• Rice price to Drop, Source: The New Dawn
• Morlu takes over CDC, Source: The New Dawn
• Gender condemns child abuse, Source: The New Dawn
• “Don’t Underestimate the Peaceful Transition” – Salvation Army General Urges, Source: Daily OBSERVER
• Representative Wiah Wants President Weah to Appoint 30 Percent Women, Source: Daily OBSERVER
• Cllr. Gibson’s Allegation Backfires, Sources: Daily OBSERVER and FrontPage Africa
• Shoniyin Refutes Involvement in ‘Japanese Grant’ Scandal, Source: Daily OBSERVER
• LEGISPOL imposes blockade on Senate, Source: The New Dawn
• JFK Workers Reject Re-appointment of GA McDonald and Deputy, Source: Daily OBSERVER
• FDA Managing Director Promises New Reforms, Source: FrontPage Africa
• Local NGOs to Strengthen Advocacy for Equitable Distribution of Oil Palm Wealth, Source: Daily OBSERVER
• 31 Discharged LRA Staff Demand USD712k in Retirement, Seek intervention of the House of Reps., Source: Daily OBSERVER

Rice price to Drop, Source: The New Dawn

President George Weah says it is intolerable that the price of a 25kg bag of rice continues to increase amidst acute hardship and mass unemployment here, voicing his readiness to work with importers in resolving all the issues that underpin the galloping price of rice. An Executive Mansion release said President Weah met with the importers of rice on Thursday in an effort to ensure the price of the nation’s staple food is substantially reduced and made affordable for ordinary Liberians. “If the government-imposed tax is an issue, you can rest assure that my government is more than ready to grant reasonable adjustments in the tax regime to make the reduction of rice price possible,” the president said. Read more

Morlu takes over CDC, Source: The New Dawn

President George Weah in consultation with the leadership and the governing council of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) has appointed the party's vice chairman for operations, Mr. Mulbah Morlu as national chairman replacing Mr. Nathaniel McGill, pending the holding of convention. Mr. McGill is the current minister of state for presidential affairs. Read more

Gender condemns child abuse, Source: The New Dawn

The Gender Ministry has condemned the recent domestic abuse of seven-year-old Armah Geeplay in Pleebo, Maryland County. The incident took place recently when the victim's hands were burned by a family member for allegedly snatching food left over. The victim is currently undergoing unending pain and suffering. The Ministry termed the act as inhumane and cruel against an innocent child that could lead to deformity.

A release issued by the Ministry quotes the officer-in-charge, Garkpah Whea as saying the abuse violates the country’s Domestic Violence Law. Meanwhile, the child is currently undergoing medical treatment at the JJ Dossen Hospital in Harper City, while the accused has been arrested and detained by the police pending court trial. Read more

“Don’t Underestimate the Peaceful Transition” – Salvation Army General Urges, Source: Daily OBSERVER

General Andre Cox of the Salvation Army Worldwide says he wants Liberians to choose a path of peace as their way of life. Gen. Cox at a news confab Thursday in Monrovia also called on Liberians not to underestimate the peaceful transfer of power that was achieved recently through the democratic process which, he said, “manifests the blessing from God.” He said every nation needs people with good morals and integrity, therefore, he believes that the peaceful transition in Liberia presents a clear picture of Liberians as good people to the rest of the world.

The Salvation Army Worldwide official said the good work of any government, including Liberia, cannot be proven within the shortest period of time, but through the years of services that will enable administrative structures to make the needed positive changes to develop the nation. Read more

Representative Wiah Wants President Weah to Appoint 30 Percent Women, Source: Daily OBSERVER

The Daily Observer reports that in the wake of President George Weah’s appointment of officials, the chairperson of the House Committee on Gender and Child Development has called on the president to appoint women to at least 30 percent of government positions. Representative Julie Wiah wants the president not to ‘blacklist’ women in the Coalition for Democratic Change-led government by circumventing their appointment to 30 percent of government posts, which she believes is universally accepted. Representative Wiah told journalists recently that the appointment of more women to government positions would be rewarding and expedient for Liberia because women will be at the helm of decision-making. Read more

Cllr. Gibson’s Allegation Backfires, Sources: Daily OBSERVER and FrontPage Africa

The Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) Thursday termed as misinformation and misguided an assertion by justice minister-designate, Cllr. Charles Gibson during his confirmation hearing at the Senate that the anti-graft commission has not been able to prosecute a single case since its establishment in 2008. Cllr. Gibson, in his response to the Senate Committee on Judiciary’s claim that over USD20 million was given to the LACC over the years for its operations, but the agency has no accomplishment to show said, “Instead of spending that huge amount every time without results, the government can contract services of five leading local law firms and pay them USD 50,000 annually to help speed the prosecution of those found culpable of corrupt deeds.” Read more

Shoniyin Refutes Involvement in ‘Japanese Grant’ Scandal, Source: Daily OBSERVER

The deputy foreign minister-designate, Elias Shoniyin, has reacted to media reports linking him to the much-publicized misuse of the Japanese Grant in the amount of USD731,412, which was given to the Liberian government in 2014 to build the institutional capacity of the Department of International Economic Cooperation and Integration (IECI) at the Ministry. Mr. Shoniyin displayed letters, including recommendations from the Justice Ministry, the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC), and the General Auditing Commission (GAC) that exonerated him from any wrongdoing.

