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Electoral College: The people who ultimately pick the US president

admin — Mon, 14 Dec 2020 16:10:01 +0000

Electoral College: The people who ultimately pick the US president admin Mon, 12/14/2020 - 16:10

Monday, December 14, 2020

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Original Article

Electoral College: The people who ultimately pick the US president

BBC Reprint By Sam CabralBBC News, Washington US election 2020 The US presidential election was five weeks ago, but the votes that officially anoint the next president are just about to be cast. When Americans go to the polls in presidential elections, they are not directly voting for president. They are actually voting for a […]

Montserrat

Caribbean

The key role played by the media in shaping public perception on COVID-19 in Sierra Leone

admin — Fri, 13 Nov 2020 17:40:02 +0000

The key role played by the media in shaping public perception on COVID-19 in Sierra Leone admin Fri, 11/13/2020 - 17:40

Friday, November 13, 2020

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Local – Sierra Leone Concord Times

Original Article

The key role played by the media in shaping public perception on COVID-19 in Si…

November 13, 2020

By Ibrahim Tarawallie

Sierra Leone has been grappling with various health emergencies for the past six years. With one of the poorest health infrastructures in Africa, the country was at first devastated by the outbreak of the dreaded Ebola Virus in 2014, which killed 3,956 people. Like Ebola, the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has affected all facets of life in the country. Comparatively though, the infection rate of COVID-19 in the country is relatively low: 2,383 confirmed cases and 74 deaths as at Sunday November 8, 2020, compared to 14,124 confirmed cases and 3,956 deaths for Ebola. One of the contributors to the low infection rate of the Coronavirus is the significant role played by the media in creating awareness about the virus among the population.

Sierra Leone Association of Journalists

To enhance government’s capability in terms of effecting behavioral change leading to the general acceptability of the existence of COVID-19, the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) strongly collaborated with the government in the fight against the pandemic.

Ahmed Sahid Nasralla, President of SLAJ, narrated the role played by his association in the fight against the pandemic.

“Before we even had the index case, and when news broke out of the pandemic spreading widely in countries, we were proactive enough to join the government in preparing the minds of the people that the virus was real and it was coming to Sierra Leone, and that it was just a matter of time,” he said.

He said a SLAJ Coronavirus Response Committee was established with a mandate to liaise with the Ministry of Health and Sanitation for expert information on the virus so that journalists could have knowledge about the virus as well as understand the preventive measures.

SLAJ also established a national simulcast program on radio and TV, which was a clearing house for all information about the virus to dispel misinformation, fake news and conspiracy theories about COVID-19.

According to Nasralla, the program was used as a platform to talk directly to the people and convince them about the existence of the virus, as well as proffering prevention mechanisms and measures to combat the spread.

“Beyond that, this program continued after we had our index case. During the lockdowns, the media was the source of all information and we collaborated with the Independent Radio Network (IRN) and other media groups to speak with one voice,” Nasralla noted.

The SLAJ president said people all over the country relied on the media for accurate information on the virus and also about what the government was doing, especially in areas such as care and prevention.

Despite not undertaking any survey to gauge the contribution of the media in the fight, Nasralla stated that the feedback from various sections of the society, including from the government and development partners, was positive as people seemed to have appreciated the message of prevention and compliance with health measures.

He encouraged his fellow journalists to observe all safety measures while reporting public health emergencies like the current COVID-19 pandemic.

He noted that when the pandemic started, they issued out safety guidelines together with the Sierra Leone Reporters’ Union on how media houses should protect their members and guests coming into their radio and TV stations.

“We also provided information tips to journalists going out to get news on the virus, which is what we called self-preservation,” he added.

Coordinating the fight

When the pandemic broke out in Sierra Leone on 31 March 2020, the government set up a task force that was charged with coordinating the fight against the disease. The National Coronavirus Emergency Response Centre (NaCOVERC) is headed by the Minister of Defence, Brig. (Rtd.) Kellie Conteh, who served as the National Coordinator.

Communication Pillar Lead at NaCOVERC, Harold Thomas, said there were five strategies adopted to pass on critical information to the public on the pandemic, namely: Risk Communication plans and mechanisms, public communication, internal and partner communication and coordination, rumour management, and coordination and engagement with effected or targeted communities.

He however could not immediately provide details of the impact of the said strategies on the behaviour of the public towards the virus.

