News

By Kemo Cham

The US embassy in Freetown last week unveiled a shortlist of 18 journalists as part of a new media fellowship programme announced last month.

The shortlisted journalists were each given the equivalent of US$400 during a brief orientation ceremony at the embassy’s complex at Hill Station on Thursday. The journalists were drawn from both print and the electronic media.

By Kemo Cham

Despite the imminent change in ownership of the telco Airtel, all its current agreements will be honored by the new owners, Managing Director of Airtel Sierra Leone, Oladapo Olusope, has said.

He was speaking at the presentation of cheques to journalists who won awards as part of the Sierra Leone Association of Journalist (SLAJ) Media Awards competition.

By Umaru Fofana

The mother of the man detained by police for attempting to board an Air France plane at Lungi on 4 June allegedly with a matchbox, a cigarette lighter and petrol, says he is “mentally retarded”.

Yabo Warah Kanu says Ibrahim Kanu “has had a mental illness since childhood and the condition manifests itself from time to time”.

The 57-year-old woman told Politico that when her son started showing signs of the illness at the start of June, she sent him to her sister in Masiaka.

By Septimus Senessie in Kono

The landmark Congo Bridge in the eastern town of Koidu is at the centre of a dispute that has sharply divided the people of the diamond-rich Kono district.

A section of the community, with the apparent backing of government, are defending mining operations under and around the bridge which is thought to be sitting on a huge reserve of diamond deposits.

By Mabinty M Kamara

Human Rights Defenders Network Sierra Leone HRDN-SL has in a press release urged the government, especially the office of the Antony General and Minister of Justice, to immediately acquit and discharge Hassan Samba Yarjah, a senior staff of the Human Rights Commission of Sierra Leone (HRC-SL).

By Mohamed Jaward Nyallay 

The far eastern headquarter town of Kailahun was placed under curfew over the weekend after police interrupted violent clashes between supporters of the ruling All People’s Congress (APC) and the opposition Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP).

It all bordered on campaigning for a forthcoming parliamentary by-election.

By Mabinty Kamara

The World Bank country manager, Parminder Brar, has said the Sierra Leone government needed to do more in terms of developing its citizens. He said so at the launch of the second phase of the country’s post-Ebola recovery programme, dubbed the President’s Recovery Priorities (PRP). The event was staged in the northern town of Magburoka on Monday.