The deputy foreign minister-designate told journalists on Tuesday in Monrovia that the purpose of the project was to hire, retain, and train professional staff with the necessary skills to increase the efficiency of the IECI department, and noted that 50 percent of the project’s goal was achieved. Shoniyin further disclosed that Thomas Kaydor, a short-term former deputy minister for the IECI department, and Augustine Nyenplu, manager of the project, were in charge of managing the fund. Read more

LEGISPOL imposes blockade on Senate, Source: The New Dawn

The Legislative Press Pool (LEGISPOL) at the Capitol Building, the seat of the Legislature, has announced a media block-out on the Liberian Senate and also request Senator Nyonblee Kangar Lawrence to issue an apology through writing and newspaper publications to members of the LEGISPOL.

In a press release, the body says it will officially communicate with the Press Union of Liberia (PUL) and the Senate President Pro-Tempore to complain the brutal assault and harm meted against journalists Abraham Morris of the In Profile Daily newspaper and Austin Kawah of Prime FM. The release states that the denial of journalists entering into the Senate Chamber on Wednesday was abrupt and unilateral by Senator Lawrence.

LEGISPOL also wants the Senate press director to withdraw a communication to the In Profile Daily newspaper revoking the accreditation of journalist Morris. Read more

JFK Workers Reject Re-appointment of GA McDonald and Deputy, Source: Daily OBSERVER

Workers at the nation’s major referral hospital, the John F. Kennedy Memorial Medical Center have threatened to down their tools in protest against the imminent reappointment of the hospital’s general administrator and her deputy, Dr. Wvannie-Mae Scott McDonald and Ms. Munah Tarpeh, respectively, by President George Weah.

Tensions rose at the hospital on Wednesday when angry workers led by the JFK Workers Union gathered in anticipation of a meeting with some members of the governing Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) transitional team who, according to reports, had gone there to officially announce the reappointment of Dr. McDonald and Ms. Tarpeh.

The leadership of the workers union said they are very bitter and disappointed with the manner in which the two have, for the past 12 years, administered the affairs of the nation’s premier healthcare center, saying they can no longer work with the administrator and her lieutenant. Read more

FDA Managing Director Promises New Reforms, Source: FrontPage Africa

The incoming managing director of the Forestry Development Authority (FDA) has advanced several key points as pillars upon which the success of the entity would be based. Mr. C. Mike Doryen stressed the importance of the FDA in the revenue generation program of Liberia and vowed to keep the torch of the entity uncompromisingly burning given its relevance in the national economy. Mr. Doryen also challenged the employees to remain evermore focused in the spirit of love for country to make FDA an important part of the nation-building process. He made the remarks Thursday when he officially took over as the new managing director. Read more

Local NGOs to Strengthen Advocacy for Equitable Distribution of Oil Palm Wealth, Source: Daily OBSERVER

A group of 10 Liberian CSOs has agreed to a new course of action in their advocacy for equitable distribution of wealth generated from the palm oil sector and reform of the palm oil sector. The Civil Society Oil Palm Working Group said it has recognized that the agriculture sector has a potential to contribute to food security, but could not realize such potential in the absence of progressive policies and robust regulatory frameworks to govern investments in the sector. The working group said there were inadequate laws and policies governing the sector to provide enabling conditions for realizing the full potential of the agriculture sector.

“The concession agreements with Sime Darby and Golden Veroleum Liberia have provisions that do not comply with Liberian laws and international human rights standards,” the group said in a declaration recently after a two-day retreat held at the Foundation for Community Initiative (FCI), one of the organizations comprising the group. Read more

31 Discharged LRA Staff Demand USD712k in Retirement, Seek intervention of the House of Reps., Source: Daily OBSERVER

Thirty-one former employees of the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA) have requested the House of Representatives to intervene to secure their retirement benefits of USD712,800. They were discharged by LRA commissioner-general Elfrieda Stewart Tamba in September 2016, having been served notification letters for retirement eligibility a month earlier. In a letter to the House of Representatives, the discharged employees said most of them had not reached the retirement age of 65 or 25 years of continuous service, and were, therefore, wrongfully retired. They claim that Ms. Tamba had since refused to carry out the retirement process even though their pay and all related benefits were captured in the fiscal budget, FY 2016/2017. Read more