Provides the latest RSS feeds for Africa News. For more headlines on Breaking, National, Business, Finance, Sports and World News, visit our home page Sierra Leone News.net http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/cat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec/ en-us Sat, 18 May 2013 23:27:18 -0400 Sat, 18 May 2013 23:27:18 -0400 30 It was a violent day in Iraq Saturday with at least 11 people killed and 10 policemen kidnapped as hatred simmers between the ruling Shi'ite majority and the Sunni minority. Gunmen broke into the home of an anti-terrorism policeman in the Baghdad suburb of Rasheed, killing him, his wife, and two children. Another security officer was killed elsewhere in Rasheed. Police say gunmen killed a ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214606427/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 18:15:06 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214606427/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec VATICAN CITY Pope Francis shared personal moments with 200,000 people on Saturday, telling them he sometimes nods off while praying at the end of a long day and that it "breaks my heartrdquo; that the death of a homeless person is not news. Francis, who has made straight talk and simplicity a hallmark of his papacy, made his unscripted comments in answers to questions by four people at a ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214606426/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 18:15:04 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214606426/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec A top Pakistani politician has been shot and killed in Karachi. Police say Zahra Shahid Hussain was shot twice in the head Saturday during an attempted street robbery outside her home. She died on the way to the hospital. A spokesman for Hussain's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, or PTI, calls her killing an act of terrorism. Hussain was a senior vice president of PTI, which ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214606425/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 18:15:03 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214606425/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec South African batsman Hashim Amla said that he is not surprised by the decision of Gary Kirsten to step down from the position of head coach of the team. Amla, who is currently the premier batsmen in world cricket and is ranked number one in both one-day internationals and Test cricket, has won over fans and critics alike with his runs, languid style and professional attitude, www.PakPassion.net ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214600058/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 06:50:01 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214600058/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Former South African fast bowler Makhaya Ntini has said that he has no plans to retire at the moment, despite being notably omitted from the contracted squad of the first class side Chevrolet Warriors for the 2013/14 season. Ntini, who spent 18 years playing for Border and the Warriors, was not offered a contract for the new season along with fellow senior players Arno Jacobs, Justin Kreusch and ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214599380/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 05:30:04 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214599380/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Michelle Obama urged graduates of Bowie State University to encourage more young African Americans to follow in their footsteps and focus on education. On Friday, she asked the graduates at commencement ceremonies held at the nearby University of Maryland, College Park, campus, just north of Washington to become an example of excellence to the next generation. The First Lady said that more ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214599372/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 05:20:03 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214599372/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec An Indian team comprising IITians and a Nigerian team promoting low-cost farm products have triumphed at an India-Africa business competition held here. India's Life Catalyst Technologies and Nigeria's Jorsey Ashbel Farms won the 2nd Indiafrica Business Venture Competition held as part of the ongoing IndiAfrica Festival here, a statement from the organisers said Saturday. Four teams from India, ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214598212/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 02:50:02 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214598212/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214596876/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 01:20:01 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214596876/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec The Japanese government on Saturday pledged to provide 2 billion US dollars to support resource development projects by Japanese companies in Africa over the next five years, local media reported.The plans were announced during a meeting that brought together ministers and representatives from Japan and 15 African countries in charge of resource issues. The event was held ahead of a summit- level ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214608802/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 22:03:30 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214608802/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec The Northern States Governors' Forum (NSGF) has expressed support for the state of emergency rule imposed on Borno, Yobe and Adamawa in the northeast of the country.The forum expressed the hope that the imposition of emergency rule would complement the federal government's offer of amnesty to the members of the dreaded Boko Haram sect to restore peace to the affected states.The Chairman ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214608801/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 22:03:28 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214608801/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sudanese Defense Minister Abdul- Rahim Mohamed Hussein reiterated on Saturday the army's ability to defeat the rebels in all parts of the country, the official Sudan Radio reported."The army is able to defeat the rebels and the agents at all locations in the country," Hussein said.He added that the Sudanese armed forces supported by the security forces and other regular forces were ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214608800/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 22:03:27 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214608800/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Three people, including a policeman, have been kidnapped at Al-Kuma town in Sudan's North Darfur state, a local official said Saturday."An armed group belonging to the rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM)/Jibril Ibrahim faction on Saturday abducted three people, including a policeman belonging to the central reserve forces at Al-Kuma town in North Darfur state," Suleiman ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214608799/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 22:03:27 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214608799/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec At least three people were killed and five others wounded when a car bomb ripped through Damascus' district of Ruken Addien Saturday night, Syria's state TV said.A "big" explosive device was planted under a car in the northeastern district of Ruken Addien, the state media said, adding that bomb squads are dismantling another explosive device in the same area.Earlier in the ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214608803/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 22:03:25 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214608803/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Nigerian troops operating in northeast Borno State said on Saturday that 65 rebels had been apprehended so far by officers of the Special Task Force (STF).Spokesperson for the defense headquarters Brig.-Gen. Chris Olukolade, disclosed this in a statement issued in Abuja, saying the rebels were caught while attempting to infiltrate Maiduguri as they fled their various camps now under attack.The ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214608804/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 22:03:23 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214608804/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Egyptian authorities halted negotiations with kidnappers of seven soldiers due to the kidnappers' "excessive demands," military intelligence sources in North Sinai told Xinhua Saturday.The kidnappers, mostly Jihadists, demanded a swap deal to release over 30 Jihadists and others convicted in previous terrorist attacks, including six facing execution, in return for the seven ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214608805/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 22:03:21 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214608805/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec A roadside bomb went off near a church in the Syrian capital of Damascus on Saturday, killing four people, witnesses told Xinhua.The bomb was attached to a bicycle that was abandoned near a security forces' vehicle near Marlias Church in the Damascus suburb of Dwaila, reports and witnesses said, adding that the blast killed three security men and a young man.Many people, including a child, ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214608806/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 22:03:21 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214608806/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Armed groups kidnapped the father of Syria's Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad in the southern province of Daraa on Saturday, the pro-government Sham FM radio reported.The armed men stormed the house of the 80-year-old man in Daraa city and snatched him, the report said, giving no further details.Targeting government officials and their relatives have become increasingly common in Syria ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214608808/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 22:03:19 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214608808/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec A main Egyptian crossing point into the Gaza Strip has been closed for the second day on Saturday by the Egyptian police who were protesting at the abduction of their colleagues in Sinai, a local official told Xinhua.Hundreds of travelers on both sides are stuck in the Rafah crossing point, Gaza's only gate to the outside world, due to the closure, the sources said.The Islamic Hamas movement ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214608807/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 22:03:18 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214608807/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said Saturday that his visit to Algeria aims at deepening the bilateral relations both on the political and economic levels between Algiers and ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214608810/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 22:01:05 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214608810/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Credit: CIAT International Center for Tropical Agriculture/ flickr By Sean Obedih As Rwanda day 2013 comes to London for the first time, let me take this opportunity to talk about the role that the Rwandan business community in the diaspora can playing by embracing the creation of Rwanda startup culture and make a difference in creating much needed jobs at the same time benefiting from the ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214608284/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 21:00:40 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214608284/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Saturday night's Powerball lottery jackpot climbed to an astronomical $600 million for a single winner, and may be even higher by the time the numbers are drawn. Winners must match five numbers picked from machines holding 59 white balls, and a special Powerball pulled from