10 h. ago Sierra Leone's President Bio to be the next ECOWAS chairman with region in turmoil

Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio has been chosen to be the next chairman of the West African economic bloc, ECOWAS

Politics

2 w. ago Trump travel ban barring citizens from 12 countries goes into effect

Afghanistan, Haiti and Iran included in full 12-country ban and citizens from seven other countries partially restrictedDonald Trump’s new ban on travel to the US by citizens of a dozen countries, mainly in Africa and the Middle East, went into effect at 12am ET on Monday, more than eight years after Trump’s first travel ban sparked chaos, confusion, and months of legal battles.The new proclamation, which Trump signed last week, “fully” restricts the nationals of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen from entering the US. The entry of nationals of Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela will be partially restricted. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Countries under Trump’s travel ban are unique subjects of American imperialism

US’s cruel escalation of policy puts misplaced target on vulnerable nations such as Afghanistan and SudanThe list of countries banned by the Trump administration’s newest order seems to have no rhyme or reason. Little connects Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, all targeted for a total ban, or Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela, all targeted for restrictions. The reasoning stated in the order is that they all pose security threats measured by “whether each country has a significant terrorist presence within its territory, its visa-overstay rate, and its cooperation with accepting back its removable nationals”.Visa overstays, the order elaborates, “indicates a blatant disregard for United States immigration laws”. Yet the latest data on overstays from Customs and Border Protection does show these countries high on the list, along with others not included. Continue ...

Politics

2 w. ago What unites countries under Trump’s travel ban is American imperialism

US’s cruel escalation of policy puts misplaced target on vulnerable nations such as Afghanistan and SudanThe list of countries banned by the Trump administration’s newest order seems to have no rhyme or reason. Little connects Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, all targeted for a total ban, or Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela, all targeted for restrictions. The reasoning stated in the order is that they all pose security threats measured by “whether each country has a significant terrorist presence within its territory, its visa-overstay rate, and its cooperation with accepting back its removable nationals”.Visa overstays, the order elaborates, “indicates a blatant disregard for United States immigration laws”. Yet the latest data on overstays from Customs and Border Protection does show these countries high on the list, along with others not included. Con...

Politics

2 w. ago What unites countries under Trump’s travel ban is American imperialism | Heba Gowayed

US’s cruel escalation of policy puts misplaced target on vulnerable nations such as Afghanistan and SudanThe list of countries banned by the Trump administration’s newest order seems to have no rhyme or reason. Little connects Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, all targeted for a total ban, or Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela, all targeted for restrictions. The reasoning stated in the order is that they all pose security threats measured by “whether each country has a significant terrorist presence within its territory, its visa-overstay rate, and its cooperation with accepting back its removable nationals”.Visa overstays, the order elaborates, “indicates a blatant disregard for United States immigration laws”. Yet the latest data on overstays from Customs and Border Protection does show these countries high on the list, along with others not included. Con...

Politics

2 w. ago From New York to Sierra Leone: a sister’s search for ‘just another missing black woman’

Oluwaseun Babalola’s film Fighting Giants is an exploration of the misogyny and racism encountered by her family as they attempted to uncover the truth behind her sibling’s disappearance seven years agoOluwaseun Babalola remembers the exact moment she started to worry about her sister. It was 14 August 2018 and she was sitting on a sofa in a friend’s flat in Queens, New York. She had spent 10 days trying to get hold of Massah KaiKai, who had been due to travel from Sierra Leone, where she lived, to visit her in the US.The sisters messaged or called each other every day, often multiple times. “We talked about everything and nothing. I would come home to a bunch of voice notes. She would vent or have something very funny to say – she was a very funny person,” says Babalola. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago From New York to Sierra Leone: misogyny, racism and the search for a missing sister

Oluwaseun Babalola’s film Fighting Giants is an exploration of the barriers encountered by her family as they attempted to uncover the truth behind her sibling’s disappearance seven years agoOluwaseun Babalola remembers the exact moment she started to worry about her sister. It was 14 August 2018 and she was sitting on a sofa in a friend’s flat in Queens, New York. She had spent 10 days trying to get hold of Massah KaiKai, who had been due to travel from Sierra Leone, where she lived, to visit her in the US.The sisters messaged or called each other every day, often multiple times. “We talked about everything and nothing. I would come home to a bunch of voice notes. She would vent or have something very funny to say – she was a very funny person,” says Babalola. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago From New York to Sierra Leone: the search for a missing sister

Oluwaseun Babalola’s film Fighting Giants is an exploration of the misogyny and racism encountered by her family as they attempted to uncover the truth behind her sibling’s disappearance seven years agoOluwaseun Babalola remembers the exact moment she started to worry about her sister. It was 14 August 2018 and she was sitting on a sofa in a friend’s flat in Queens, New York. She had spent 10 days trying to get hold of Massah KaiKai, who had been due to travel from Sierra Leone, where she lived, to visit her in the US.The sisters messaged or called each other every day, often multiple times. “We talked about everything and nothing. I would come home to a bunch of voice notes. She would vent or have something very funny to say – she was a very funny person,” says Babalola. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Here are the 12 countries Trump placed under travel bans, and the 7 newly under travel restrictions

President Donald Trump cited a range of reasons for placing 19 countries under new travel bans or restrictions in the U.S. They include allegations of lax screening of travelers, “a significant terrorist presence” in its territory, a government that wasn’t cooperative enough in accepting deported citizens or residents who were prone to overstaying their visas in the United States

Politics

2 w. ago Trump signs order banning citizens of 12 countries from entering the US

Nationals from countries including Afghanistan, Haiti and Sudan ‘fully’ restricted as those of seven other countries partially restrictedDonald Trump has signed a sweeping order banning travel from 12 countries and restricting travel from seven others, reviving and expanding the travel bans from his first term.The nationals of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen will be “fully” restricted from entering the US, according to the proclamation. Meanwhile, the entry of nationals of Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela will be partially restricted. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Captain of MV Matthew carrying 2.2 tonnes of cocaine ‘feared for his life’

Seven men are charged with offences arising from the seizure of 2.25 tonnes of cocaine with an estimated value of more than 157 million euros.

Politics