The News Review:

- Sierra Leone: SDI Supports Commission of Inquiry
- Sierra Leone: Kamara Faces MLS Suspension
- Sierra Leone: President Koroma hosts 4 HIM CEO
- Sierra Leone: Salone Merdeka Title Hope Dash
- RIGHTS-SIERRA LEONE: Reparations Stretched Thin
- Sierra Leone: Kallon to Quit Football in 2010
- JHR Trains Over 150 Journalists in Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone: SDI Supports Commission of Inquiry
AllAfrica.com, Washington 
Society for Democratic Initiatives Sierra Leone (SDI) has welcomed the formation of a commission of inquiry to investigate past government officials and put an end to the culture of impunity. According to a press release “SDI views this move by government as a laudable venture, in bringing about sanity in the country’s public service and in an effort to address the issue of corruption. GA_googleFillSlot(”AllAfrica_Story_Inset”); The organization said the move was appropriate, especially given the premium this government or the office of the president has put on the need for curbing the culture of impunity of corruption. “SDI also re-echoes and understands the concerns raised by the Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP), regarding the establishment of the commission of inquiry. The concern that the commission should not be used as a political instrument or a matter of witch-hunt against former and aspiring SLPP members.

Sierra Leone: Kamara Faces MLS Suspension
AllAfrica.com, Washington 
Sierra Leone’s United States based striker, Kei Kamara would miss Houston Dynamo Saturday’s season final match against Chivas in the Major League Soccer (MLS) due to suspension. The MLS handed the striker an additional game suspension last Wednesday after he was red-carded in Dynamo’s 2-1 home victory over San Jose on Oct. GA_googleFillSlot(”AllAfrica_Story_Inset”); Kamara was booked after the referee spotted him elbowing the throat of his former Earthquakes teammate, Nick Garcia as both players jockeyed for position. He served an automatic game suspension in the Dynamo’s 3-0 win over Los Angeles on Saturday.

Sierra Leone: President Koroma hosts 4 HIM CEO
AllAfrica.com, Washington 
GA_googleFillSlot(”AllAfrica_Story_Inset”); “We started working in Sierra Leone since 2005 and we want President Koroma to know that 4 H. M is operating in his country and to also discuss developmental issues,” Hollingsworth said, adding that they have been helping different communities in the country. He said he has an associate degree in Theology and has led or travelled with teams to over 30 nations on short-term mission trips. Steve and his wife Nancy have been married since 1978 and reside in Edmond, Oklahoma.

Sierra Leone: Salone Merdeka Title Hope Dash
AllAfrica.com, Washington 
Sierra Leone’s U-20s hope of reaching the finals of the Merdeka Cup Football Tournament was dashed yesterday after they suffered a 2-3 defeat on penalties to Vietnam Olympic Squad. According to reports, the Sierra Leone squad gave the Vietnamese a difficult time which saw the match ending in a 2-2 draw in the 90 minutes play. GA_googleFillSlot(”AllAfrica_Story_Inset”); Referee Mohd Nafeez Abdul Wahab pushed the game to extra time but both sides failed to find the net but the Vietnamese were the lucky side winning on post game penalties. Sierra Leone dominated the match in the early hours which saw Mohamed Kabbia opening the score line in the 39th minutes and Dwight Foray doubled in the 68th minutes. The Vietnamese team came back strongly and cut the deficit in the 72nd minutes through Trinh Quang Vinh goal before the score was leveled in the 81st minutes when Nguyen Duc Thien scored.

RIGHTS-SIERRA LEONE: Reparations Stretched Thin
Inter Press Service, Italy 
Since his demise things have been hell for us. "
Kallon is among the large group of women described as war widows — their total number is still unknown. A Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) was set up in 2002 to investigate the causes of Sierra Leone's 11-year civil war, a brutal conflict during which all factions were accused of committing gross human rights violations. The TRC specifically recognised the effects of violence on women and the family structure. War widows — in the words of the TRC's report, "women whose husbands were killed as a consequence of any abuse or violation and who, as a result, have become the primary breadwinners for their families" — such women were designated as a privileged categories for reparations, notes the chairperson of the Human Rights Commission of Sierra Leone, Jamesina King. The TRC recommended the provision of skills training and micro-credit schemes for these women, defined in its final report as to help equip and empower them to provide for their families. But the National Commission for Social Action (NaCSA), the body that will be implementing the reparations, has no immediate plans to begin these projects.

Sierra Leone: Kallon to Quit Football in 2010
AllAfrica.com, Washington 
GA_googleFillSlot(”AllAfrica_Story_Inset”); “I want to think that in two years I will call it a day,” he said. “I have achieved many of my dreams through this game and wish to pursue other things,” said the 29-year-old forward, who is now a star for Al-Shaab in the UAE. This is the biggest hint from the former AEK Athens striker, who recently decided to quit as captain of the Sierra Leone national team, Leone Stars. However, he ruled out the possibility of becoming a coach when he hangs his boots while he refused to comment on pursuing a career in politics. “Let’s just wait and see when the time comes but one thing is for sure – I can never be a coach,” he said. Kallon has been one of the main benefactors of Leone Stars as he often spent his own money for the upkeep of the team. Relevant Links West AfricaSierra LeoneSoccerSport Besides huge investments in both Kalleone radio and a newspaper in Freetown, the former skipper is also the owner of Kallon FC, the 2006 Sierra Leone Commercial bank national league champions.

JHR Trains Over 150 Journalists in Sierra Leone
Awareness Times, Sierra Leone 
Hallowell says JHR trainers have been working one-on-one with local reporters to investigate stories on issues of civic, political and socio-economic rights, while adding that three cohorts of JHR who recently arrive in the country on a seven-month assignments have been conducting workshops in specific media houses, while providing on-the-job training for reporters. “After several in-country consultations, JHR is now launching a new program known as Sierra Leone Community Media Forum (SALCOMEF),” he said, adding: “For the next two years, JHR will engage the media, civil society organizations, gender and youth groups among others, to dialogue in our monthly community forums all over the country. Hallowell says learning from the Zambian experience; the JHR forum will engage areas including applied discourse, advocacy and lobbying, networking and Mentoring and capacity building. “The applied discourse forum will carry out a discourse on issues affecting community media operations,” he said, while adding that it is specifically designed to address organizers’ concern that there has not been enough information generation and sharing on community media initiatives and issues in Sierra Leone. He says the advocacy and lobbying forum seeks to respond to a perceived under-representation of the interests of the community media in media reform processes by engaging policymakers, media broadcast regulators and other stakeholders in effort to improve the context within which this sector operates.
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