Information is Power

Posts

New photo

Sierra Leone court places injunction on March 27 presidential runoff 24 March 2018. Sierra Leone A High Court in Sierra Leone has placed an injunction on coming Tuesday’s presidential runoff. Voters were expected to choose between two candidates after the March 7 vote failed to produce an outright winner. According to March 24 ruling delivered by Justice A. R. Mansaray, the Head of the National Electoral Commission and the body are to withhold the conduct of the runoff pending hearing into a case. A local journalist, Abdul Tejan Cole said chief among the issues to be heard is an audit of the electoral system. The case is to be heard on Monday (March 27) barely 24-hours to the planned opening of polls. The case that led to the injunction was filed by one Ibrahim Sorie Koroma, a lawyer linked to the ruling party All People’s Congress (APC). Lawyer Koroma in his filing averred that electoral fraud allegations should be investigated before the vote goes ahead. The APC’s candidate, Samura Kamara, finished slightly behind Julius Maada Bio of the opposition Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) in the first round of voting on March 7, but neither candidate gained the 55 percent of votes needed to win outright.

Sierra Leone court places injunction on March 27 presidential runoff 24 March 2018. Via @ REUTERS Sierra Leone A High Court in Sierra Leone has placed an injunction on coming Tuesday’s presidential runoff. Voters were expected to choose between two candidates after the March 7 vote failed to produce an outright winner. According to March 24 ruling delivered by Justice A. R. Mansaray, the Head of the National Electoral Commission and the body are to withhold the conduct of the runoff pending hearing into a case. A local journalist, Abdul Tejan Cole said chief among the issues to be heard is an audit of the electoral system. The case is to be heard on Monday (March 27) barely 24-hours to the planned opening of polls. The case that led to the injunction was filed by one Ibrahim Sorie Koroma, a lawyer linked to the ruling party All People’s Congress (APC). Lawyer Koroma in his filing averred that electoral fraud allegations should be investigated before the vote goes ahead. The APC’s candi

Egypt arrests, deports British journalist ahead of presidential polls 24 March 2018. EGYPT Egypt has deported a British journalist working for The Times, the newspaper said on Saturday, describing an “increasingly oppressive environment” for media in the country ahead of next week’s presidential election. The Times said its correspondent, 33-year-old Bel Trew who had been based in Cairo for several years, was arrested while reporting and “forced to leave Egypt.” “The Times deplores this attempt by the Egyptian authorities to intimidate the media and suppress our coverage,” a statement by the newspaper said, adding that Egyptian authorities had “no intention of allowing (Trew) to return.” The Egyptian authorities have not shared any evidence of wrongdoing. We will continue to press them on this case. Egypt’s government foreign press centre, the interior ministry, and President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s office, did not respond to phone calls and requests for comment via WhatsApp. Trew said in a separate article published by The Times that she was detained by police in central Cairo on her way to conduct an interview, held for almost 24 hours and then “marched onto a plane” at Cairo airport bound for London. Her deportation follows what human rights groups call a crackdown on press freedom aimed at stifling dissent in the run-up to the March 26-28 presidential election. Egyptian authorities have urged legal action against media outlets they deem to be publishing “fake news”, and rights activists say several local journalists have also been arrested in recent months. Sisi, a former military commander, is virtually guaranteed to win a second term after all serious opposition pulled out of the race citing intimidation after a major challenger was jailed. The election commission says the vote will be free and fair and Sisi has said he wanted more candidates to run. Sisi’s critics say he has presided over an intensifying crackdown on dissent. Supporters say tough measures are needed to stabilise the country after years of unrest that followed a 2011 popular uprising. A British Foreign Office spokeswoman said the foreign secretary had raised Trew’s deportation with his Egyptian counterpart. “The Egyptian authorities have not shared any evidence of wrongdoing. We will continue to press them on this case,” she added.

Egypt arrests, deports British journalist ahead of presidential polls 24 March 2018. Via #REUTERS EGYPT Egypt has deported a British journalist working for The Times, the newspaper said on Saturday, describing an “increasingly oppressive environment” for media in the country ahead of next week’s presidential election. The Times said its correspondent, 33-year-old Bel Trew who had been based in Cairo for several years, was arrested while reporting and “forced to leave Egypt.” “The Times deplores this attempt by the Egyptian authorities to intimidate the media and suppress our coverage,” a statement by the newspaper said, adding that Egyptian authorities had “no intention of allowing (Trew) to return.” The Egyptian authorities have not shared any evidence of wrongdoing. We will continue to press them on this case. Egypt’s government foreign press centre, the interior ministry, and President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s office, did not respond to phone calls and requests for comment via WhatsA

TWO KILLED, 4 OTHERS WOUNDED IN EGYPT CAR BOMB EXPLOSION. EGYPT A bomb placed under a car exploded in Egypt’s second city Alexandria on Saturday, killing two people including a policeman, two days before the country is due to hold a presidential election. The bombing, which wounded four other policemen, targeted Alexandria’s security chief, police Major General Mostafa al-Nemr, the interior ministry said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombing. Islamic State released a video last month in which it warned Egyptians against taking part in the upcoming vote and urged Islamists to attack security forces and leaders. State news agency MENAquoted Nemr as saying that two people, a policeman and a driver, were killed in the blast. Photos on social media that Reuters could not independently verify showed a burnt out car and smoke at the site of the blast. “On Saturday March 24 an explosive device planted underneath a car exploded … as the Alexandria security chief drove by,” the interior ministry said in a statement. Eyewitnesses said police and military personnel formed a cordon around the site of the explosion. Local television stations later showed Nemr unharmed and inspecting the area.

Update: Two killed, four others wounded in Egypt car bomb explosion 24 March 2018. EGYPT A bomb placed under a car exploded in Egypt’s second city Alexandria on Saturday, killing two people including a policeman, two days before the country is due to hold a presidential election. The bombing, which wounded four other policemen, targeted Alexandria’s security chief, police Major General Mostafa al-Nemr, the interior ministry said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombing. Islamic State released a video last month in which it warned Egyptians against taking part in the upcoming vote and urged Islamists to attack security forces and leaders. State news agency MENAquoted Nemr as saying that two people, a policeman and a driver, were killed in the blast. Photos on social media that Reuters could not independently verify showed a burnt out car and smoke at the site of the blast. “On Saturday March 24 an explosive device planted underneath a car exploded … as the Alexand

Update: Two killed, four others wounded in Egypt car bomb explosion. EGYPT A bomb placed under a car exploded in Egypt’s second city Alexandria on Saturday, killing two people including a policeman, two days before the country is due to hold a presidential election. The bombing, which wounded four other policemen, targeted Alexandria’s security chief, police Major General Mostafa al-Nemr, the interior ministry said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombing. Islamic State released a video last month in which it warned Egyptians against taking part in the upcoming vote and urged Islamists to attack security forces and leaders. State news agency MENAquoted Nemr as saying that two people, a policeman and a driver, were killed in the blast. Photos on social media that Reuters could not independently verify showed a burnt out car and smoke at the site of the blast. “On Saturday March 24 an explosive device planted underneath a car exploded … as the Alexandria security chief drove by,” the interior ministry said in a statement. Eyewitnesses said police and military personnel formed a cordon around the site of the explosion. Local television stations later showed Nemr unharmed and inspecting the area.