Sierra Leone

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Girl, 11, Survives 3 Days at Sea in Inner Tubes

Child from Sierra Leone appears to be only survivor from migrant boat that sank off coast of Italy

(Newser) - Shortly after 3am on Wednesday, the crew of the Trotamar III, a vessel used by the refugee charity Compass Collective, heard a child's cries in the dark. They found an 11-year-old girl from Sierra Leone floating in the water, clinging to two tire inner tubes—the only apparent survivor...

Ballerina Who Danced in Beyonce Video Dies at 29
Ballerina Who
Danced in
Beyonce Video
Dies at 29
OBITUARY
Sep 14, 2024 11:00 AM CDT

Ballerina Who Danced in Beyonce Video Dies at 29

No word yet on cause of death for Michaela DePrince, who came to US as Sierra Leone orphan

(Newser) - An accomplished ballerina whose life began in difficult circumstances in Africa, and who ended up starring in one of Beyonce's music videos, has died at the age of 29, reports USA Today . The family of Michaela Mabinty DePrince posted the news Friday on Facebook , noting their "profound sadness"...

Opposition Calls Vote Rigged, Wants an Election Redo

US, other observers have called for greater transparency in Sierra Leone's count

(Newser) - Sierra Leone's main opposition party on Saturday demanded a rerun of last weekend's presidential election after President Julius Maada Bio was declared the winner and swiftly sworn in for a second term in the West African nation. The opposition All People's Congress party accused the nation's electoral...

What's Happened in Africa With COVID Is a Mystery

People have been infected; whether the death rate is lower is up for debate

(Newser) - Where are all the COVID deaths in Africa? It's a question that's been asked repeatedly, and it's one Stephanie Nolen explores for the New York Times —without landing on a definitive answer. She contrasts the situation in South Africa, which got hit hard by variants and...

'Horrendous Loss of Life' After Oil Tanker Explosion

At least 92 are dead, dozens seriously injured after blast near Sierra Leone's capital

(Newser) - An oil tanker exploded near Sierra Leone's capital, killing at least 92 people and severely injuring dozens of others after large crowds gathered to collect leaking fuel, officials and witnesses said Saturday. The explosion took place late Friday after a bus struck the tanker in Wellington, a suburb just...

Chimps have Been Dying. Now We May Know Why

A bacterium may be the culprit

(Newser) - Researchers have identified a bacterium that they believe is responsible for a “new and always fatal” illness that has been killing chimpanzees in Sierra Leone, USA Today reports. The disease—Epizootic Neurologic and Gastroenteric Syndrome, or ENGS—has killed at least 53 chimps at the Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary, per...

5-Year-Old Left Paralyzed by Rape Shocks a Nation

Her case highlights the struggle of prosecuting sex crimes in Sierra Leone

(Newser) - At first no one knew why the 5-year-old girl could no longer move her legs or control her urine. For months she lay on the ground, unable to walk or play. Some blamed witchcraft but the real reason was more horrific: The child had been brutally raped and left paralyzed...

Running in Packs Now Banned in Sierra Leone

Authorities say groups are running 'with a hint of menace'

(Newser) - For decades, young people have taken to the streets in cities across Sierra Leone to jog and exercise socially—some groups in silent focus, others singing and clapping along the way. But the cultural pastime is now banned, with authorities citing "with dismay" that these groups are joined by...

Sierra Leone Prepares for Mass Funerals

Mudslides kill more than 300, another 600 are still missing

(Newser) - Sierra Leone's government urged family members to come to the capital's overwhelmed mortuary Wednesday to identify their loved ones' remains as the West African nation prepared to bury hundreds of mudslide and flood victims , the AP reports. Crews continued the grim work of extracting bodies from tons of...

In Sierra Leone, 'Sounds of Wailing, Mourning Everywhere'

Nearly 400 bodies recovered after mudslide

(Newser) - "We have been through 10 years of war, then Ebola, and now this. Have mercy on Sierra Leone, Father," a bishop prayed Wednesday during a vigil in the country's capital of Freetown, where reports suggest 400 people are dead and another 600 are missing as a result...