Traditional media remains key

With the advent of social media characterized by misinformation, the traditional media played a key role in creating balance amid the abundance of information being put out to the public. The public largely relied on the traditional media as sources of credible information about the pandemic.

Mabinty Aziza Mansaray, a student at the Institute of Public Administration and Management, said she trusted news coming from radio and television covering the Coronavirus pandemic in Sierra Leone.

“At first, I doubted the reality of the virus but when I started getting information on it from radio and television, I started taking measures to prevent myself and family from contracting the virus,” she said.

“I believe messages coming from the various media outlets helped Sierra Leoneans to understand what to do to keep themselves safe from the virus.”

She added that the media had been very instrumental because it did not only provide the platform for people leading the response to share useful information about the virus, but that the journalists themselves became the true harbingers of credible information.

“Journalists carried out public education during the Ebola outbreak and they are playing a similar role during this current Coronavirus pandemic,” she said.

Sierra Leone

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‘Govt. not averse to receiving deportees’

admin — Thu, 24 Sep 2020 12:10:01 +0000

‘Govt. not averse to receiving deportees’ admin Thu, 09/24/2020 - 12:10

Thursday, September 24, 2020

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Politics – Sierra Leone Concord Times

Original Article

‘Govt. not averse to receiving deportees’

-Says Foreign Affairs Minister

September 23, 2020

By Freddie Hayward

Foreign Minister Nabeela Tunis has said that the government will not compromise its process for verifying the nationality of deportees from the United States, following the US Embassy accusing the Sierra Leonean government of an inconsistent and delayed removals process.

Speaking at a press conference, the foreign minister strongly denied claims by the US Embassy that Sierra Leone was not compliant with deportations and expressed a strong commitment to the verification process.

“As a country we have a responsibility to go through the verification process as our national processes deem fit…despite the fact that we are under a lot of pressure to receive these people who are alleged Sierra Leoneans from the United States,” said the foreign minister.

The US Embassy has suspended the issuance of all visas to Sierra Leoneans and has said that it will only reconsider the visa sanction once an improved removal process is put in place by the Sierra Leonean government.

“What we are looking for is a consistent, reputable, routine process by which the government of Sierra Leone issues these travel documents to their citizens,” US Ambassador Marie Brewer told Radio Democracy yesterday.

However, the foreign minister is adamant that the government is compliant with deportation requests: “We have told them over and over again that we are not averse to accepting our nationals. We are ready to accept our nationals and we have been doing that for a very long time,” said the foreign minister.

Ambassador Brewer stated that the number of people waiting for deportation to Sierra Leone stands at approximately 1,300.

The Sierra Leonean government will verify that each deportee is a Sierra Leonean national before accepting their repatriation.

The foreign minister also stated that the coronavirus pandemic has impeded the government’s ability to repatriate nationals.

“There was a delay in us effecting [the verification process] because… the airports were closed… it is not practically possible for us to execute the request for deportations. Therefore, for a certain length of time we could not have these deportations done. But immediately when the airports were opened we did receive eight people in August,” she said.

The foreign minister said that the verification process can last between a few hours and a couple of days depending on the level of documentation available.

The government has set up a committee responsible for verification comprising representatives from the immigration department, labour ministry, the Office of National Security, International Organisation for Migration, social welfare and the foreign ministry.

The committee was set up following the case of two deportees last year who claimed to be from the Caribbean rather than Sierra Leone.

Ambassador Brewer has said that it was the government of Sierra Leone that issued the travel documents to the two deportees and it was therefore their responsibility to verify their nationality.

The disagreement between the two countries has worsened over the past few years. Visa sanctions have been in place since 2016 and they were expanded in 2017 to include all foreign ministry and immigration officials. The latest round of sanctions are the most severe the country have suffered. Those that already have a visa will still be able to travel and the US Embassy has said it will respect its international obligations to supply visas to diplomats and embassy staff.

Sierra Leone

Africa

Politics

‘2020, a year of delivery in the health sector’

admin — Tue, 15 Sep 2020 13:00:02 +0000

‘2020, a year of delivery in the health sector’ admin Tue, 09/15/2020 - 13:00

Tuesday, September 15, 2020

Original Publisher

Local – Sierra Leone Concord Times

Original Article

‘2020, a year of delivery in the health sector’

-Health Minister

September 14, 2020

By Mohamed M. Sesay

Minister of Health and Sanitation, Prof. Alpha Tejan Wurrie

Connaught staff at the donation scene

Minister of Health and Sanitation, Professor Alpha Wurie Tejan Jalloh, has on Thursday assured health workers that 2020 would be a year of delivery within the rapid transformation of the country’s health sector to match with global standards.

