News

By Mabinty Kamara 

A 2015 report from the Needy Child International indicates that forty nine thousand six hundred and ninety-six (49,696) Sierra Leonean children work and live on the streets.

While two thousand seven hundred (2,700) live permanently on the streets, forty-five thousand (45,000) children between the ages of 6-15 in the Western Area of Sierra Leone are not going to school but are engaged in stone mining.

By Mustapha Kamara Jnr

In a bid to empower film makers in Sierra Leone, ‘We Own TV’, a local media organisation in the country, is planning to disburse a $60,000grant to seven film makers in the country.

Arthur Pratt, Co-founder, We Own TV, told a presser in Freetown that the amount,equalled Le 360 million, was meant for individual documentary film makers, who had sent in proposals of documentary projects in February 2016, to be implemented during the “We Own TV Story Challenge”.

By Hassan Ibrahim Conteh

President Ernest Bai Koroma has on Monday launched the National Employment Policy Strategy and implementation plan.

The policy aims at ensuring rapid economic growth and promotion of sustainable development. President Koroma, speaking at the occasion organized to commemorate Workers’ Day, said the launching of the policy document was in line with his government’s commitment to address the challenges affecting the administration of some of the employment sectors in the country.

Former Liberian footballer, George Weah, has declared to run for the Presidency of his country in 2017. The former World Player of the Year made the announcement last Thursday in front of thousands of his party supporters in Monrovia.

This is Weah’s second strike at the Presidency. In 2005, he formed his Congress for Democratic Change party and contested the election against the current President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in 2005. After losing he contested in 2011 as the running mate of Winston Tubman but again lost after a runoff election.

Congolese music legend, Papa Wemba, has died. Papa Wemba was performing last week Sunday with his band, at the 9^th edition of the Urban Music Festival concert in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, when he collapsed on stage.

The artist was reported to be ill in the early hours of Saturday but he was believed to be well enough for Sunday evening’s performance. There have been no reports yet as to what caused his death but there have been speculations going on that the artist might have been poisoned through the microphone.

By Septimus Senessie in Kono

The suspended Mayor of Koidu, Saa Emerson Lamina returned to the municipality yesterday amid tight police security to stop any of his supporters from processing to welcome him.

The police arrested 10 people for what the regional head AIG Alfred Karrow-Kamara said was “incitement and unlawful procession”.

18 motorbikes which he said were abandoned by their owners are currently under police custody.

By Septimus Senessie in Kono

Six people, including two policemen, have been accused of involvement in town mining in the Kono district.