a machine filled with 35 red balls. Even if the chances of winning are tiny -- one in 175 million -- those ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214607746/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 20:24:05 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214607746/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Soldiers in Ivory Coast have arrested a militia leader who was allegedly involved in a 2011 massacre of political opponents. Military officials say Amade Oueremigave himself up Saturday as soldiers began to converge near his hideout. Oueremi and his fighters backed President Alassane Ouattara in the violence that broke out after the 2010 election when former president Laurent Gbagbo refused ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214607747/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 20:24:05 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214607747/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Syrian President Bashar al-Assad says in a newspaper interview that he will not step down before next year's elections. Assad's comments were published Saturday in the Argentine ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214607748/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 20:24:04 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214607748/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Twenty-three youths have died in the past nine days at initiation ceremonies that include circumcisions and survival tests, South African police said ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214607749/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 20:19:31 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214607749/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec US officials meet the Libya Contact Group at historic time Libya-USA, Politics, 8/26/2011 US Deputy Secretary of State William J. Burns led the U.S. delegation to the August 25 Libya Contact Group meeting in Istanbul, where representatives from 28 countries, the UN, EU, NATO, AU, OIC, Arab League and GCC came together to demonstrate the international community's firm commitment to ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214607750/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 19:48:31 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214607750/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec WASHINGTON, DC -- In sub-Saharan Africa, many economies are growing briskly, thanks to the continent’s abundant natural resources and global commodities boom. Development experts say revenues from minerals, oil and gas could help many countries fund much needed roads, bridges, dams and other infrastructure. A recent report by the Africa Progress Panel, a group of influential business and ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214607067/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 19:29:12 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214607067/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec In a wide-ranging interview with SaharaReporters, Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka paid tribute to Chinua Achebe, who died on March 21, 2013 at 82. Soyinka, who won the 1986 Nobel Prize for literature, also spoke on his personal relationship with Achebe and other Nigerian writers; his regrets about Achebe's last book, There Was A Country: A Personal History of Biafra; and his attempt to talk the ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214607068/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 19:24:52 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214607068/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Africa .In 2003, it was estimated that less than 1% of Africa's population had access to the internet. Since then, that figure has grown to just 15%. Private companies have been laying high-speed cables along the coasts, but it's slow to make progress inland: even where access is available, it is often low speed and unconnected to the facilities on the ground needed to make the most of ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214607028/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 19:20:06 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214607028/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Unidentified gunman attacked three military posts in Benghazi on Saturday, highlighting the Libyan government's struggle to establish ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214607069/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 19:19:44 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214607069/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec curfew on Saturday on neighborhoods in a northeastern city that's the spiritual home of an Islamic extremist network as soldiers continued the government's emergency campaign in the region, with authorities saying they killed 10 suspected insurgents. A statement Saturday on behalf of Lt. Col. Sagir Musa named 11 areas ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214607071/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 19:14:49 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214607071/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Central African Republic's new leader Michel Djotodia greets his supporters at a rally in favor of the Seleka rebel alliance in downtown Bangui March 30, ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214607053/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 19:04:59 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214607053/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Accra, May 18, GNA - Ghana is expected to adopt the technological mechanism of Intelligent Addressing (IA) of the United Kingdom as the cardinal structure in the street naming and property addressing ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214606533/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 18:26:09 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214606533/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Dr Yaw Ofori Yeboah, Gomoa West District Director of the Ghana Health Service announced this when he briefed members of the Assembly on the project at Apam in the Central ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214606503/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 18:26:07 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214606503/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Accra, May 17, GNA -The Swiss Ambassador on Friday said more Ghanaian exports are rejected at the European Union and United States borders because of non-compliance with international ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214606534/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 18:26:06 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214606534/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Accra, May 17, GNA -E-health initiative, an electronic health delivery system, was launched on Friday to enable doctors reach their patients online and bring health care to the door steps of the ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214606505/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 18:26:06 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214606505/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Accra, May 17, GNA - A trade delegation, from the London Chamber of Commerce and the United Kingdom (UK) Trade and Investment North West, has met with representatives of Ghanaian companies at a reception in ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214606535/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 18:26:04 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214606535/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Authorities in Texas say at least five -- possibly as many as 15 -- people have been killed in the southwestern U.S. state as a result of Wednesday's massive explosion at a fertilizer ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214606004/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 17:40:29 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214606004/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec An 1850s South Carolina slave cabin is getting a new home in the nation’s capital. The Smithsonian Institution is dismantling it, plank by plank, and moving it to the National Museum of African-American History and ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214606005/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 17:28:51 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214606005/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec (CNN) — North Korea launched three short-range guided missiles into the sea off the Korean Peninsula’s east coast Saturday; South Korea’s semi-official news agency Yonhap cited the South Korean Defense Ministry as saying. The ministry said it had detected two launches in the morning, followed by another in the afternoon, Yonhap reported. The missiles were fired in a ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214606400/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 17:21:48 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214606400/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec TRIPOLI, Libya - Libyan officials say explosions went off in the capital Tripoli and the restive eastern city of Benghazi, but no casualties were reported. A security official says one bombing targeted an abandoned church in Benghazi that had been previously damaged by fire. The explosion damaged only a car parked outside. The official says two other explosions targeted parked security vehicles ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214606006/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 17:14:19 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214606006/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec A new report by the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association says arguments put forward by the States to restrict foreign funding do not meet the threshold for restricting activism in the interest of national security or public safety. The report released this week and authored by ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214605415/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 16:41:55 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214605415/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Najib Balala takes his place as Mining Secretary in the Jubilee Cabinet analysts in Coast are divided over whether the plum job will end or spur his political influence in the ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214605414/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 16:41:54 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214605414/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Governors from affected areas have raised the alarm over escalating insecurity. They argue their hands are tied since security falls under national government. Responding to the national outcry on insecurity, President Kenyatta on Thursday assured Kenyans the Government would make every effort to curb runaway crime. He met top security chiefs and pledged to support the Police ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214605416/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 16:41:53 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214605416/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec It may interest newly elected Deputy President William Samoei Ruto to note that latest occupants of the Number Two slot have not been lucky enough to survive a second term in office. They have all fell by the wayside, the latest victim being ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214605417/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 16:41:52 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214605417/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Somalia 's clan elders have created a new mini-state and elected a Kenyan ally as its leader, a move likely to anger Mogadishu and sour ties between the two neighbouring ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214605418/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 16:41:33 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214605418/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Members of the military police and security gather at the scene of an explosion in front of the Greek embassy, right, in Tripoli on May 18, 2013. (REUTERS/Ismail Zitouny) OTTAWA - Greek