Professor Wurie made the above statement when presenting medical equipment to the Connaught Government Hospital in Freetown.

The donated items include ten Oxygen Concentrators, sanitizers, Miller water tanks, uniforms for staff, IPCs and a lot more items geared towards boosting staff capacity and improving the Connaught facility.

‘’It has been extremely difficult as a result of the consequences of the covid-19 virus. Yet still, I am here for you to believe that there are quite a bit we can deliver this year. 2020 is the year of deliver within the health sector,’’ he assured.

Professor Wurie noted that Connaught is the flagship hospital of the country, adding that the hospital has seven hundred and forty-seven healthcare workers, eight-five house officers and forty-three specialists and medical doctors.

He added that the supplementary budget has a quota or an amount meant for the rehabilitation of every government hospital in the country, affirming that the government’s supplementary budget has three key areas including diagnostic that would soon be addressed.

He said the ministry would be working with radiologists to help draw a scheme that would inform the government with regards to the purchasing of diagnostic machine.

The health minister continued that that was the first time in the history of Sierra Leone that government has a budgeted project in order to strengthen the health sector.

He said there was another health related project running simultaneously with the government budgeted project funded by the Islamic Development Bank- the project as covid-19 response one (1).

He added that the bulk of that project would be focused on a health system strengthening which encompasses thirty-forty beds unit in every district of Sierra Leone for disease response.

He further stated that government has given pin codes to three thousand, five hundred health workers in this year alone, adding that government has also given authority to his ministry to employ another three thousand health workers.

He concluded with a glad tidings that the ministry has sent a project to Global Fund, adding that the ministry could now brag of a sector-wide programme of over fifty million United States Dollars from World Bank.

In her statement, Chairperson, Board of Administration of the University of Sierra Leone Teaching Hospitals, Dr. Sonia M. Spencer, said the teaching hospital complex is made of six hospitals of which Connaught happens to be the main one.

Said the new Board for the teaching hospital is faced with some challenges which staff, patients and administrators complained about every day.

She said the donated items were direly needed and appealed to the minister to replicate similar donation to the remaining hospitals across the country.

Sierra Leone

Africa

Government placing great emphasis on care of senior citizens

admin — Mon, 20 Jun 2022 00:20:01 +0000

Government placing great emphasis on care of senior citizens

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admin Mon, 06/20/2022 - 00:20

Friday, June 17, 2022

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Local – Dominica Vibes News

Original Article

Government placing great emphasis on care of senior citizens

Minister of Youth Development and Empowerment, Youth at Risk, Gender Affairs, Seniors’ Security, and Dominicans With Disabilities — Hon. Dr Adis King

The Government of Dominica has placed significant emphasis on the care and well-being of senior citizens on the island.

That’s according to the Minister for Seniors Security, Honourable Dr. Adis King.

She made this statement this week as Dominica observed World Elder Abuse Awareness 2022 under the theme “Digital Equity for All Ages”.

https://www.dominicavibes.dm/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/MJ170622ELDER001.mp3

All of these areas she says are significant emphasis placed on the care and well-being of the senior citizens by the Dominica Government.

She further called for younger citizens to assist in the care and well-being of the senior citizens.

https://www.dominicavibes.dm/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/MJ170622ELDER002.mp3

World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, or WEAAD, is an annual initiative launched on June 15, 2006, by the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse and the World Health Organization.

In its 66/127 resolution, the United Nations General Assembly designated that date as World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, a day in which the entire world voices its opposition to any form of abuse of the older generation.

WEAAD aims to provide an opportunity for communities around the world to promote a better understanding of the abuse older people suffer by raising awareness of the cultural, social, economic, and demographic processes affecting them.

Elder abuse is one of the least investigated types of violence and does not get addressed in national action plans as frequently as other key social issues.