Mudslides, Flooding Kill at Least 250 in Sierra Leone

More bodies expected to be found

(Newser) - Mudslides and torrential flooding killed at least 250 people in and around Sierra Leone's capital early Monday following heavy rains, with many victims trapped in homes buried under tons of mud, the AP reports. Survivors and volunteers dug through the mud and debris at times with their bare hands...

Man Finds Huge Diamond, Decides to Give It Up

Gives it to government to fund development in Sierra Leone

(Newser) - A pastor in Sierra Leone has discovered the largest uncut diamond found in the West African country for more than four decades and has turned it over to the government, saying he hopes it helps to boost recent development in his impoverished nation. Pastor Emmanuel Momoh found the 706-carat alluvial...

You Could Have Ebola and Not Even Know It
You Could Have Ebola
and Not Even Know It
NEW STUDY
Nov 16, 2016 8:41 AM CST

You Could Have Ebola and Not Even Know It

Up to 25% of infections may be 'minimally symptomatic'

(Newser) - Ebola doesn't always show itself through fever, vomiting, and diarrhea. A new PLOS study finds that some people with the virus show mild or no symptoms at all—a potential concern for preventing its spread. Researchers who visited the village of Sukudu in Sierra Leone, a hot spot in...

Roundest, Most Rectangular Nations Are on the Same Continent

Congratulations Egypt and Sierra Leone

(Newser) - Information that could come in handy in bar bet: Egypt is the most rectangular country on Earth, while Sierra Leone is the roundest. These odd findings began with a post at papubhary.com , which explains that a friend's comment about how Turkey was "remarkably rectangular" got the author...

New Ebola Death Confirmed Hours After Outbreak Declared Over

Virus claims life in Sierra Leone

(Newser) - Hours after the World Health Organization declared an end to the Ebola outbreak that has plagued West Africa for some two years, officials in Sierra Leone on Thursday confirmed a new death from the virus, BBC reports. The WHO has warned, the BBC notes, that flare-ups are expected. "We...

Days After Last Sierra Leone Patient, Ebola Rises Again

New death confirmed just as country has released last patient

(Newser) - Health officials in Sierra Leone today confirmed an Ebola death less than a week after the country's last known patient was discharged from a hospital. Samples from the body of a 67-year-old woman who died recently in Kambia district in the country's north came back positive for the...

Ebola Survivor Who Lost 21 Relatives Has Baby Boy

Victoria Yillia gives birth in Sierra Leone

(Newser) - Ebola did not take Victoria Yillia's life. And it could not prevent the birth of her son. And yet it loomed, even on this, her happiest day. She delivered her child just a few minutes' walk from the ward where just last year she had hovered between life and...

US Worker Contracts Ebola; 10 Colleagues Evacuated

They cared for patient already being treated at NIH

(Newser) - Ten clinicians with a Boston-based nonprofit responding to the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone are to be transported to the United States after one of their colleagues was infected with the deadly disease. Partners in Health said in a statement yesterday that the medical workers would be evacuated on non-commercial...

Sierra Leone's Sitting VP Requests US Asylum

Samuel Sam-Sumana got kicked out of his own party last week

(Newser) - Sierra Leone's vice president says he is seeking asylum from the United States after soldiers came to his house and disarmed his security team. Samuel Sam-Sumana said he did not feel safe after top officials with the presidential guard informed him that his security team was being disarmed on...

As Ebola Wanes, US Clinics Become Ghost Towns

Treatment centers in Liberia were built on worst-case scenario that never happened

(Newser) - The Ebola outbreak in West Africa has shrunk dramatically, with an average of fewer than one new case reported each day last week. Nowhere is the drastic improvement more clear than in the many treatment centers the US has built in Liberia. They're full of empty beds, and some...

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