• Amara silent on email linking president’s son to buying extra ballot papers, Source: New DEMOCRAT
• Unnecessary bluffs –CDC brands UP, Source: The New Dawn
• CDC, UP officials restless for Bong, Source: The New Dawn
• NEC usurps legislative function? -Senator Tengbeh raises qualms, Sources: Daily OBSERVER, INSIGHT, and New DEMOCRAT
• In Libya’s ‘Slave Market’ Situation: ‘Several Liberians, trapped’, Sources: INSIGHT and The New Dawn
• “Elect a disabled friendly government” –Beyan Kota recommends, Source: INSIGHT
• Police In Bong Hunt for Another Wife Killer, Source: The New Dawn
• Health sector revitalization progresses, Source: INSIGHT
• USD10.7M Government Debt Case Begins Today, Sources: Daily OBSERVER, FrontPage Africa, New DEMOCRAT, The INQUIRER, and The New Dawn
• “Stop importing technicians, rely on MVTC’ …Director Payne urges employers, Source: INSIGHT
• CBL Begins Seminar for Rural Financial Institutions in Ganta, Sources: Daily OBSERVER, INSIGHT, The INQUIRER, and The New Dawn
• Smartphones Take Agricultural Data Collection to New Level, Source: Daily OBSERVER

Amara silent on email linking president’s son to buying extra ballot papers, Source: New DEMOCRAT

Days after the New Democrat accused Liberia’s former finance minister of having a hand in an alleged attempt to manipulate the 10 October presidential and legislative elections, the paper reported again that Mr. Amara Konneh has remained silent on the publication that highlighted a leaked email which revealed that President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s son, Robert Sirleaf purchased extra ballot papers to increase the chances of a favored candidate.

Unnecessary bluffs –CDC brands UP, Source: The New Dawn

The main opposition Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) says the ruling Unity Party’s (UP) recent call for the resignation of the chairman of the National Elections Commission (NEC), Cllr. Jerome Korkoya is an ‘unnecessary bluff’ and a clear indication of fear factor ahead of the 26 December runoff between the two parties. The CDC at a news confab Wednesday at its headquarters in Congo Town said the UP statement shows the weakness of the governing party as the country gears up for the crucial election.

CDC, UP officials restless for Bong, Source: The New Dawn

Ahead of the December 26 runoff, The New Dawn reports that supporters and executives of the main opposition Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) and the governing Unity Party (UP) are restless in a political battle for Bong County, with both sides persuading voters against the other.

CDC Bong County chairman and representative-elect Josiah Cole told a local radio station in the county that the CDC vice standard bearer, Senator Jewel Howard Taylor represents the county in the Legislature and that the people of the county can not abandon her vice presidential bid. But Bong Representative Prince Moye of the ruling party told The New Dawn that there is a need for the Kpelle people to vote the “Boakai-Nuquay” ticket on grounds that House Speaker James Emmanuel Nuquay is from the Kpelle tribe.

NEC usurps legislative function? -Senator Tengbeh raises qualms, Sources: Daily OBSERVER, INSIGHT, and New DEMOCRAT

Lofa County Senator, George Tengbeh has questioned the authority of the chairman of the National Elections Commission (NEC), Cllr. Jerome Korkoya after he announced the runoff presidential election for 26 December. Senator Tengbeh added that Cllr. Korkoya lacks the legal authority to unilaterally decide on such a date without first meeting with the Senate to get its approval.

In Libya’s ‘Slave Market’ Situation: ‘Several Liberians, trapped’, Sources: INSIGHT and The New Dawn

The Senate President Pro-Tempore, Armah Jallah has called for urgent action to repatriate Liberians trapped in Libya, in a communication he sent to President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. Senator Jallah said the Liberians are among other African migrants who are being treated cruelly by armed groups in Libya. A release quotes the Senate President Pro-Tempore as describing the condition of the Liberians as appalling and dehumanizing.

“Elect a disabled friendly government” –Beyan Kota recommends, Source: INSIGHT

In an interview with journalists in Monrovia Monday, the president of the Christian Association of the Blind (CAB), Beyan Kota called on Liberians to elect a physically-challenged friendly government during the runoff election on 26 December. CAB he said would support a presidential candidate whose platform addresses the plight of the disability community.