Dominica

Caribbean

News

Dominica Chess Federation will host National Championship Trophy Ceremony at the Dominica State College

admin — Mon, 20 Jun 2022 00:20:01 +0000

Dominica Chess Federation will host National Championship Trophy Ceremony at the Dominica State College

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admin Mon, 06/20/2022 - 00:20

Friday, June 17, 2022

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Local – Dominica Vibes News

Original Article

Dominica Chess Federation will host National Championship Trophy Ceremony at th…

Roseau, Dominica, June 17, 2022: The Dominica Chess Federation will host our National Championship trophy ceremony at the Dominica State College on Saturday June 18 at 3pm. The Dominica Chess Federation has completed its first ever National Chess Championships as a FIDE-recognized federation, over the weekend of May 13-15.

After 7 rounds of fierce competition only one person could emerge the winner; with the winner being determined by the player with the most points.

The point system being as follows:

1 point for a win, 1/2 point for a draw, and 0 points for a loss; with each player receiving a ‘bye’ in different rounds that is a guaranteed 1 point for them.

Therefore, the final scores are as follows:

1st Nigel Francis 6.5 points

2nd Lyndon Auguiste 5.5 points

3rd Brandon Henry 4.5 points

4th Adam St. Ville 3.5 points

5th Edgar Berridge 3 points

6th Larry Thomas 3 points

7th Romel Laudat 2 points

The Trophy Ceremony is one step closer to Federation representing Dominica at the 44th Chess Olympiad in India. A group of players have already been selected to represent Dominica come July 27th to August 10th 2022 in India.

The DCF has also received financial sponsorship by FIDE amounting to $25,000, minus eating expenses. The federation has been very active in its regular training and coaching sessions, as well in its Sensitization drive to raise awareness around the sport and its activities.

The next Month of Competition between Dominica and some of the brightest and skilled players in the world, is one that brings more recognition to sport and one step closer to the overall aim of inspiring the youth to use their energies in a positive way.

Caribbean

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Binational market develops normally despite threats of civil war in Haiti

admin — Sun, 19 Jun 2022 22:50:01 +0000

Binational market develops normally despite threats of civil war in Haiti

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admin Sun, 06/19/2022 - 22:50

Friday, June 17, 2022

Original Publisher

Local – Dominican Today

Original Article

Binational market develops normally despite threats of civil war in Haiti

Pedernales. – The binational market was very active on this border, despite the threat of the gang leader Fanton Susan Nef (509) to provoke a civil war in Haiti due to the military persecution against him.

Commercial activity is dynamic with the flow of Haitians who pass to this site in search of food for humans and animals and the purchase of rebar, cement, sand, and other construction materials.

Likewise, thousands of Haitians are seen circulating in this area’s streets, doing motoconcho, venduteras, construction, and other activities.

Meanwhile, the immigration and military authorities of the Dominican Republic activated actions against undocumented immigrants and increased their presence in the border division.

Caribbean

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Mistreatment of the elderly on the rise

admin — Sun, 19 Jun 2022 22:50:01 +0000

Mistreatment of the elderly on the rise

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admin Sun, 06/19/2022 - 22:50

Friday, June 17, 2022

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Local – Dominican Today

Original Article

Mistreatment of the elderly on the rise

Santo Domingo, DR
The National Council received at least 259 complaints of abuse and mistreatment of older adults for the Elderly (Conape) in the first six months of this year.

Among the most common cases of abuse reported to the state agency are family conflicts, psychological mistreatment, abandonment, and violation of property rights. However, we also receive economic and physical injustice, negligence, and neglect reports.

The details were offered by Conape executives this past Wednesday during the commemoration of the World Day of Awareness on Abuse and Mistreatment of the Elderly, where the director of the organization, Dr. Jose Garcia Ramirez, took the opportunity to ask the members of Congress to modify the Law 352-97 on the Protection of the Elderly because it has no regime of consequences or sanctions established for those who violate its provisions.

The data on the cases of denunciations were offered by Yiseel Alcántara, in charge of the Department of Denunciations and Follow-up of Cases of CONAPE. She revealed that between January and June of this year, 2022, the agency had received 259 complaints of abuse and mistreatment of older adults, of which 85% have been resolved, and the remaining 39, representing 15% of the same, are in the process of follow-up.

Attorney Danissa Cruz, in charge of the special prosecutor’s office for the elderly, cited that the risk factors that can lead to abuse and mistreatment of the elderly are dependency, disability, psychological disorders, and social isolation.