foreign affairs officials report no injuries following a small explosion Saturday outside the Embassy of Greece in Libya's capital Tripoli. Officials say a "low power explosive device" was placed ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214605318/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 16:26:49 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214605318/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec MY parents came from a working-class area in the north of England. Being bohemians at heart and wanting to follow the sun, they quit their jobs in London in the mid-1960s and moved to the Mediterranean coast. I was conceived on the Italian Riviera, in Lerici. My father, a painter, felt that Italy was already overexploited so they moved to ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214605419/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 15:50:36 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214605419/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec The Reuters news agency quotes an unidentified White House aide as saying the president has decreased his request for funding the war in Afghanistan by 10 percent for the 2014 fiscal year budget. The report says the president reduced his original request from $88.5 billion to $79.4 billion. The White House issued a statement Friday saying the change was made to account for the drawdown of troops ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214604876/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 15:47:20 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214604876/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec English language teaching for immigrants ahead of funding for translating non-essential information into their mother tongues. Currently, such information is translated into many ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214604877/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 15:44:17 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214604877/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec R2Bees Vodafone has promised Ghanaians that this year's Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMA) would be a memorable one for patrons and music lovers across the country. This year's awards ceremony, according to the organizers, Charter House, would take place at the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC) tonight in Accra, Saturday, May 18. In line with the theme, 'The Next ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214604806/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 15:36:17 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214604806/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Water Footprint Network announced Global Water Footprint Standard training courses in four countries. The courses are designed for professionals from businesses, governments, and academia including consultancies advising corporations or ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214604818/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 15:36:13 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214604818/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Although the politicians in Ghana’s parliament have done their bit and have allowed Monsanto lobbyists and scientists influenced by this corporate giant to pass the Bio-Safety Bill in Ghana, that does not stop conscientious objectors from continuing to point out the gross error these politicians in parliament have ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214604878/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 15:08:39 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214604878/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec KAMPALA: Even before the first drops flow, Uganda's oil sector is beset by bribery allegations against officials, tax-related cases abroad that cost the government millions in legal fees, and the alleged interference of a president whose firm control of the sector worries transparency campaigners.Uganda, which has confirmed oil deposits of about 3.5 billion barrels, wants to extract at least ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214605214/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 15:07:28 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214605214/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec The elements of the growing crisis of Kenya's civil society are several. One is a crisis of identity. Are they part of us, or are they foreign ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214604328/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 14:46:46 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214604328/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec NAIROBI, KENYA : An ongoing process of hiring new envoys is clouded in mystery with claims of nepotism and favouritism, which, informed sources say, is being done behind the back of the President and his ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214604327/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 14:46:45 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214604327/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Goldenberg scandal . The Judicial Service Commission has petitioned President Uhuru Kenyatta to form a tribunal to investigate Mutava's conduct relating to three complaints of misconduct made against him. The JSC says it had received 13 complaints against the judge, between March 2012 and March 2013 calling for his removal. Yet through due diligence, Mutava, who was only appointed judge on ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214604247/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 14:46:44 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214604247/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec GOMA, Congo - The body of a Congolese journalist was found on the bank of the Ngezi River near the provincial capital of Bunia in eastern Congo, the city's mayor said Saturday. "We found his body yesterday in an advanced state of decay. It showed signed of strangulation according to the doctor who examined him on the scene. We couldn't move him further as it was very decomposed ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214604330/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 14:22:50 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214604330/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec ALGIERS (AFP) - Air Algerie planes were grounded for several hours on Saturday when the national carrier's pilots staged a wildcat strike over pay, officials in the North African country said.Air Algerie said in a statement that the strike caused delays for the airline and other carriers that lasted a few hours until normal operations resumed in the afternoon, after negotiations between ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214604235/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 14:20:07 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214604235/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Dodoma - THE Minister for Transport, Dr Harrison Mwakyembe last evening gave a two week ultimatum to Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) to automate the payment system and curb rampant theft of public money at the port. He directed the TPA Director General, Director of Finance and Administration or IT Manager to ensure that the computerised payment system is working by June 1 or submit resignation ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214604256/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 14:18:34 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214604256/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Dodoma - PRESIDENT Jakaya Kikwete on Friday allayed public fears that pension funds were cash strapped, noting that they were doing far better than ever. Speaking at the climax of the Pension Funds week on Friday, the president pledged that the government would pay all money it owes pension funds so that they are able to do their work effectively including paying the retired elderly. His ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214604332/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 14:18:34 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214604332/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Mogadishu - In an audio recording distributed to Somali media on Friday, high-ranking Al Shabaab member Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys has blamed Al Shabaab chief Ahmed Abdi Godane for "targeting foreign fighters" and for "unilateral decisions" that led to the militant group losing territory to Somali government forces aided by AMISOM peacekeepers, Garowe Online reports. Sheikh ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214604333/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 14:18:33 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214604333/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec SOUTH AFRICAN-BASED products company Tiger Brands is giving back to its local customers by engaging in different community service projects in Zimbabwe. Tiger Brands Zimbabwe projects co-ordinator Gwen Mpeiwa expressed gratitude at the overwhelming support from the local market during the Fatti's and Moni's Pasta Cook Off held in Harare last weekend. "Over the weekend, we had a ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214604334/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 14:18:32 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214604334/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Adel Kedhri (27) set himself on fire in the centre of Tunis on Tuesday and died in hospital on Wednesday. "This young man is already dead", a medical source in Mourouj Hospital told Reuters. The act recalled the self-immolation of Mohamed Bouazizi, whose death in December 2010 led to a revolt in Tunisia that spread across the Arab world. The economic and social problems that fuelled ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214604335/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 14:16:36 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214604335/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Tunisia's political uncertainty continued on Tuesday after the moderate Islamist prime minister resigned following his failure to appoint a technocrat, caretaker government to end the long-running political crisis. The political stalemate prompted an international ratings agency to downgrade Tunisia's credit rating, putting further strain on its struggling economy. Jebali's move ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214604336/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 14:16:35 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214604336/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Larayedh on Friday said the government would serve only until an election is held before the end of the year. The new government is led by the Ennahda party, backed by the centre-left Ettakatol and the secular Congress for the Republic led by President Moncef Marzouki – the same parties that were in the previous cabinet. Larayedh replaced Hamadi Jebali, who stepped down after the ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214604337/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 14:16:35 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214604337/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec The Nigerian military Saturday ordered a partial curfew in the city of Maiduguri amid a government offensive against Islamist militants. The 24-hour curfew was implemented in neighborhoods considered to be Boko Haram strongholds in the northeastern city, in a region that has been a hotbed of the Boko Haram guerrilla movement. The military said in a written statement it had the rebels on the run ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214604338/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 14:16:14 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214604338/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Nigerian Prelates Meet With European Union Representatives to Discuss Rise in Corruption and ViolenceBy John NewtonROME, May 03, 2013 (Zenit.org) - NIGERIA'S leading bishop has told the European Parliament and other politicians that his country is being jeopardised by "the twin monsters of corruption and insecurity".In a meeting organized by Aid to the Church in Need, Cardinal John ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214604339/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 14:14:08 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214604339/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Top U.S. military officials have vowed to root out sexual abuse, a persistent problem in all branches of the armed forces. The victims of sexual battery, harassment and stalking are mostly female members of the military, but gay men and others also have reported assaults. In some cases, the perpetrators turned out to be officers tasked with preventing abuse. Sexual misconduct in the ranks ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214603699/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 13:50:53 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214603699/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec ABUJA -- Less than five days after the Nigerian armed forces began a massive attack on militants in the north, Nigeria's Department of Defense says 65 suspected Boko Haram militants have been arrested and ten have been killed. The Nigerian military says Boko Haram militants are fleeing their camps. Some are in search of fuel while others are running from the armed forces that are ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214603698/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 13:50:53 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214603698/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Somalia out of the abyss of lawlessness, the latest attempt has been the most successful. The war is virtually over but the hard work of reconstructing the country begins. Igad member countries and especially the countries that sent in troops will be tested by the power struggles that are already emerging. Setting up governance structures and leadership that is acceptable to the majority of the ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214603700/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 13:47:47 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214603700/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Luanda, May 18 (Prensa Latina) The Vice President of the Council of Ministers of Cuba Ricardo Cabrisas, who is on a working visit to Angola, visited here today Dr. Antnio Agostinho Neto Memorial and the Museum of Military History. Accompanied by the Ambassador of Cuba in Angola, Gisela Garcia, the senior official received explanations on the value of the pieces they cherish in their rooms of both ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214603701/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 13:45:49 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214603701/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec There was a heavy police presence at tollbooths along the main highway from the capital to the central city of Kairouan on Saturday, where the Salafists vowed to hold Sunday's gathering, Agence France-Presse correspondents reported. Police were singling out for checks the private minibuses that ply between Tunisian towns, with special attention paid to men with beards – as sported by ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214603702/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 13:43:55 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214603702/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Female student stands in a burnt classroom at Maiduguri Experimental School, a private nursery, primary and secondary school burnt by the Islamist group Boko Haram to keep children away from school in Maiduguri, northeastern Nigeria on May 12, 2012. (PIUS UTOMI EKPEI/AFP/Getty ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214603703/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 13:40:42 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214603703/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Johannesburg – Adilson da Silva made three bogeys before the turn at Lusaka Golf Club on Saturday, but the Brazilian fought back with a potent second loop and claimed a one-stroke lead at the Zambia ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214603704/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 13:29:40 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214603704/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast (AP) -- Officials in Ivory Coast say the military has detained a militia leader accused of grave crimes during the country's 2010-11 postelection violence whose forces had been illegally occupying a national ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214603705/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 13:28:28 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214603705/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec LAGOS (Reuters) - Nigeria's military said on Saturday it had killed 10 insurgents and arrested 65 more as part of an offensive meant to wrest back control of parts of its remote northeast from an Islamist group seen as the main security threat to Africa's top oil ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214603706/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 13:27:45 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214603706/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Mogadishu (Sh.M.Network) the president of the federal republic of Somalia Hassan Sheikh Mohamud during the opening ceremony of an educational center funded by the Turkish government touched on the situation of the Juba regions. The president said that his government was in the process of reconciliation process between communities living in the region for the past 5 months and warned of any ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214603709/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 13:19:09 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214603709/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec El Barde - News sources from El Barde in Bakol region report that a fierce battle occurred today at a place not far from the town of El Bar between government forces and Alshabab militia. Colonel Hassan Baidoa the commander of government forces in Bai and Bakol region who contacted Shabelle media in Mogadishu said that Alshabab militia launched an attack at a government base near the town. The ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214603708/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 13:19:09 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214603708/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec South Africa: Statement By the Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Mr Marius Fransman, On the Occasion of Welcoming Prof. Cyril Karabus to South Africa, Cape Town International ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214603711/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 13:19:09 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214603711/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Kismayo - A delegation from the Inter Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) arrived Saturday in the Somali southern port city of Kismayo and was warmly received by Jubaland President Sheikh Ahmed Mohamed Islam (Madobe) in Kismayo, Garowe Online reports. The delegation, led by IGAD General Secretary Mahboub Maalim, plans to hold meetings with Jubaland leaders and community elders in ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214603710/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 13:19:09 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214603710/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec The United Nations Economic Commission of Africa (UNECA) and African Union (AU) recently launched the "Economic Report on Africa 2013: Making the most of Africa's Commodities," written by Carlos Lopes, UN under-secretary-general and executive secretary of UNECA, and Nkosazana Clarice Dlamini-Zuma, Commission Chairperson of the AU. One main component of the report is the move ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214603712/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 13:19:06 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214603712/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Nigeria's military has imposed a 24-hour curfew in parts of the northeastern city of Maiduguri, as security forces continue to pursue suspected Islamist militants in the region. The military on Saturday listed more than 10 areas in Maiduguri under curfew. The armed forces have locked down the city and closed roads. Maiduguri, the original home of the Islamist militant group Boko Haram, ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214603032/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 12:48:58 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214603032/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Asunta Wagura , upon the release of her autobiography, I saw on TV that she had given birth to twins. It struck me as odd for I did not notice the pregnancy. Then it occurred to me that for the whole time I interviewed her in her office, not once did she wake up from her ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214603033/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 12:45:35 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214603033/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec PRESIDENT Hifikepunye Pohamba is expected to officially declare a state of emergency soon in the face of the devastating drought that is ravaging the country. This was said by Prime Minister Hage Geingob during a meeting with regional governors on the implementation of the Cabinet decision on the Comprehensive Drought Relief Programme for the 2013/14 financial year in Windhoek yesterday. ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214603035/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 12:17:00 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214603035/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec President Michael Sata has directed Lusaka province police commissioner Joyce Kasosa to arrest all students protesting against the lifting of the fuel and maize subsidies. President Sata has also called for the expulsion of all students that protested this morning. The head of state sounded the order shortly before he laid ground for the construction works for Palabana University in Chongwe ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214602964/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 12:17:00 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214602964/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec THE demand for air transport shows a steady increase over the past years, with passenger numbers and freight traffic growing by 45 percent and 80 percent respectively. Forward-looking predictions suggest that over the period 2010-2015, Africa will be the third fastest growing region in the world in terms of international traffic with an average growth rate of 6.1 percent compared to the global ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214603036/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 12:16:59 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214603036/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec GOVERNMENT has challenged the Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA) to collaborate with Information Communication Technology (ICT) stakeholders to find solutions to the increased road carnage. Transport, Works, Supply and Communications Minister Christopher Yaluma said in Lusaka yesterday that Government and the private sector should raise ICT awareness to facilitate improved road safety and ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214603037/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 12:16:59 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214603037/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec NAMIBIA was ranked among the bottom 30 countries worldwide in over 20 dimensions on the Global Competitiveness Index although it scored high when compared to the top 30 countries. This is revealed in the National Human Resources Plan (NHRP) which was launched by the National Planning Commission (NPC) in the capital yesterday. In a global economy, political and legal, educational, socio-cultural ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214603038/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 12:16:58 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214603038/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec THE Zambia Institute of Chartered