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Prince William flew to New York on Monday for a two-day visit during which he attended the second Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit, an event which coincides with both Climate Week NYC and the 78th session of the UN General Assembly, and where the finalists were unveiled. Prince William speaks with kids as he visits Billion Oyster Project in New York City on Monday. Cindy Ord/Getty ImagesUpon touching down at Newark Airport on Monday, the Prince of Wales said it was good to be back in the US. “No one does optimism and ingenuity like the American people, so it’s only right we unveil this year’s Earthshot finalists in New York City,” William said. And vital.”The five Earthshot categories and finalists are:Protect and Restore NatureAccion Andina - Peru: A grassroots project working across South America to protect native forest ecosystems across the Andes.

Persons: Prince, Prince William, John F, Cindy Ord, Wales, ” William, “, Kennedy Organizations: London CNN, UN, Assembly, Royal Foundation, Getty, Newark Airport, Air, US, Global, Technologies, Circ Inc Locations: Wales, New York, Singapore, United States, New York City, Peru, South America, Freetown, Tree, Sierra Leone, Council, Belterra, Brazil, Poland, United Kingdom, Hong Kong, South Africa, India

☆ The Joy (and Friendly Jostling) of Jollof Rice
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-17 | by ( Sam Sifton | More About Sam Sifton | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Jollof rice is a West African dish made with rice, tomatoes, onions, lots of peppers and lots of spice. Each one is the best and only jollof rice. An example: A few years ago, around Christmas, my colleague Helene Cooper prepared jollof rice for the Washington bureau of The New York Times. She posted a picture of her dish on the social media site then known as Twitter, calling it “the real and righteous Liberian jollof rice. West African pretenders with your rival nonsense, sit down.”Helene’s jollof rice won raves in the District that evening, but today I want to turn your attention to Yewande Komolafe’s jollof rice (above).

Persons: Helene Cooper, Helene, ”, Yewande Organizations: The New York Times, Twitter, Liberian Locations: West African, Senegal, Cameroon, Sierra Leone, Washington, Liberia, West, District, Nigeria

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Climate change is “relentlessly eating away” at Africa’s economic progress and it’s time to have a global conversation about a carbon tax on polluters, Kenya’s president declared Tuesday as the first Africa Climate Summit got underway. He and other leaders urged reforms to the global financial structures that have left African nations paying about five times more to borrow money than others, worsening the debt crisis for many. Africa has more than 30 of the world’s most indebted countries, Kenya’s Cabinet secretary for the environment, Soipan Tuya, said. Africa’s GDP should be revalued for its assets, which include the world's second-largest rainforest and biodiversity, African Development Bank President Akinwumi Adesina said. “It is an African story, and I daresay it’s a global story, too.”___Follow AP’s coverage of the climate at https://apnews.com/climate-and-environment and of Africa at https://apnews.com/hub/africa

Persons: William Ruto, Tuya, John Kerry, Kerry, Joe Biden, ” Ruto, ”, Ruto, “ It’s, Sahle, Zewde, Akinwumi Adesina, Adesina, Martha Lusweti, Antonio Guterres, Ursula Von der Leyen, lullabies, Sierra, Julius Maada Organizations: Africa Climate Summit, European Union, Kenyan, United, United Arab Emirates, Development Bank, ”, International Monetary Fund Locations: NAIROBI, Kenya, Africa, China, United States, U.S, United Arab, United Nations, Europe, U.N, Africa's, Nigeria's Niger Delta, Uganda, Tanzania, South Africa, Nigeria, Egypt, Congo, africa

☆ Ben Shelton vs. Frances Tiafoe: 2 Black men will face off in a US Open quarterfinal for the first time
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Chandelis Duster | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —No matter who wins Tuesday’s US Open quarterfinals match between Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton, history will be made: For the first time, two Black men will face off in the match. It’s also the first time since 2008 that two Black men play each other at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Tiafoe, 25, and Shelton, 20, will face each other at a stadium christened after the Black tennis legend who broke barriers in the game. He was also the first Black American to play on the United States Davis Cup team. Earlier this year, Shelton’s father resigned from coaching at the University of Florida to coach his son in professional tennis.

