The News Review:

- Tucker fighting for more than NFL career – NFL
- SIERRA LEONE: Taylor could be tried upon request by Liberian governmen…
- Diasporian News of Monday, 28 June 2004
- LWF General Secretary Affirms Role of Africa’s Religious
- Inter-Faith Groups Seek Constructive Dialogue with Governments

Tucker fighting for more than NFL career – NFL
ESPN – Jun 28, 2004
Tucker is facing his toughest challenge and it has nothing to do with backpedaling or Cover 3. As of May 3, Tucker, a native of Sierra Leone, was denied the right to be legally employed in the United States after the Temporary Protected Status agreement for immigrants from his homeland expired. Immigrants from Sierra Leone living in America were granted TPS in 1997 due to extensive fighting in the West African nation. Tucker left what was quickly becoming war-torn Sierra Leone at the age of 10 in 1990 to live with family members in Seattle, Wash. Around this time last year, the 2003 Cowboys sixth-round draft pick was busy trying to impress coach Bill Parcells in mini-camp. Now, he’s trying to prepare for multiple “what if?” scenarios…
Tucker is facing his toughest challenge and it has nothing to do with backpedaling or Cover 3. As of May 3, Tucker, a native of Sierra Leone, was denied the right to be legally employed in the United States after the Temporary Protected Status agreement for immigrants from his homeland expired. Immigrants from Sierra Leone living in America were granted TPS in 1997 due to extensive fighting in the West African nation. Tucker left what was quickly becoming war-torn Sierra Leone at the age of 10 in 1990 to live with family members in Seattle, Wash. Around this time last year, the 2003 Cowboys sixth-round draft pick was busy trying to impress coach Bill Parcells in mini-camp. Now, he’s trying to prepare for multiple “what if?” scenarios. According to Tucker, the Steelers released him May 20 after receiving the news of his TPS expiration.

SIERRA LEONE: Taylor could be tried upon request by Liberian governmen…
IRINnews.org – Jun 28, 2004
âThere should be no impunity for people who have been alleged to have committed the sorts of crimes [listed in the]â indictment issued against Taylor,” said Ambassador Emyr Jones Parry on a one-day stop in the capital Freetown on Friday. The head of the 14-member UN Security Council delegation touring West Africa added that any trial should not be allowed to threaten Liberiaâs young peace process. “The timing of bringing anybody before the court is a mix both of the indictment and of the circumstances of the case,” Parry said. Taylor left Liberia on 11 August for exile in Nigeria, where he has so far been protected from the jurisdiction of a UN-backed Special Court that has indicted him for war crimes in that countryâs decade-long civil war.

Diasporian News of Monday, 28 June 2004
ghanaweb.com – Jun 28, 2004
The Fund which is in its third year aims at mobilizing the financial support of Ghanaians in Sierra Leone for philanthropic and social causes in Ghana and Sierra Leone. Making the presentation at a brief ceremony last Friday, June 25, 2004, at the High Commission in Freeetown, Colonel Kofi Yeguo, Contingent Commander of Ghanaian troops in Sierra Leone, said that the troops through their contribution wished to associate themselves with the noble aims of the Fund. Ghana’s High Commissioner to Sierra Leone, H. Kabral Blay-Amihere thanked the soldiers for their donation and also used the occasion to thank previous contingents of the Ghana Armed Forces to Sierra Leone for making the Fund a success. He announced that the Fund will on July 26, 2004 make presentations to a number of institutions in Ghana under proceeds from the second year of the Fund. Present at the ceremony were Lt.

LWF General Secretary Affirms Role of Africa’s Religious
Worldwide Faith News – Worldwide Faith News (press release) – Jun 28, 2004
The LWF general secretary regretted that West Africa had beenthe scene of many brutal conflicts. But, he noted, the region hadalso witnessed many leading examples of practical inter-faithaction for peace, including an affirmation of the prominent roleof women in conflict resolution. "In Liberia, Sierra Leone andthe whole of the Mano River region, inter-faith networks havebeen active and effective participants in the search for peace,and for an end to intractable conflicts," he said. He especiallyapplauded Ghana for hosting negotiations between the parties tothe conflict in Liberia that led to the August 2003 peaceagreement. Noko also paid tribute to and condoled the family of HisExcellency Daagbo Hounon of the Vodoun Hwendo tradition of Benin,a key participant in the summit that launched IFAPA. Hounon diedin March this year. The LWF general secretary announced that in search for greaterinclusiveness, there were plans to hold a second continent-wideinter-faith summit under the theme Working Together for Peace inAfrica later this year.

Inter-Faith Groups Seek Constructive Dialogue with Governments
Worldwide Faith News – Worldwide Faith News (press release) – Jun 28, 2004
Nearly 100 representatives of inter-religious networks fromBenin, Cameroon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mauritania,Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo attended thesub-regional summit organized by the Inter-Faith Action for Peacein Africa (IFAPA). Under the theme "Co-existence: The Key toPeace and Development in Africa," they examined related issuesfrom the perspectives of, among others, African TraditionalReligion, Christianity and Islam. Presentations included countryreports and an appraisal of inter-religious peace initiatives inLiberia and Sierra Leone. Through their respective networks, they undertook to strengthenthe agreed objectives in the first continent-wide summit in SouthAfrica. "We will build consensus on the need to free religionfrom being exploited by opportunists for their own parochialeconomic, political and other ends in Africa," they said. "We commit ourselves as inter-faith organizations to improve ournetworking at national, regional and continental levels and toimplement regular activities," they declared. The agenda foractivities, they said, would be initially generated at thenational level by inter-religious councils, and subsequentlyimplemented as a sub-regional and continental plan within thenext two years.