Accountants (ZICA) says it will continue to offer high quality education in accountancy for the industry to have high-calibre professionals needed for national development. ZICA will, therefore, ensure that it explores all avenues through which high education standards could be sustained in the country. ZICA vice-president Chishimba Yumbe said the institute was ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214602953/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 12:16:58 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214602953/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat May 18, 2013 12:13pm EDT * Chinese, Korean and Spanish firms to bid by early 2014 * Plant would provide 4,800 MW, S.Africa to buy over half * Congo needs more electricity to power mining operations By John Irish PARIS, May 18 (Reuters) - Chinese, South Korean and Spanish firms are vying to develop a hydropower project likely to cost between $9 billion and $14 billion on the Congo River, ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214603707/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 12:13:30 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214603707/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Seated left to right, Kenyans Jane Muthoni Mara, Wambogo Nyingi and Paulo Muoka Nzili celebrate the announcement of a legal decision in support of Mau Mau veteran reparation payments in Nairobi in this October 5, 2012, file ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214602472/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 11:49:04 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214602472/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Excitement has been growing in recent months over the approach of Comet ISON. Like other comets, this chunk of rock and ice is following a long, elliptical orbit around the Sun, and like other comets, when it nears the Sun later this year, its trailing stream of dust and vapor will catch the sunlight and become a long, luminous, tail. Many astronomers are predicting that when this celestial ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214602473/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 11:49:04 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214602473/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec TRIPOLI, May 18 (Xinhua) -- A bomb exploded near the embassies of Saudi Arabia and Algeria in Tripoli, the capital of Libya, on Saturday, diplomatic sources told ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214602612/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 11:37:10 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214602612/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Nigeria's military on Saturday imposed a 24-hour curfew in parts of a northeastern city as it pressed on with a campaign against Boko Haram Islamists that has sent residents fleeing the region. Locals in a remote insurgent stronghold near the border with Cameroon have begun fleeing their homes after military fighter jets and helicopters carried out air strikes on Islamist camps. Nigeria ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214602594/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 11:29:18 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214602594/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec NIGERIA'S military has imposed a 24-hour curfew in parts of a northeastern city as it pressed on with a campaign against Boko Haram Islamists that has sent residents fleeing the region. Locals in a remote insurgent stronghold near the border with Cameroon have begun fleeing their homes after military fighter jets and helicopters carried out air strikes on Islamist camps. Nigeria launched the ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214603034/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 11:28:12 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214603034/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Francois Hollande's signature means the first gay marriages may be celebrated in France within the month. His office said he signed the bill this morning, a day after the Constitutional Council struck down a challenge to the law. Hollande made legalising gay marriage one of his campaign pledges in last year's election. While polls for years have shown majority support for gay marriage ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214602562/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 11:28:11 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214602562/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Nigeria - Nigeria's military on Saturday imposed a round-the-clock curfew in parts of the northeastern city of Maiduguri, the home base of Boko Haram Islamists, as a massive offensive against the insurgents presses on across the ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214602475/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 11:27:31 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214602475/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec World Nomads festival is echoing this sentiment by choosing Tunisia as their country of focus for the 2013 biennial celebration. For the fifth edition of the festival, ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214602363/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 11:23:11 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214602363/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec The Nigerian Army yesterday accused Boko Haram gunmen of disguising themselves in fake army camouflage to carry out attacks on civilians at Bama, Borno State and Daura in Katsina State. Chief of Civil/Military Relations of the army, Major-General Bola Koleosho, told pressmen in Abuja that the Boko Haram gunmen were responsible for the dastardly acts that were being blamed on soldiers. According ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214602480/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 11:16:52 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214602480/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec The former Member of Parliament (MP) for Ahafo Ano South, Mr. Balado Manu, has threatened to sue the Accra Metropolitan Chief Executive, Dr. Alfred Okoe Vanderpuije, if he goes ahead to construct a modern market at the burnt Kantamanto Market, as he has been preaching. According to the former MP, any move to turn Kantamanto into modern market would mean that the idea to modernize the railways ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214602479/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 11:16:52 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214602479/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec The Government has ruled out the possibility of dropping the taxes it has proposed in the forthcoming 2013/2014 budget. Ever since the release of the budget framework paper last month which contains the draft budget that will be read in June, various sectors have protested the taxes, saying they will be an added burden to them. In an exclusive interview with New Vision, Matia Kasaija, the ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214602477/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 11:16:51 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214602477/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec The Government has asked investors to stop branding the agricultural sector as a risky area to invest in. The call was made by Bright Rwamirama the minister of state for animal husbandry, while officiating at a workshop on agricultural risk management at the Imperial Royale Hotel in Kampala. He said many investors have been avoiding the sector which employs the largest population of Ugandans, ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214602376/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 11:16:51 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214602376/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Nigeria's FBN Holdings Plc aims to grow loans 10 percent this year for its banking unit, down from 23 percent growth in 2012, as it tries to balance its capital needs with creating risk assets, the head of the banking unit said on Friday. The CEO of First Bank, Bisi Onasanya, told a conference call the lender had a capital adequacy ratio of 21 percent and it wanted to balance its capital ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214602478/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 11:16:51 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214602478/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Award-winning artist, D'banj, has been appointed as the face of the Bank of Industry (BOI). The G.O.O.D Music artiste is the first musician to be appointed ambassador of the Bank headed by Ms. Evelyn Oputu. The unveiling/media presentation took place earlier in the week and was performed by the BOI boss herself. The value of the contract is unknown but it's speculated to mean more big ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214602365/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 11:16:51 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214602365/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Parts of the proposed Kampala-Entebbe expressway route have been diverted to avoid paying off expensive property owners and ease the weight on a constrained compensation budget. The affected areas are between 6km to 11km (Katale-Bukwenda and Katale-Busawula) and 14km to 19km (Lumuli and Kiryamuli/Ssekiwunga) The Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) says the realignments in these areas were ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214602476/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 11:16:50 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214602476/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Kampala - The Uganda shilling strengthened on Friday due to dollar inflows from commodity exporters, charities and sell-offs by offshore investors betting on a weaker greenback. At 0932 GMT commercial banks in Kampala quoted the currency of east Africa's third-largest economy at 2,560/2,570, stronger than Thursday's close of 2,575/2,585. "The market has inflows from the usual ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214602481/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 11:16:50 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214602481/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec NEW DELHI -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang begins a three-day visit to India Sunday. His visit comes in the wake of a tense border standoff in the Himalayan mountains, but the Asian giants are trying to downplay the disagreement. Syed Akbaruddin, India’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, said it was appreciated that Chinese Premier Li Keqiang is making India the first stop of his first overseas ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214601877/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 10:48:31 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214601877/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec "We have so far apprehended 31 students and they have not yet been charged," Lusaka provincial police chief Joyce Kasosa told Agence France-Presse on Saturday. Hundreds of students from the University of Zambia marched to President Michael Sata's office on Friday, demanding an audience with him. But Sata, who was away from the capital, ordered the police to arrest them. He also ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214601878/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 10:41:32 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214601878/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Yaw Ampofo Ankrah A squad of 15 players has been announced by the Ghana Beach Soccer Association (GBSA) for the upcoming beach soccer World Cup qualifiers in Morocco. Ghana will attempt to qualify for the2013 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in Tahiti later this year by aiming for a spectacular first time entrance onto the beach soccer stagenext week. The team commenced non-residential training in ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214601879/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 10:36:58 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214601879/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Nigeria's offensive is targeting all three states put under emergency decree, including Adamawa and Yobe, but the Boko Haram's traditional base of Borno is expected to see the most intense fighting. ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214601989/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 10:28:24 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214601989/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Kismayo - The newly elected president of Jubaland state in southern Somalia has nominated Gen. Abdullahi Ismail Fartaag as the state's new Vice President in accordance with the adopted State Charter, Garowe Online reports. Jubaland President Sheikh Ahmed Mohamed Islam (Madobe) nominated Gen. Fartaag as Jubaland Vice President after consultations with community elders, politicians and ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214601882/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 10:16:18 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214601882/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Baidoa - At least 5 persons were killed during clashes on Thursday night in Bakool region, of southwestern Somalia, Garowe Online reports. The fighting erupted Thursday night around 11:30pm local time in El Barde town of Bakool region, near the Somali-Ethiopian border, witnesses said. All the dead and wounded were fighters, according to local reports. Al Shabaab militants attacked Somali ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214601881/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 10:16:17 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214601881/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Uyo - The Akwa Ibom Government has directed operators of commercial vehicles and tricycles to relocate to government- owned motor-parks across Uyo so as to check criminal activities. The Commissioner for Transport, Mr Bassey Abia gave the directive while interacting with newsmen in Uyo on Thursday. Abia said that the relocation should be carried out immediately. "A tax force committee ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214601885/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 10:16:16 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214601885/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec The Confederation of African Football's Executive Committee, in its meeting in Cairo on May 15th and 16th 2013, has approved the appointments of the new members for CAF Standing Committees for 2013-2015, following a new system of selection. The full lists will be published soon. The CAF Executive Committee also congratulated the Football Associations of Algeria and Morocco for the excellent ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214601884/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 10:16:15 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214601884/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec On May 19, African countries will kick off a special summit to celebrate 50 years of unity, first under the Organisation of African Unity and, since 2000, under the African Union. This is an opportune time for the AU to set the record straight on its support for accountability, especially the atrocities during Kenya’s 2007-08 post-election violence. Indeed, Kenyan government sources ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214601887/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 10:12:30 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214601887/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- Conservative religious lawmakers in Afghanistan blocked legislation on Saturday aimed at strengthening provisions for women's freedoms, arguing that parts of it violate Islamic principles and encourage ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214601865/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 10:07:58 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214601865/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec FROM business to sport and beyond - Adelaide's African community is thriving, writes Callie Watson. --------- THEY are a new breed of footballers - a group of teenage girls who escaped from lives ofheartache and despair half aworld away to embrace our indigenous game. Two teams of mostly African refugees made their debut in the North Eastern Metro Junior Football Association's ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214600899/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 10:00:00 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214600899/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec The colt will face eight rivals at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland, Saturday. If the horse wins, he gets a shot on June 9 to try for the first Triple Crown win since 1978 at the Belmont Stakes. Orb will break from the one post during the race. Trainer Shug McGaughey said Friday he was pleased with the horse and does not see any problems ahead of the race. Eleven horses have won the ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214601367/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 09:45:45 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214601367/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Chenjerai Pamhiri (38), a lecturer at Great Zimbabwe State University in Masvingo city, was convicted and jailed on Friday by a magistrate, Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights said on Saturday. Prosecutors alleged that Pamhiri, while doing his shopping at a local supermarket last week, shouted that Mugabe was "dirt which should be discarded, a rotten old donkey". He is also said to have ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214601368/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 09:38:39 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214601368/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec The Plenary of Liberia's House of Representatives have been asked to invite the Director of the Executive Protection Service (EPS) to answer to questions of terroristic threat against Journalists. Two separate communications were written by Representatives Munah Pelham Youngblood (CDC-District #9 Montserrado County) and Richmond Anderson (LP-District #12 Montserrado County). Defending ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214601370/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 09:13:03 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214601370/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Gambia and Senegal share a lot in common. The two countries are without doubt one people, speaking the same language; brothers and sisters, sharing the same cultural norms and values and located within the same geographical area called Senegambia. The two countries are therefore bound to co-exist in the spirit of brotherhood at all times. This is precisely the reason President Jammeh has always ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214601371/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 09:13:03 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214601371/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Maputo - The Embassy of the Republic of Mozambique and the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry organized a Vietnam-Mozambique Business Forum, which will be held in the cities of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh, on June 11 and 13, 2013, respectively. The Centre for Promotion (CPI), in coordination with the CTA, the Cabinet of Accelerated Development Economic Zones (GAZEDA), the Institute for Export ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214601283/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 09:13:01 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214601283/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec The new Lamin ward councillor Mr. Ebrima D F Jarjou Wednesday declared his stance regarding the conflict brewing between the cattle owners and the women gardeners of Mandinary village during a short interview with this reporter at Brikama Area Council. Readers could recall that the women of Mandinary village and the Alkalo Mr. Faa Ceesay jointly expressed their dissatisfaction regarding the way ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214601372/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 09:13:01 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214601372/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec A federal court in Houston, Texas, has sentenced an Indian citizen and a Brazilian national to three years in prison for smuggling illegal migrants into the United States. Kaushik Thakkar and Fabano Amorim were also given two years of supervised release when their prison terms end. Prosecutors say the two charged Indian citizens up to $60,000 each and conspired to smuggle them into the ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214600897/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 08:44:03 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214600897/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec By SaharaReporters, New York Also: Why He Wished Achebe Had Not Written His Last Book; What He Told Ojukwu Before The War; Genocide, And Other Issues .Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka has described Africa’s most well known novelist, Chinua Achebe, as a storyteller who earned global celebration, adding, however, that those describing Achebe as "the father of African literature" were ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214600898/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 08:27:04 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214600898/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec TARFAYA, Morocco (AFP) - Morocco is ploughing ahead with a programme to boost wind energy production, particularly in the southern Tarfaya region, where Africa's largest wind farm is set to open in 2014.The kingdom, which has no hydrocarbon reserves of its own, hopes to cover 42 percent of its energy needs with renewable sources by 2020, and has launched a plan to produce 4,000 ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214600855/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 08:12:37 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214600855/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec HERDER who had previously clashed with residents of Tseikuru district in Kitui, have defied measures put in place by local security authorities and ventured into area. A district security committee and peace meeting on Monday outlawed the use of panya routes by the pastoralist in taking their livestock for sell in Tseikuru markets. It was chaired by deputy County Commissioner Stephen Momanyi ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214600840/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 08:11:09 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214600840/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec A woman who claimed to be owner of molded blocks Thursday fainted in the hands of residents of the 11TH Street Community after police confiscated several pieces of her blocks in a sand mining raid instituted by the Ministry of Lands and Mining. "Please don't carry my blocks. I have documents to prove that I molded these blocks from river sand," the weeping woman said as she ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214600812/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 08:11:09 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214600812/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec A scientist at the Kenya Forestry Research Institute has said the forests may soon earn Kenya millions of shillings when the carbon offset scheme begins. Researcher Chemuku Wekesa said the scheme will start once the development policies are set by the Environment ministry and discussions take place at the national and international levels. "The carbon trading business is big and will soon ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214600829/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 08:11:09 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214600829/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Power producer Kengen plans to increase output to the national grid by 70mw by December this year to address the high national demand, managing director Eddy Njoroge said on Wednesday. The power will be supplied by the new Olkaria IV geothermal power plant which is part of the 280mw Olkaria complex, the biggest geothermal plant in the world. Njoroge said