Author: Gainako

Magistrate SK Jobarteh of the Brikama Magistrates’ Court Tuesday struck out the case and discharged former Lands Minister Lamin Waa Juwara, on a charge of abuse of office. When the case was called, the trial magistrate said the case was set for hearing, and the accused was present but there was no state representation. The case had already been adjourned three times, she said, adding that the prosecution was at fault because the court sits at 9 am and there was no prosecutor in the courtroom by that time. She, therefore, struck out the case and discharged the accused…

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Delivered September 24th, 2014 Mr. President, Mr. Secretary General, fellow delegates, ladies and gentlemen: we come together at a crossroads between war and peace; between disorder and integration; between fear and hope. Around the globe, there are signposts of progress. The shadow of World War that existed at the founding of this institution has been lifted; the prospect of war between major powers reduced. The ranks of member states has more than tripled, and more people live under governments they elected. Hundreds of millions of human beings have been freed from the prison of poverty, with the proportion…

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Gambian President Yahya Jammeh has returned to ground zero in New York where he was shouted down and embarrassed last year during the UN 68th Annual General Assembly. The embattled Gambian leader who constantly makes negative headlines across the world, was determined not to surrender visiting the country he loves the most – the United States to activists determined to make life uneasy for him whenever he steps outside of the Gambia. Many thought that after facing consecutive embarrassments in the hands of activists in the United States last year and less than two months ago, Jammeh would delegate…

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   The Committee to Protect Journalists penned a letter to President Barack Obama Monday urging that he take action to protect journalists’ privacy and decrease attacks and harassment of the media. The committee said that they are “deeply troubled” by the growing number of privacy breaches and hacking incidents at news organizations, along with the massive scale of surveillance capabilities carried out by the National Security Agency. CPJ said that such strong government monitoring of journalism has jeopardized the “free flow of news” and has caused them to question the “seriousness” of Obama’s commitment to improving these issues. “We recognize the government’s…

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By Foday Samateh Unlike James Stewart in Frank Capra’s classic political drama “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” she didn’t go there with any high-minded illusions to do good. She went there simply to cause trouble. And trouble she caused along with her fellow traveling band of happy rabble rousers and party crashers. Reading her interview with Gainako, it was hard to tell which to feel sorrier for: Obama’s US-Africa Summit or the African leaders he invited. The White House, scrambling to play catch-up to China in Africa, would have the world believe that the summit they billed as a…

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The great Japanese writer and feminist, Raicho Hiratsuka, once famously wrote: “In the beginning, woman was truly the sun. An authentic person.” Today more than ever, the global economy needs precisely this kind of radiant sun—to provide light and nourishment. To provide healing. To dry out the swamps of poverty and unrest. The reason is obvious. Seven years into the worst global financial crisis since the Great Depression, the recovery is still too tepid and too turbulent. And even after the crisis abates, we will face grave challenges to growth—as a slower “new normal” sets in, as populations age, and…

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As many as 700 people are believed to have drowned in two tragic accidents last week during what may have been the deadliest weekend in the Mediterranean in history. On Sept. 10, traffickers sank a ship with 500 Syrians, Egyptians and Sudanese who were trying to reach Europe. More than 200 African emigrants are thought to have drowned only days later when their boat sank off the Libyan coast. Tens of thousands of migrants attempt the perilous journey across the Mediterranean from North Africa to Europe each year. Paying smugglers small fortunes to be transported in what are often…

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Gambian President Yahya Jammeh has announced his scheduled departure from Banjul on Monday Septemer 22nd, 2014 at 5:30pm GMT for New York to attend the 69th UN General Assembly. He is scheduled to arrive at JFK airport at 1:30pm Eastern.  The President’s last two visits to the United States were met with fierce protest by Gambian activists who held him hostage in his New York hotel last year while attending the 68th UN general Assembly. The second episode followed when the Gambian leader attended the US Africa Summit organized by President Obama in Washington DC. He was again…

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The “struggle” has been recently rechristened the “resistance”. Either befits, it all just depends on who is talking; the old school or the young-who would rather bring their message to the street for everyday Gambians to digest. Did I just say “everyday Gambians”? Oh yeah very crystal but please don’t ask me who are they. You see sometimes in the heat of a moment one is confronted by thoughts I often prefer to push and bury in the back of my mind. But the problem is they keep on resurfacing every now and again such that I am now left…

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Kaba Bajo former APRC cabinet minister and diplomat has narrowly won the GFF Presidential elections which was held on Saturday September 20th at the Paradise Hotel in the Gambia.  The election which was marked by controversy for disqualifying former GFF officials went ahead with Mr. Bajo winning 28 votes to Buba Bojang’s 23 votes.  Omar Danso the third candidate withdrew last minute and threw his backings behind Mr. Bojang. Despite this last minute surprise the APRC backed candidate was able to pull the votes to win the Presidency. On Friday the debate that was scheduled to be…

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