Persons: Frances Tiafoe, Ben Shelton, It’s, Arthur Ashe, Art Carrington, Shelton, Carrington, ”, Venus, Serena Williams, Tiafoe, Ashe, Bryan, Shelton’s, “ Organizations: CNN, Wimbledon, United States Davis, Sierra Leonean, Association of Tennis, University of Florida, Black Locations: American, Sierra

"It's hard to envision," McEnroe said of whether anyone not named Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev or even Jannik Sinner could triumph. "But it would be incredible for an American player to make a breakthrough to me, but the likelihood is that it isn't going to happen. "You can see it's going to be Djokovic or Alcaraz, Medvedev is the next guy, and then Sinner. But the North American hard court swing following Wimbledon has been disappointing for the 25-year-old son of immigrant parents from war-torn Sierra Leone. Tommy Paul, who beat Alcaraz at the Canadian Open, Wimbledon quarter-finalist Christopher Eubanks and Sebastian Korda are among the other American players who will look to snap the Grand Slam dry spell at the U.S. Open, which runs from Aug. 28-Sept. 10.

Persons: Frances Tiafoe, Spain's Carlos Alcaraz, Mike Segar, John McEnroe, Andy Roddick, Taylor Fritz, McEnroe, Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, Francis, Alcaraz, Medvedev, Rafa Nadal, Michelle Obama, Fritz, Djokovic, Tommy Paul, Christopher Eubanks, Sebastian Korda, Rory Carroll, Toby Davis Organizations: Spain's Carlos Alcaraz REUTERS, U.S, Flushing, ESPN, Spanish, Wimbledon, Washington DC, Canadian, U.S ., Thomson Locations: Flushing Meadows , New York, United States, New York, Flushing Meadows, American, Sierra Leone, Washington, Toronto, Cincinnati, Los Angeles

☆ Fact Check-Video shows soldiers in Sierra Leone in 1998, not Niger in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Footage of soldiers entering a village in Sierra Leone in 1998 has been miscaptioned online as showing Nigerian soldiers in Niger, where President Mohamed Bazoum was ousted in a coup on July 26, 2023. The old video clip, which has been overlayed with the false caption: “Nigerian army at Niger,” shows military personnel firing shots while entering the village of Goderich. It shows units of the Nigerian-led intervention force - Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group (ECOMOG), taking control of Goderich, a rebel area adjacent to capital city Freetown, during a coup in Sierra Leone. The Sierra Leone video reappeared with the false caption in August as defence chiefs of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) mull over plans for the possible use of force to reverse the coup in Niger (here). A video showing African coalition forces responding to a civil war in Sierra Leone in 1998, has been mislabelled as relating to a 2023 coup in Niger.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, ECOMOG, Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, Read Organizations: Associated Press, Economic, West, States Monitoring, Reuters, Sierra, West African States Locations: Sierra Leone, Niger, Goderich, Nigerian, Freetown, mull

☆ Niger’s coup leader faces a deadline to cede power. Will military action come next?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-06 | by ( Stephanie Busari | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —The leaders of a coup in Niger are digging in their heels as they face a looming deadline from neighbors to give up power or face possible military action. President Bazoum’s election win in 2021 marked a relatively peaceful transfer of power, capping years of military coups following Niger’s independence from France in 1960. ECOWAS has shown a willingness to take action in cases where leaders refuse to relinquish power or when political crises escalate. The US and France consider Niger a critical ally and both countries have military bases in Niger. That kind of sentiment suggests that even if the stated goal is to restore democracy, a military intervention may not be welcomed across the country.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, “, Bazoum’s, Bazoum, Abdourahamane Tiani, Bola Tinubu, Tinubu, Security Abdel, Fatau Musah, Oluseyi, ” Adetayo, Jammeh, Nigeriens, Russia, Wagner, ” Ali Sounama Organizations: CNN, Regional, Economic, West African States, Nigerien, The Washington Post, ECOWAS, Local, Political Affairs, Peace, Security Locations: Niger, Sahel, Mali, Burkina Faso, France, Nigeria, Senegal, Bazoum, Gambia, Sierra Leone, Liberia, West Africa, Niamey, Nigerien

☆ Factbox: Military interventions by West African ECOWAS bloc
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The main regional bloc, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), has imposed sanctions and said it could authorise the use of force as a last resort if soldiers do not restore ousted president Mohammed Bazoum to power. Below are previous ECOWAS military interventions:LIBERIAIn 1990, West African leaders sent a neutral military force to Liberia to intervene in the civil war between the forces of President Samuel Doe and two rebel factions. West African forces were deployed again at the tail end of the brutal 14-year conflict, which finished in 2003. GUINEA-BISSAUIn 1999, ECOWAS sent around 600 ECOMOG troops to preserve a peace deal in coup-prone Guinea-Bissau. In 2004, they were integrated into a U.N. peacekeeping force.

Persons: Abdourahmane Tiani, Balima, Mohammed Bazoum, Samuel Doe, Charles Taylor, Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, Yahya Jammeh, Adama Barrow, Anait Miridzhanian, Alessandra Prentice, Kevin Liffey Organizations: REUTERS, Economic, West African States, ECOWAS, West, ECOWAS Monitoring, Human Rights Watch, Bissau . Rebels, Islamic, Restore, Thomson Locations: Niger, Niamey, LIBERIA, Liberia, SIERRA LEONE, Nigerian, Sierra, Freetown, GUINEA, BISSAU, Guinea, Bissau, IVORY, Ivory Coast, MALI, Mali, al Qaeda, Central, Northern Mali, Islamic State, Burkina Faso, GAMBIA, Gambia, Senegal

☆ iPhone Photography Awards 2023: Winners unveiled
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Christy Choi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Organizers announced the winners of the 2023 iPhone Photography Awards on Monday. Scott Galloway/iPhone Photography Awards"Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana,"Rome, Italy, by Leon Wang (United States) won 3rd place in Architecture. Sofia Ershova/iPhone Photography Awards"Duet," Zhejiang, China, by Zhang Xiaojun (China) won 3rd place in Children. Zhang Xiaojun/iPhone Photography Awards"Kapkungkap Tadau" Phuket, Thailand by Juan Castaneda (United States) won 2nd place in Series. Juan Castaneda/iPhone Photography Awards"Bi Mo," Zhaojue County, China, by Jian Wang (China) won 2nd place in People.

Persons: Ivan Silva, Heroe, Lionel Messi, Thea Mihu, Ba Jia Jiang, Surong Zhu, Scott Galloway, Leon Wang, Sofia Ershova, Zhang Xiaojun, Juan Castaneda, Jian Wang, Sasa Borozan, Beata Krowicka, Barry Mayes Organizations: CNN — Organizers, Italiana, Diesel Locations: Mexico, Sweden, Hanoi, Vietnam, Germany, Fujian, China, Ohio, USA, United States, Rome, Italy, Architecture, California, Zhejiang, Phuket, Thailand, Zhaojue County, People, Nature, Croatia, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Grande, Argentina, Poland, Travel, Sierra Leone, United Kingdom

☆ Jack Smith’s Experience in The Hague and the Trump Investigations - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( Gary J. Bass | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Although part of Kosovo’s legal system, the institution is headquartered in The Hague and staffed by international judges and personnel — which is how Mr. Smith, a U.S. citizen, wound up serving as its specialist prosecutor. It is always difficult and risky to prosecute national leaders with some popularity among their people. Even so, the Truman administration quietly undercut that pledge of unconditional surrender for Emperor Hirohito, fearing that the Japanese might fight on if he was prosecuted as a war criminal. The Truman administration left the emperor securely in the Imperial Palace while his prime ministers and generals were tried and convicted by an Allied international military tribunal in Tokyo. At an earlier point in his career, from 2008 to 2010, Mr. Smith worked as the investigation coordinator in the prosecutor’s office at the International Criminal Court, the permanent international war crimes tribunal based in The Hague.

Persons: Smith hewed, Smith, Hashim Thaci, Trump, Thaci, Augusto Pinochet’s, Truman, Emperor Hirohito, John Bolton, ”, Mike Pompeo Organizations: United Nations, Kosovo, Chambers, White, Kosovo Liberation Army, Allied, Criminal Court Locations: Nuremberg, Tokyo, Yugoslavia, Rwanda, East Timor, Sierra Leone, Serbia, The Hague, U.S, Kosovo, Chile, Nazi Germany, Imperial Japan, Imperial, Afghanistan, Zambia

☆ UBS says $100 mln blended finance initiative receives new backers
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Companies UBS Group AG FollowZURICH, July 20 (Reuters) - British and U.S. development finance organisations have agreed to be anchor investors in a new $100 million private-public finance initiative led by UBS' philanthropic arm and non-profit Bridges Outcomes Partnerships, UBS (UBSG.S) said on Thursday. Initial investments in the initiative, focused on delivering Sustainable Development Goal-aligned outcomes, would support government-backed initiatives to support education in Sierra Leone and Ghana, as well as a social enterprise to re-sell and recycle plastic waste in Nigeria, UBS said in a statement. Reporting by Brenna Hughes Neghaiwi, Editing by Friederike HeineOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Brenna Hughes, Friederike Heine Our Organizations: UBS Group, UBS, Thomson Locations: Sierra Leone, Ghana, Nigeria

☆ How a Vast Demographic Shift Will Reshape the World
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-16 | by ( Lauren Leatherby | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +18 min

1990 Younger populations Workingage Older populations For decades, the world’s dominant powers have benefited from large working-age populations that help drive economic growth. Russia U.K. France Pakistan Pakistan China China U.S. U.S. Japan U.S. Japan China India India India Nigeria Nigeria Ethiopia D.R.C. Russia U.K. France Pakistan Pakistan China China U.S. U.S. U.S. Japan Japan China India India India Nigeria Nigeria Ethiopia D.R.C. Russia U.K. France Pakistan China U.S. U.S. U.S. Japan Japan China China India India India Nigeria Nigeria Ethiopia D.R.C. Russia U.K. France Pakistan China U.S. U.S. U.S. Japan Japan China China India India India Nigeria Nigeria Ethiopia D.R.C.

Persons: That’s, ”, Mikko Myrskylä, Max Planck, Carolina Cardona, Philip O’Keefe, –, O’Keefe, Myrskylä, “ We’ve, “, aren’t, Mr Organizations: Korea Germany Italy Russia United, France, France Pakistan Pakistan China China U.S ., U.S, China India Nigeria D.R.C, France Pakistan Pakistan China China U.S . U.S, France Pakistan, France Pakistan China U.S . U.S, for Demographic Research, Youth, Niger, Dem, Central African Rep, Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Czech Rep, Denmark Estonia Finland France Germany Greece, Denmark Estonia Finland France Germany Greece Hungary Ireland, Denmark Estonia Finland France Germany Greece Hungary Ireland Italy Kosovo, Macedonia Norway Poland Portugal Moldova Romania, Macedonia Norway Poland Portugal Moldova Romania Russia Serbia Slovakia Slovenia, Hong Kong North Korea Japan Mongolia South Korea Taiwan Northern America, New Zealand, New, Benin Botswana Burkina Faso Burundi Cameroon Central African Rep, Chad Comoros, Congo Ivory Coast Dem, Johns Hopkins University, Aging, ARC Center of Excellence, Aging Research, World Bank, Spain Taiwan, Young, Korea, Spain, “ Locations: Japan, Western Europe, South Korea, Britain, Eastern Europe, China, Europe, India, East Asia, Florida, United States, South, Southeast Asia, Africa, Korea Germany Italy, Korea Germany Italy Russia United States France China Thailand United Kingdom, South Korea Brazil Colombia China Thailand Iran Myanmar Vietnam Bangladesh Indonesia, South Africa Myanmar Indonesia Bangladesh Philippines Pakistan Kenya Indonesia Egypt Ethiopia, Russia, France Pakistan Pakistan China China U.S, France Pakistan Pakistan China China U.S . U.S, Japan U.S, Japan China India India India Nigeria Nigeria Ethiopia D.R.C, Indonesia Indonesia Brazil Brazil Brazil, China Japan India Brazil, Pakistan France China U.S, Japan India Nigeria Brazil Indonesia, Pakistan U.S, China India Nigeria, Ethiopia Brazil Indonesia, France Pakistan Pakistan China China U.S . U.S . U.S, Japan Japan China India India India Nigeria Nigeria Ethiopia D.R.C, France Pakistan China, France Pakistan China U.S . U.S . U.S, Japan Japan China China India India India Nigeria Nigeria Ethiopia D.R.C, Congo Somalia, Angola Tanzania Nigeria, Afghanistan Ethiopia Tajikistan Kenya, Asia, Oceania, Kenya, Demographically, South Asia, Singapore, Albania, Austria Belarus Belgium Bosnia, Herzegovina Bulgaria, Denmark Estonia Finland France Germany, Denmark Estonia Finland France Germany Greece Hungary, Denmark Estonia Finland France Germany Greece Hungary Ireland Italy, Denmark Estonia Finland France Germany Greece Hungary Ireland Italy Kosovo Latvia Lithuania Netherlands, Macedonia Norway Poland Portugal, Macedonia Norway Poland Portugal Moldova Romania Russia Serbia Slovakia, Macedonia Norway Poland Portugal Moldova Romania Russia Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Ukraine, Eastern Asia, Hong Kong North Korea Japan Mongolia South Korea Taiwan Northern, Canada, States Australia, New, Australia, New Zealand, Saharan Africa, Angola, Benin Botswana Burkina Faso Burundi Cameroon, Congo, Congo Djibouti, Guinea Eritrea Eswatini Ethiopia Gabon Gambia Ghana Guinea Guinea, Bissau Kenya Lesotho Liberia Madagascar Malawi Mali Mauritania Mauritius Mozambique Namibia Niger Nigeria Rwanda Senegal Sierra Leone Somalia South Africa South Sudan Togo Uganda Tanzania Zambia Zimbabwe, Aging Asia, Pacific, America, “, Hong Kong, Italy, Spain, Spain Taiwan Greece, Singapore Slovenia Thailand Germany, Mainland China Finland Japan Netherlands Canada, Hong Kong South Korea, Singapore Slovenia Japan Thailand Germany, Mainland China Finland Netherlands, U.N, Korea Japan Spain, Korea Japan, France, West, East, Vietnam