construction is on course with 50 per ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214600856/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 08:11:09 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214600856/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Magistrate Jobarteh, chairman of the Kanifing Industrial Tribunal, recently entered judgement in favour of one Ansu Sanneh, who dragged his former employer, Little Star Co Ltd, to the tribunal for unlawful dismissal. In delivering his judgement, chairman Jobarteh told the tribunal that by a praecipe filed by the plaintiff, Ansu Sanneh, sought the following from the defendant: the recovery of the ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214600900/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 08:11:09 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214600900/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Host Scott Simon talks with NPR's Ofeibea Quist-Arcton about Zimbabwe's upcoming presidential election and efforts to alleviate its international ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214600428/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 07:35:50 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214600428/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Switzerland has provided $ 5.35 million to support Ghana's export capacities in the fruits, cocoa, fish, wood and furniture value-chains. A statement issued by Swiss Embassy in Accra said the support forms part of United Nations Industrial Development Organisation trade capacity building programme. The beneficiary organisations include Ghana Standards Authority to increase its capacity ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214600555/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 07:21:34 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214600555/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Members of Boko Haram and other extremist groups in Nigeria could face war crimes charges for deliberate acts leading to ethnic and religious cleansing, the top United Nations human rights official said today. In a press briefing in Geneva, the spokesperson for the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Rupert Colville, reiterated calls on Boko Haram and other extremist ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214600430/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 07:08:55 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214600430/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec MAIDUGURI, Nigeria  — A fresh load of battered corpses arrived, 29 of them in a routine delivery by the Nigerian military to the hospital morgue here. Unexpectedly, three bodies started moving. "They were not properly shot," recalled a security official here. "I had to call the J.T.F." -- the military's joint task force -- "and they gunned them ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214600431/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 07:06:58 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214600431/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec U.S. President Barack Obama says he is focusing on ways to help the American middle class make economic gains, to bring them in line with the economic recovery of big ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214599931/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 06:39:41 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214599931/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Officials say the gunmen gunned down an administrator for the al-Rasheed district Saturday, and also killed the police captain's wife and their two children. The attackers also killed at least one security officer nearby. On Friday, a series of bomb attacks targeted Sunnis in Iraq, including in Baquba, just north of Baghdad, killing 70 people and increasing fears of renewed sectarian ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214599863/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 06:39:41 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214599863/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Arusha, Tanzania - Tanzanian police said Saturday they have arrested five people in possession of explosives in the economic capital Dar es ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214599933/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 06:30:31 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214599933/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec May 16 - Honorable John Kerry U.S. Department of State 2201 C Street NW Washington, DC 20520 Dear Mr. Secretary: We are writing to bring to your attention the deteriorating state of press freedom in Ethiopia, where you will attend this year's African Union Summit. A vibrant press and civil society is fundamental to hold governments accountable and to ensure long-term development and ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214599934/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 06:05:53 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214599934/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec By Agnieszka Flak JOHANNESBURG | Sat May 18, 2013 5:56am EDT JOHANNESBURG May 18 (Reuters) - Operations at a chrome mine in South Africa owned by chemicals group LANXESS have been suspended since Thursday after workers started an illegal strike over bonus payments, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) said on Saturday. The dispute at the mine in Rustenburg, 120 km (70 miles) northwest ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214600429/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 05:56:47 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214600429/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Madagascar 's southern Atsimo-Andrefana region. The work is hard, but in the past year, access to microcredit has boosted both her business and her hopes for the future."Before, I used to make 10,000 to 20,000 ariary ($4.50-9.00, about 3) a day. Now, with the credit, I can make double that amount," she told IRIN. "I can put my four [grand]children in school, buy some livestock ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214599424/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 05:10:02 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214599424/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec In an impressive show of strength, civil society groups from more than 30 African countries have called on African Union (AU) member countries to ensure that the AU promotes justice for grave international crimes In a letter to the foreign ministers of African Union member states which was sent in advance of the AU's 21st summit, the groups noted that recent strain in the African ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214599482/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 05:03:33 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214599482/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Paris - An international conference to fight child malnutrition called by UNICEF ended today in Paris with a call to hasten world progress on child nutrition and the funding for it. "The Paris conference produced a very strong consensus on responses to be made. It also marked an important step in expressing the political will to attack this scourge by governments, both in the South and the ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214599481/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 05:03:33 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214599481/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Nairobi - Pastoralism is often regarded as an antiquated practice ill-suited to the modern economy, yet trade between pastoral communities in Africa - much of it informal and illegal - generated an estimated US$1 billion each year, according to a new book published by the Futures Agriculture Consortium,. "If we shift our gaze from the capital cities, where the development and policy elite ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214599483/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 05:03:32 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214599483/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec A visiting delegation of French Senators is taking back a message to France and other European partners to align with Africa's road map for the next fifty years. The delegation was received in audience by the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, H.E. Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.They came with great interest to understand what the future holds for France-Africa ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214599485/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 05:03:32 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214599485/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Kampala - Maximising the power of local government will be crucial to realizing the ambitions of a post-2015 global development agenda which can lead to eradicating extreme poverty, tackling inequalities and putting the world on a sustainable path. That was the message from United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Administrator Helen Clark during a keynote address at the 2013 Commonwealth ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214599484/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 05:03:32 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214599484/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Officials say Police Chief Abdul Ghani was near his home late Friday when gunmen shot him. No one has been detained in the case. The Associated Press quotes a local official as saying Ghani had led a crackdown on insurgents in his district of Khaki Safad that resulted in the killing and capture of several Taliban leaders. The spokesman said that made him a target for Taliban ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214598853/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 04:34:24 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214598853/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Officials say the crash took place around 6 p.m. local time Friday near Bridgeport, Connecticut, about 100 kilometers northeast of New York. Connecticut state governor Dannel Malloy told reporters that five people were critically injured in the crash, including one person with very serious injuries. The cause of the crash is under investigation. Malloy said there is "no reason to believe ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214598990/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 04:34:24 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214598990/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec North Korea has launched three short-range guided missiles into the sea off the Korean Peninsula's east coast, according to South Korea's Ministry of Defence quoted by Yonhap news agency. The ministry said it detected two missiles fired on Saturday morning, followed by another in the afternoon. It said the country had reinforced monitoring on North Korea and was maintaining a ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214598867/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 04:02:37 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214598867/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Seismologists say a strong earthquake has struck off the northeastern coast of Japan's main Honshu island, but no tsunami warning was issued and there were no immediate reports of ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214598360/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 03:30:36 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214598360/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec court in Mombasa with luring 11 Kenyan women into prostitution has moved to the High Court to challenge the Sh1 million bond slapped on him on ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214598362/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 03:27:08 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214598362/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Speaking in his office at City Hall, Mr Kidero said he is prepared and anxious to co-operate with Jubilee's central administration despite being popularly elected on the opposition's Coalition for Reform and Democracy (CORD) ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214598361/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 