Dominican Republic

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Residents nearly lynch man who tried to steal tricycle from disabled person

admin — Sun, 19 Jun 2022 22:50:01 +0000

Residents nearly lynch man who tried to steal tricycle from disabled person

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admin Sun, 06/19/2022 - 22:50

Friday, June 17, 2022

Original Publisher

Local – Dominican Today

Original Article

Residents nearly lynch man who tried to steal tricycle from disabled person

Loma de Cabrera. Angry residents attacked a man with sticks and stones after he was allegedly caught when he tried to rob a disabled person of a tricycle in this municipality’s community of Laja Campeche.

Juan Contreras Solís, nicknamed “Deli,” 26 years old, resident of Río Limpio of this town, has a contused wound in the left frontal region and lacerations in various parts of the body.

Read more: Mob lynches alleged thief in Pantoja.
The National Police reported that the incident occurred on Thursday when the disabled man, Tomas Nunez Estevez, 55, was riding a motorcycle.

He said that the alleged thief was taken to the hospital Ramon A. Villalona, of Loma de Cabrera, where he is being held in police custody for the corresponding legal purposes.

Dominican Republic

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Covid-19 spreads with great force in 28 provinces

admin — Sun, 19 Jun 2022 22:50:01 +0000

Covid-19 spreads with great force in 28 provinces

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admin Sun, 06/19/2022 - 22:50

Friday, June 17, 2022

Original Publisher

Local – Dominican Today

Original Article

Covid-19 spreads with great force in 28 provinces

Santo Domingo, DR
Between one and 200 new cases of the Covid-19 virus were reported yesterday in most of the country’s provinces, leaving only Barahona, Elías Piña, Monseñor Nouel, and Peravia with no reports of new infections in the last 24 hours.

However, it should be noted that between the bulletin issued by the Ministry of Public Health on Wednesday and yesterday, Thursday, the provinces that do not report positive cases were not tested for any significant diagnostic tests.

In Barahona, for Thursday’s bulletin, only three tests were done, and they were negative; in Elías Piña, only one test was done, and it was negative; in Monseñor Nouel, only one negative test was done, and in Peravia, no new test was reported.

Last Wednesday’s bulletin registered 101 positive cases in Peravia, but in yesterday’s report, no new tests were done.

At the national level, the country reported 903 new positive cases of Covid-19, captured in 7,283 samples processed, of which 40 were PCR and 7,243 antigen samples.

Positivity in 15.21%.

Out of every 100 samples processed yesterday, more than 15 were positive, placing the daily positivity at 15.21%. The accumulated positivity for the last four weeks showed a slight increase, reaching 9.24% yesterday, while it had been reported at 8.75% the previous day.

According to yesterday’s epidemiological report, the National District reported 199 new positive diagnoses; the province of Santo Domingo said 193 cases; Puerto Plata, 130 cases; Santiago, 55 and La Altagracia reported 47 new infections, while the other provinces with positive reports registered less than 40 cases.

Deaths from the disease continued at 4,382 deaths, as no new deaths were reported yesterday, with a case fatality rate of 0.74%.

Infectious cases
The country has registered 3,576 active cases of the virus and a total of 594,964 positive diagnoses since March 2020 to date, according to the report of epidemiological bulletin number 819 released yesterday by the General Directorate of Epidemiology of the Ministry of Public Health.

Hospitalized

As of yesterday, the country reports 207 patients hospitalized due to the disease caused by the Covid-19 virus, occupying 8.7% of the available beds.

Yesterday, 30 patients were admitted to Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds, three under ventilation, with occupancy rates of 5.1% and 0.6%, respectively.

According to the latest sequencing of positive samples analyzed at the Dr. Defilló National Laboratory, two subvariants of the Covid-19 omicron variant, BA.1 and BA.2, are circulating in the country.

Within the risk groups, the system reports that the virus has been detected in 71,345 children under 20 years of age, 1,885 pregnant women, and 2,337 health care workers.

In 23.09% of the deceased, it is reported that they had hypertension as an underlying disease, and in 14.45%, diabetes.

To date, 3,425,307 laboratory tests have been processed in the country to rule out or confirm the presence of the virus.

The coronavirus causing Covid-19 broke out in the People’s Republic of China in December 2019 and quickly spread to the rest of Asia, Europe, North America, Latin America, and Africa.

The new SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus has resulted in 537 million infected and more than six million deaths worldwide.

APPOINTS
Main hotspots
The National District continues to be the main infectious focus of Covid-19, with a record of 199 cases yesterday, followed by Santo Domingo province, with 193 cases.

The tourist provinces of Puerto Plata had 130 cases and La Altagracia, 47.

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