☆ StanChart to sell sub-Saharan Africa business to Access Bank
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DUBAI, July 14 (Reuters) - Standard Chartered (STAN.L) said on Friday it has reached an agreement to sell its subsidiaries in sub-Saharan Africa to Nigeria's Access Bank, putting into motion a plan announced last year to divest those businesses. Standard Chartered will sell its shareholding in its subsidiaries in Angola, Cameroon, Gambia and Sierra Leone to Access. It will also sell its consumer, private & business banking business in Tanzania to Access Bank, a subsidiary of Access Holdings (ACCESSCORP.LG). "Access Bank will provide a full range of banking services and continuity for key stakeholders including employees and clients of Standard Chartered's businesses across the five aforementioned countries," Standard Chartered said in a statement. The agreement is in line with Standard Chartered's global strategy "aimed at achieving operational efficiencies, reducing complexity, and driving scale," it said.

Persons: Sunil Kaushal, Roosevelt Ogbonna, Yousef Saba, Jason Neely Organizations: Nigeria's Access Bank, Chartered, Access Bank, Access Holdings, Thomson Locations: DUBAI, Saharan Africa, Angola, Cameroon, Gambia, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Africa, Nigeria

LONDON, July 6 (Reuters) - European Union (EU) countries have added aluminium to the list of minerals and metals covered by the Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA). Western European primary aluminium production is the lowest this centuryFALLING OUTPUTAs things stand, Europe is going to struggle to lift primary production at all over that time-frame. European aluminium imports by countryIMPORT DEPENDENCYEuropean aluminium consumption averaged just over 5.0 million metric tons per year over the 2016-2020 period, according to the EU. However, the key difference is where Europe sources its bauxite and primary aluminium. POWER PROBLEMSGetting aluminium onto Europe's critical raw materials list is an important win for the region's aluminium sector.

Persons: didn't, it's, David Evans Organizations: Union, Federation of Aluminium Consumers, International Aluminium Institute, IAI, EU, Rusal, Thomson, Reuters Locations: United States, China, Europe, EU, Ukraine, Guinea, Brazil, Sierra Leone, Mozambique, Iceland, Britain, Russia

☆ Nine new African countries to receive millions of malaria vaccines- GAVI
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

July 5 (Reuters) - Global vaccine alliance GAVI said on Wednesday 12 countries in Africa would receive 18 million doses of malaria vaccine over the next two years, expanding access to the shots to nine new countries in the region. Malaria remains one of the continent's deadliest diseases, killing nearly half a million children each year under the age of five. In 2021, Africa accounted for about 95% of global malaria cases and 96% of deaths, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). "At least 28 African countries have expressed interest in receiving the RTS,S (malaria) vaccine," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a media briefing, adding that a second malaria vaccine was under review for pre-qualification and if successful, could provide additional supply in the short term. The first doses of the RTS,S vaccine are expected to reach the 12 African countries during the last quarter of 2023, allowing them to start rolling out by early next year.

Persons: GAVI, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Raghav Mahobe, Shinjini Organizations: World Health Organization, WHO, GAVI, UNICEF, British, GSK, Democratic, Thomson Locations: Africa, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia, Niger, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Bengaluru

☆ Sierra Leone ruling party wins 60% of parliamentary seats in contested vote
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-01 | by ( Umaru Fofana | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

FREETOWN, July 1 (Reuters) - The ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party has won 60% of the seats in a parliamentary election, the election commission said on Saturday, as the main opposition party demanded a rerun of the vote that also saw President Julius Maada Bio win a second term. The SLPP won 81 seats while the opposition All People’s Congress won 54, according to the results read by the commission's chairman Mohamed Kenewui Konneh. The results showed the ruling party made significant gains in the bellwether diamond-rich district of Kono, winning seven of the 10 seats where they had none previously. They also made gains in the opposition heartland of the north and west, especially in the capital Freetown. The APC also said it would refuse to participate in any form of governance as a result of the alleged election irregularities.

Persons: Julius Maada, SLPP, Mohamed Kenewui Konneh, Alessandra Prentice, Louise Heavens Organizations: Sierra Leone People’s Party, People’s, Thomson Locations: FREETOWN, Sierra, Kono, Freetown

☆ Sierra Leone's main opposition party demands rerun of general election
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-01 | by ( Umaru Fofana | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

FREETOWN, July 1 (Reuters) - Sierra Leone's main opposition party said it had decided to formally reject the results of the national election won by President Julius Maada Bio, citing "glaring irregularities", and called for a rerun of the June 24 poll. Bio was re-elected for a second term with 56% of the vote, narrowly avoiding a run-off against main rival Samura Kamara of the opposition All People's Congress (APC). But Kamara has questioned the official tally, while European election observers noted statistical inconsistencies. In its first official statement on the full results, the APC said on Friday it rejected the outcome "given the glaring irregularities and violations of established electoral procedures." "A rerun after an official declaration of results and a swearing-in ceremony is unconstitutional," he said by phone to Reuters.

Persons: Julius Maada, Samura Kamara, Kamara, Mohamed Rahman Swaray, Swaray, Alessandra Prentice, David Holmes Organizations: People's Congress, Reuters, EU, Thomson Locations: FREETOWN, Sierra Leone, United States, Britain, Ireland, Germany, France

☆ Sierra Leone election marred by transparency fears
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Reuters Editorial | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

PoliticsSierra Leone election marred by transparency fearsPostedSierra Leone's electoral commission says incumbent president Julius Maada Bio is leading the vote count in a presidential election that has been marred by claims of a lack of transparency and violence. David Doyle has more.

Persons: Julius Maada, David Doyle Organizations: Sierra Locations: Sierra Leone, Sierra Leone's

☆ Sierra Leone main opposition party rejects partial presidential poll results
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

FREETOWN, June 27 (Reuters) - Sierra Leone's main opposition party has rejected the partial results of a tense presidential election that showed President Julius Maada Bio leading the poll, alleging irregularities in the tallying process. The All People's Congress (APC) party's main candidate Samura Kamara, 72, is the incumbent's main rival. A provisional results sheet on Monday showed Kamara trailing behind Bio with just under 800,000 votes, compared to over 1 million for the president. [1/2]Supporters of Sierra Leone's opposition leader and presidential candidate for the All People's Congress (APC) party, Dr. Samura Kamara, wipe rain drops from his campaign poster in Freetown, Sierra Leone June 23, 2023. Bio addressed the nation after the publication of provisional results on Monday evening and called on citizens to remain peaceful.

Persons: Julius Maada, Samura Kamara, Kamara, Sierra, Cooper, Sierra Leone, Umaru, Sofia Christensen, Christina Fincher Organizations: Congress, party's, All, REUTERS, World Bank, Thomson Locations: FREETOWN, Freetown, Sierra Leone, Sierra

☆ People around the world are having more positive experiences, new report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Madeline Holcombe | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The number of positive experiences saw some recovery in 2022, according to the report. Positive experiences had remained relatively stable in previous years, but dropped in 2021, according to Julie Ray, managing editor for world news at Gallup. The good news is that the rate of negative experiences didn’t go up in 2022. And while there are victories in the increase of positive experiences, it is not necessarily time for celebration, she added. The most positive placesThe surveys asked five questions each about positive and negative experiences.

Persons: Julie Ray, didn’t, ” Ray, ”, John Helliwell, Helliwell, Ray, “, Lyle Ungar, Ungar, Gallup, ’ ” Ungar, “ We’re, haven’t, I’m, ” Ungar Organizations: CNN, Gallup, Vancouver School of Economics, University of British, UN Sustainable Development Solutions, Taliban, University of Pennsylvania, Psychology Locations: University of British Columbia, Afghanistan, Sierra Leone, American, Mexico, Guatemala, Panama, Paraguay, Indonesia, Philippines, Finland, Denmark

CNN —Sierra Leone’s President Maada Bio has been reelected for a second term in office, the country’s electoral commission announced Tuesday. Bio’s Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) won nearly 1.6 million votes – 56.1% of the total ballots – to defeat his closest opponent, Samura Kamara of the opposition All People’s Congress (APC) party, who won a 41% share of the vote. Bio took an early lead on Monday, according to provisional results released by the Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone (ECSL). But the tallying of votes was fraught with controversies with international observers expressing concern about the integrity of the process. The APC party has yet to react to the final declared results.

Persons: Maada, Bio’s Sierra, Samura Kamara, “, ” Organizations: CNN, Sierra, Bio’s Sierra Leone People’s Party, People’s Congress, Electoral, Sierra Leone, “ Carter Center, APC

☆ More than 100 U.S. political elites have family links to slavery
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Reuters Graphic | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +46 min

Then the war came, and according to the family history, Union soldiers plundered Sessions’ 27-room house. About 48 years old at the time, he did not stand a chance to succeed without slavery, the family history suggests. ‘A Better Nation’Some historians and genealogists say there is a valuable reason for white leaders – and other white Americans – to explore their links to slavery. Nicka Sewell-Smith, a professional genealogist with the family history website Ancestry.com, said people frequently ask her what to do with such documents. The top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Meeks said in an interview that he has spent years trying to trace his family history back before 1870.

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CNN —Sierra Leone’s President Maada Bio has taken an early lead in the country’s presidential election, provisional results showed. The election is considered a two-horse race between President Bio, 59, of the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) and 72-year-old former cabinet minister Samura Kamara, who leads the opposition All People’s Congress (APC) party. Bio has so far polled more than a million votes and currently leads Kamara with over 200,000 votes, according to ECSL. Earlier, Bio’s SLPP party said it was “greatly anticipating a landslide victory” following an internal review of its performance in the elections. Hundreds of supporters of the opposition party, APC, hold up signs calling for the Chief electoral Commissioner, Mohamed Konneh, to step down after allegations of electoral fraud.

Persons: Maada, Samura Kamara, Kamara, ECSL, Bio’s, Mohamed Konneh, John Wessels, Yvonne Aki, Sawyerr, “ Organizations: CNN, Sierra, Sierra Leone, Sierra Leone People’s Party, People’s Congress, Getty, APC Party Locations: Freetown

☆ Sierra Leone's President Bio leads presidential election
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

FREETOWN, June 26 (Reuters) - Sierra Leone President Julius Maada Bio is leading the presidential election count, the West African country's electoral commission said on Monday after 60% of votes have been counted. His biggest rival is All People's Congress' (APC) candidate Samura Kamara, who narrowly lost to Bio in the last election in 2018. A provisional results sheet showed Bio had received over 1 million votes so far, compared with just under 800,000 for Kamara. The election commission on Sunday outlined several instances where officials were beaten or intimidated. Bio addressed the nation after the publication of provisional results on Monday evening and called on citizens to keep the peace.

Persons: Julius Maada, Samura Kamara, Kamara, Sierra, Augustine Sorie, hasn't, Marrah, Cooper Inveen, Anait Miridzhanian, Estelle Shirbon, Bate Felix, Aurora Ellis Organizations: Sierra, African, APC, Electoral Commission Sierra, Reuters, Thomson Locations: FREETOWN, Sierra Leone, Electoral Commission Sierra Leone

☆ Woman unresponsive after gunshots heard at Sierra Leone opposition HQ
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( Cooper Inveen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The window of the room she was found in had a shattered hole the size of a fist, the reporter said. It is not immediately clear what happened outside the press conference or how the woman was wounded. Two witnesses caught inside the building, who were later released by security forces, told Reuters they heard gunfire and saw tear gas. The police and security forces did not respond to a request for comment. Bio and Kamara reported small-scale attacks on their supporters before the election, while the APC's recent questioning of the independence of election officials raised tensions.

Persons: Samura Kamara, Julius Maada, Sidi Yaya Tunis, Bio's, Kamara, Cooper Inveen, Edward McAllister, Philippa Fletcher, Chris Reese, Diane Craft Organizations: Reuters, Congress, APC, Thomson Locations: FREETOWN

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