03:27:07 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214598361/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec the BBC reports , after the Senate and National Assembly approved the bill, it "was quickly challenged on constitutional grounds by the main right-wing opposition UMP party of former president Nicolas Sarkozy." Friday, a ruling by the Constitutional Council cleared the way for the president's signature. The council found the bill in accordance with constitution, ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214597699/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 02:19:32 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214597699/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec New York, May 18 : The United Nations human rights office Friday expressed serious concern over Papua New Guinea's announcement that it will resume the death penalty more than half a century since it last carried out an execution, stressing this would represent "a major setback" for the ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214597652/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 02:19:22 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214597652/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec The demonstrators, most of them teenagers, threw molotov cocktails at the police who replied with volleys of tear gas cannisters, but there were no reports of casualties. The clashes took place near Cairo's Tahrir Square, the symbolic heart of the opposition movement that brought down President Hosni Mubarak in February 2011. Earlier Friday, marches had begun in various parts of the ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214597653/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 02:18:31 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214597653/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Almost 10 percent of young people in the United Kingdom now identify themselves as Muslim and fewer than half as Christian, 2011 Census figures show. The new analysis of the 2011 data released Friday shows Christianity has been losing ground even faster than thought among those born in the country, The Daily Telegraph reported. A report last year said the Census found 4.1 million Christians, ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214597683/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 01:49:12 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214597683/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec The remarks by General Martin Dempsey were the first U.S. confirmation that Russia made the sale of so-called ship-killer cruise missiles to Syria. Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Friday the missiles will embolden President Bashar al-Assad and prolong the suffering in Syria. The New York Times says the Russian anti-ship cruise missiles are more advanced than previous ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214597003/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 01:20:39 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214597003/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Wandoo Makurdi Johannesburg - 18 May 2013 Twenty-three youths have died in the past nine days at initiation ceremonies that include circumcisions and survival ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214597004/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 01:10:48 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214597004/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Two new medical discoveries are raising hopes of containing malaria - the mosquito-borne parasitic disease that each year infects more than 200 million people and claims an estimated 660 thousand lives. Meantime, the World Health Organization is warning about dire consequences if a drug-resistant form of malaria spreads beyond southeast Asia. Artemisinin has helped cut global malaria deaths by ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214596263/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 00:15:26 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214596263/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Gregory Mandizvidza is an illustrator in Zimbabwe. This is his tribute to the Jamaican reggae singer and guitarist Bob Marley on the occasion of his death anniversary. The musician died on 11 May ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214596264/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Sat, 18 May 2013 00:10:26 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214596264/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec A key militant responsible for " external relations" between al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and the parent organization al-Qaida had been killed last Friday by Algeria's National People's Army (ANP), local APS news agency reported Sunday, citing security sources. Bekai Boualem, alias "El Khaled Mig" and aged 45, was shot in an ambush on Friday by ANP forces ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214596265/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Fri, 17 May 2013 23:31:52 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214596265/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec WHITE HOUSE -- Obama, Burmese President to Discuss Reform Progress, Challenges Burma's President Thein Sein holds talks on Monday with President Obama at the White House. The discussions will focus on progress in reforms, barriers toward greater democratization and next steps in the changing U.S. - Burma relationship. November 2012. Barack Obama becomes the first serving U.S. president ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214595550/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Fri, 17 May 2013 23:09:21 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214595550/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec US Secretary of State John Kerry is scheduled to visit the Middle East and Africa later this month, the State Department announced on Friday.On May 21, Kerry will visit Muscat, the capital of Oman, and meet with senior Omani officials on a range of bilateral and regional issues, the department said in a statement.On May 22, the top US diplomat will visit Amman, the capital of Jordan, to meet with ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214595536/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Fri, 17 May 2013 22:57:51 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214595536/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang will pay an official visit to Zimbabwe and attend a special summit of the African Union from May 21 to 25.Wang will attend a special summit of the African Union to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Organization for African Unity, the predecessor to the African Union. He will attend the event, to be held in the Ethiopian capital of Addis ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214595551/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Fri, 17 May 2013 22:57:47 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214595551/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec PEORIA, ILLINOIS -- Tea Party-affiliated activists in the Midwestern United States say they are outraged, but not surprised, by revelations that the tax-collecting arm of the U.S. government has been unfairly scrutinizing applications by conservative groups for tax-exempt status. The scandal forced the acting head of the Internal Revenue Service [IRS] to step down this week, and is prompting ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214594058/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Fri, 17 May 2013 20:52:28 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214594058/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf on Friday defended her government's record on good governance and transparency, following an independent audit that cast doubt on her anti-corruption ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214594036/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Fri, 17 May 2013 20:22:00 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214594036/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says the United States wants to see Bangladesh move forward on improving labor standards after a building collapse that killed hundreds of garment ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214593038/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Fri, 17 May 2013 19:43:07 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214593038/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec South Sudan is not quite two years old. The world’s newest country was created in July 2011, after decades of fighting a civil war against the north. But it is now facing its own internal rebellion. The army there is being accused of terrorizing its own people in the eastern state of Jonglei. Caelin Briggs is with Refugees International in Juba, the capital of South Sudan. She’s ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214593039/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Fri, 17 May 2013 19:41:26 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214593039/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec The panel analyzing capital investment in U.S. real estate, from left, were: John R. Miller, Charles H. Fedalen Jr., Christopher R. Ludeman, J. Michael Stedman and Jon H. ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214592797/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Fri, 17 May 2013 19:38:53 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214592797/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Kenya have denied they will retaliate against Nigeria for the alleged mistreatment of the Harambee Stars by the Nigeria Football Federation when they visited the country for their first leg 2014 World Cup ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214593040/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Fri, 17 May 2013 19:38:07 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214593040/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Angola, Africa's largest crude oil producer behind Nigeria, plans to sell about 33 state-owned companies over the next five years to increase efficiency and cut costs, its Economy Minister Mr. Abrahao Gourgel, ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214592815/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Fri, 17 May 2013 19:38:06 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214592815/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec At his inauguration on April 9, Kenya's new president, Uhuru Kenyatta, promised to uphold "international obligations". This was most likely a reference to the International Criminal Court. Kenyatta and his deputy, William Ruto, are to stand trial before the ICC for crimes against humanity allegedly committed during the country's election-related violence in 2007 and 2008. ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214593026/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Fri, 17 May 2013 19:03:44 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214593026/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec The top U.S. military officer says Russian missile shipments to Syria are "ill-timed" and "very unfortunate." The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Martin Dempsey, said Friday the missiles will embolden President Bashar al-Assad and prolong the suffering in Syria. He said Mr. Assad could think the missiles somehow will make him safer and more prone to a ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214591897/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Fri, 17 May 2013 18:33:08 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214591897/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Last year more Christians were killed in Nigeria than any other country. The onslaught of bombings gave Nigeria the sad distinction of being the nation with the highest Christian death toll. More than 900 Christians reportedly were killed in Nigeria in 2012, all victims of the Boko Haram group and other Islamic militants. "They are so radical they don't even spare Muslims. If Muslims ... http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214591898/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Fri, 17 May 2013 18:18:55 -0400 http://www.sierraleonenews.net/index.php/sid/214591898/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec