By: Augustine N. Myers – Latest statistics from the National Fire Service Bureau of Liberia have disclosed that a total of nine thousand, and eleven (9,011) structures have been destroyed over the past five years in separate fire incidents across the Country. According to the statistics, most of the fire incidents occurred in the Capital, Monrovia and its suburbs. Releasing the figure Tuesday in Monrovia, the Director of the National Fire Service Bureau, Mr. Warsuwah Barvoul blamed most of the fire disasters on the careless handling of candles due to the lack of electricity. The Liberian Government is yet to... Continue Reading
By Own Correspondent – KHARTOUM – Sudanese government has rejected US President Barack Obama’s decision to extend economic sanctions on Khartoum ahead of the country’s January referendum on southern independence, saying it was not justified. “The US president’s decision to extend economic sanctions is not new to us. We were not surprised by the decision, we reject it,” Moawiya Osman Khalid, a spokesperson for the foreign ministry, told reporters. “We see no reason for the decision of the American administration which continues with its failed policy towards Sudan,” he said, adding that the United States had “lost the chance to... Continue Reading
By Own Correspondent – KHARTOUM – The Sudanese government has shut the Khartoum office of Radio Dabanga, whose reports on Darfur have angered it, and arrested 13 staff from the radio station and a rights group that shares its offices, the group’s chairman said Tuesday. The government cracked down on rights groups following a 2009 International Criminal Court arrest warrant for President Omar Hassan al-Bashir for war crimes in Darfur. Many activists fled the country fearing for their lives. A source in Sudan’s National Security and Intelligence Services said they had no information about the arrests. “When viewed in relation... Continue Reading
By Own Correspondent – Kampala – Uganda’s high court has ordered a controversial Rolling Stone newspaper to stop publishing the names and photographs of people the paper says are gay. High Court judge Vincent Musoke-Kibuuka said the publication was “an infringement or invasion of the right to privacy” of those identified, AFP reports. A gay rights group, Sexual Minorities Uganda, sought the injunction after the paper on Monday published its second straight edition with names and photos. But Giles Muhame, editor of the two-month-old Rolling Stone paper, told the AFP news agency that he would defy the ban. “We will... Continue Reading
HARARE, 2 November 2010 (IRIN) – Getting a passport can be vital for making a living but mounting hidden costs are making it tougher to access one, despite the government recently slashing passport fees. Fees have been reduced from US$140 to $50, but the document can cost up to $120 or even $300, as Theresa Makone, the joint minister of home affairs, discovered on an impromptu visit to the Harare office which issues passports. Makone, whose visit to the office had been prompted by allegations of corruption, acknowledged that police and officials at the Registrar General’s office were asking for... Continue Reading
