“The almost daily news reports of rape of children including toddlers who are violated and in many cases raped to death are very disturbing and utterly unacceptable,” the statement reads in part. 

By Francis H. Murray  

The Ministry of Youth Affairs has disbursed over Le 2 Billion for the installation of 70 outboard engines and their fishing accessories to be used on 70 local boats already constructed.

Ministry officials say the disbursement is part of President Julius Maada Bio’s commitment to youth empowerment. 

The Ministry made the announcement in a press release issued on Thursday. The amount represents 40% of funds issued to contractors for the installation process.

By Newman Anthony Levey in Bo

Following the end of the inter-district lockdown last week the country’s second city of Bo is bracing up for a massive influx of people.

Officials at the District Coronavirus Emergency Response Centre (DICOVERC) have told Politico that they have accelerated strides to manage any wave of new cases.