27 July Newspaper Summary

Educator Wants Premiership for Liberia
(The Inquirer and Daily Observer)

• Serving as orator during yesterday’s 158th Independence Day celebrations, University of Liberia President Dr. Al-Hassan Conteh called for a constitutional adjustment of the leadership structure of the Executive branch of government to create the position of Prime Minister to manage the country.

Independence Day Orator Calls on Liberians to Resolve Differences
(The Inquirer, The Analyst, Daily Observer and New Democrat)

• Delivering Liberia’s 158th Independence Day oration yesterday in Monrovia, University of Liberia President Dr. Alhassan Conteh said that Liberians still divided on tribal lines should resolve their differences and unite to solve the country’s many problems and rebuild the nation. 

School Activities Hampered by Sacrificial Killing Scare
(Daily Observer)

• According to the Children Welfare Foundation International (CWFI), there has been a significant reduction in school attendance across Liberia due to the scare caused by the rise in sacrificial killings.
• CWFI Director Leonid Dunn told the Daily Observer that 60 percent of school children no longer attend school for fear of falling victim to people who murder to perform rituals.

Liberian Project Receives Two British Grants
(Daily Observer)

• The British Library’s Endangered Archives Program has awarded two grants to the Liberian Collections Project of the Archives of Traditional Music and Indiana University in the U.S. to restore and microfilm the papers of late President William V.S. Tubman and to conduct pilot studies at the National Archives and Presidential Archives, a press release has said.

Pro-Democracy Group Begins Elections Dispute Adjudication Workshop Today
(The Analyst)

• As part of its partnership with the National Elections Commission (NEC), the International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES) will today begin a four-part series of training workshops in Monrovia pertinent to election dispute adjudication, a press release signed by IFES Country Director, Chedomir Flego, said.

Muslim Council Warns Against Anti-Peace Utterances
(Daily Observer)

• In a statement issued over the weekend, the National Muslim Council of Liberia warned against utterances that undermine the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, especially the electoral process.

Ghanaian Police Clarify Cause of Death of Liberian
(The News)

• The Ghanaian Embassy in Monrovia has said that contrary to local media reports of foul play in the death in Ghana of a Liberian refugee, James Miller Zurba, a police investigation found that the death was caused by hemorrhages due to a road accident.