By Own Correspondent – Seventeen men believed to be rebels from the Senegalese southern region of Casamance yesterday appeared at the special criminal court in Banjul presided over by Justice Ikpala. The accused persons include Yusupha Ceesay and Modou Lamin Badjie, who both pleaded guilty to the charge since their first appearance at the lower court, while Saku Jammeh, Zackaria Jatta, Tijan Camara, Mafuji Jarju, Abdoulie Sonko, Hatab Jatta, Abdou Badjie, Ebrima Jarju, Sang Sambou, Basiru Jammeh, Seedy Sanyang, Tumani Manga, Alasana Jarju and Aziz Kujabi, all denied the charge. The accused persons are expected to answer to a two-count... Continue Reading
By Own Correspondent – Commissioner Mignon Clyburn of the Federal Communication Commission in the United States of America (US FCC) has described communication as the backbone of the United States economy. Commissioner Clyburn was in Banjul for a day-long visit accompanied by Federal Communication International Bureau Chief Mindel De La Torres, courtesy of the US Embassy in Banjul. He was speaking on Monday during a lecture she delivered at the American Corner along Kairaba Avenue. According to Commissioner Clyburn, communication has impacted positively on the socio-economic advancement of America since the FCC was established by the Communications Act of 1934... Continue Reading
By Own Correspondent – A World Bank report released Monday on remittances sent by migrants to their families in sub-Saharan Africa titled “Remittances and Migration Factbook 2010” has ranked Gambia as the country with the second largest rate of skilled emigration in Africa. The report, which is the second edition of an initial volume issued in 2008 that relies on data publicly available from reliable sources, shows that remittances to Gambia will reach an estimated US$61 million in 2010, up from US$60 million the previous year. “As a share of GDP, remittance inflows amounted to 8 percent of the country’s... Continue Reading
By Justin Oliver Zinda (UK) – In London yesterday, students held a demonstration against the coalition government’s plans to allow UK universities to charge tuition fees of up to £9,000 per year from next year. Students complain that this could put people off studying at university. The march against raising tuition fees, was attended by almost 52,000 university students from all across the United Kingdom. It was noisy but mainly peaceful, but this was until before the storming of No. 30 Millbank – the office building of the Conservative party – by a group of hard core protesters. Students complain... Continue Reading
By Nawa Mutumweno – The performance of the Zambian economy has been good with real domestic product growth projected at 6.6 percent in 2010 boosted by the record maize harvest, a rebound in tourism and a continued increase in copper and construction output, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The Bretton Woods institution’s mission chief George Tsibouris told journalists recently that the Government’s diversification programme coupled with the bumper harvest recorded during the last farming season has had positive impact on the country. “This year, the bumper maize harvest and the strengthening of the Kwacha have helped bring inflation... Continue Reading