Police In Bong Hunt for Another Wife Killer, Source: The New Dawn

The Liberia National Police (LNP) Bong County Detachment has launched a vigorous manhunt for a 22-year-old man identified as Sackie Kollie for allegedly killing his wife Bendu Yah, 21, in Fenlah, Fumah District in Bong County. According to a source, Bendu and Sackie had been having serious misunderstanding prior to her death on Monday, 11 December. She is said to have been murdered by Sackie using a cutlass, a 15-man jury set up to examine the body said.

Health sector revitalization progresses, Source: INSIGHT

Liberia’s chief medical officer says the country’s health sector revitalization effort is progressing. Dr. Francis Ketteh in a media encounter said unlike the Ebola crisis which seriously affected the sector, health authorities have made huge marks in strengthening the health system. Dr. Ketteh singled out Bong, Lofa, and Nimba counties for meeting the 2016-2017 performance-based benchmarks set by the Health Ministry.

USD10.7M Government Debt Case Begins Today, Sources: Daily OBSERVER, FrontPage Africa, New DEMOCRAT, The INQUIRER, and The New Dawn

The USD10.7 million lawsuit brought by Prestige and Alliance Motors against the Liberian government is expected to resume today Thursday. The case was indefinitely suspended because judges at the Commercial Court were absent when the hearing was scheduled. Even though the matter is scheduled for today, it has been with the court since 2012 without any decision to determine its merits and demerits.

The Sherman and Sherman Law Firm, representing the legal interests of Lebanese businessman George Haddad, in 2012, filed a lawsuit against the government contending that from 2000 to 2008, Haddad, CEO of Prestige Motor Corporation and Alliance Motor Corporation sold and repaired vehicles and supplied spare parts amounting to USD10.7 million to several government institutions. Unfortunately, the government is yet to pay the debt, despite Mr. Haddad’s persistent negotiation, the lawyers said. Up to press time last night, it was not clear whether the court will compel the government to proceed with the case, something it has not been able to do for the past six years. Read more

“Stop importing technicians, rely on MVTC’ …Director Payne urges employers, Source: INSIGHT

The Monrovia Vocational Training Centre (MVTC) is more than capable of providing the needed skilled workforce for the local job market, the centre’s director, Wilfred Payne said Monday when he spoke to reporters and dismissed belief that Liberia does not have skilled technicians. The influx of more young people, Payne said have them to understand that they can easily gain employment with the technical knowledge acquired. He further called on agencies and private entities to stop importing technicians and look up to graduates of the institution.

CBL Begins Seminar for Rural Financial Institutions in Ganta, Sources: Daily OBSERVER, INSIGHT, The INQUIRER, and The New Dawn

The media reports that the Central Bank of Liberia (CBL) Monday kicked off a seminar and capacity building forum in Ganta, Nimba County on the management of rural community financial institutions (RCFIs) in Liberia. The workshop is considering topics such as RCFIs prospects and challenges (the Liberian experience); needs assessment of RCFIs; discussion SWOT analysis of ACDI/VOCA; and the importance of community banking (the Sierra Leone experience). Others are the role and responsibility of the APEX/TASU in the supervision and regulation of RCFI (the Sierra Leone experience); regulatory framework; returns and reporting standards for RCFIs; core banking software/procedures and operation of the RCFIs’ credit and credit risk analysis in RCFI, among others. Read more

Smartphones Take Agricultural Data Collection to New Level, Source: Daily OBSERVER

The Agriculture Ministry with support and funding from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has engaged several extension workers in three-day training at the Central Agricultural Research Institute (CARI) in Suakoko, Bong County. The 24 extension officers, including six employees from the Liberia Institute for Statistics and Geo-Information Services (LISGIS), were trained in the latest data collection technology. At the end of the training, each participant received a state of the art mobile phone that they will use at their assigned areas of work. The participants selected from Bomi, Bong, Lofa, and Nimba counties were trained to use the CAPI application recently introduced by the ministry and is installing on the various mobile phones to collect key information from livestock and crop farmers in the four counties in relation to production. Read more