News

By Crispina Cummings

IPAS, an organisation working on women’s health and reproductive rights last week held a workshop with parliamentarians to discuss safe abortion before the tabling of a bill that will allow for qualified abortion. The bill will seek to allow for the termination of pregnancy if it was caused by rape, incest, or if the woman’s life is in danger by the pregnancy.

P.C. Aiah Denton Bona Foamansa III displaying a ceremonial cheque presented by Nimini Mining Limited.

By James Tamba Lebbie

The first ever music video was filmed inside the new Freetown Female Prison last week to mark 16 days of activism against violence against women. According to a press release, one of Sierra Leone’s leading female hip hop artists, Star Zee, partnered with civil society organisation, AdvocAid, "to record a song educating women about their legal rights".

By Fasalie Sulaiman Kamara

The Archbishop of Freetown, Edward Tamba Charles says the old students of Yengema Secondary School in Kono district must ensure the bell rings "loudly and proudly" as the school turns 50 years on 7 December 2014. The school is the second to turn 50 in the district after Jaiama Secondary School achieved the feat in 2010.

He made this pronouncement at a news conference at Santanno House in Freetown last week as he read out from a letter written by the Diaspora wing of the school.

By Kenneth Thompson

With help from the UN Development Programme, the Office for National Security (ONS) through its National Disaster Risk Management Office has validated the National Policy on Disaster Management.

The Dean of community health sciences at Njala University said the policy document incorporated in detail all the key components of disaster risk management including "preparedness, prevention and mitigation, and recovery and rehabilitation".

President Koroma signing the Mandela book of condolence at the RSA honorary consulate in Freetown

By Umaru Fofana

By Mohamed T. Massaquoi

Police yesterday opened fire at protesters in Malen chiefdom in the southern Pujehun district.

According to eyewitnesses and campaigners, at least ten people were seriously wounded. Many others are said to be in police custody.

The Red Cross programme administrator in Pujehun, Tom Abu told Politico that one of the casualties was shot in the neck and was in a critical condition.