news and current affairs.
Mansakonko equips tax collectors with bikes
The Mansakonko Area Council just gave six motorcycles to their tax collectors at an event held yesterday. These bikes will help collectors travel to more places quickly and gather more taxes for the council. Acting CEO Lamin L.M. Marri talked about how these motorcycles will solve travel problems for tax collectors. He said the council expects to collect more money because of these bikes. More tax money means better finances for the council and more community projects. Lower River Region Deputy Governor Kebba Camara praised MAC for this smart move. He talked about how taxes pay for important community needs and asked everyone to pay what they owe. He said good tax collection lets the council put money back into local areas. MAC...
BubacarrJawo gets jail for iPhone theft and conspiracy
Three guys met up with Magistrate Thomas Touray at Kanifing Magistrates' Court yesterday because they faced theft charges. The police accused Bubacarr Jawo, Muhammed Jabbie Drammeh, and Essa Jah of teaming up to steal stuff. Court papers claimed these three men stole an iPhone X worth D10,000 from someone named Essa Gassama. The theft happened on January 20, 2025, at Tavan Kololi in Kanifing. The police charged them with two different crimes. First, they said the men planned a crime together, breaking Section 368 of the Criminal Code. Second, they accused them of taking property that belonged to someone else, breaking Section 252. When asked how they wanted to respond, Bubacarr Jawo admitted he did both things. The other two guys said...
3 Get Bail After Police Tussle at Serekunda Pub
Three men faced a judge yesterday after police said they beat up cops on duty. Ansumana Camara, Yusupha Camara, and Lamin Demba stood before Magistrate Mben Faal at Kanifing court. The police claim these guys jumped some officers at Serekunda City Pub on March 21. Inspector Jallow spoke for the police department during the hearing. All three accused men handled their defense without lawyers. The cops say these guys roughed up Sergeant Foday Baldeh and Corporal Alieu Bah when the officers tried to do their jobs. The law they supposedly broke comes from Section 230(b) of the Criminal Code. All three men told the court they didn't do anything wrong. The prosecution team asked the judge for more time because they needed an important...
Belavia picks up three used Airbus from Magic Air
Belarus airline Belavia plans to add three Airbus planes that once belonged to Magic Air from Gambia. Three sources told Reuters about this deal. These planes might help Belarus work around Western restrictions that limit its aircraft supply. These wide-body Airbus A330 aircraft can carry about 250 passengers each. Flight tracking records show they landed in Minsk on August 17, 2024, registered under Magic Air. According to one source, Belavia wants to start flying these planes during the spring and summer. If Belavia succeeds with this plan, Russia might copy this method to bypass sanctions through planes from countries not aligned with Western rules. The United States recently made agreements with both Ukraine and Russia to stop...
US set to try Gambian death squad member in Denver
Michael Sang Correa goes on trial on April 7, 2025, in Denver, Colorado. The alleged member of the Gambian death squad called the Junglers faces serious legal trouble. US prosecutors charged him with six counts of torture plus one count of planning torture with others. These crimes happened back in The Gambia when Yahya Jammeh ruled as dictator. This case breaks new ground as the first time someone who isn't American will face a US federal court for torture committed in another country. After a failed attempt to overthrow Jammeh in 2006, Correa reportedly hurt people suspected of joining that effort. Court papers say he beat them, put plastic bags over their heads until they couldn't breathe, and shocked them with electricity. The US...
Senegal hid debt as IMF suspends credit
The IMF has backed up claims that former Senegalese President Macky Sall hid about $7 billion in public debt from 2019 to 2024. An audit ordered by the recently elected government uncovered this deception. APA News reported the IMF's confirmation, which supports what President Bassirou Diomaye Faye said right after he took power. The IMF put its $1.8 billion loan to Senegal on hold last year because of these financial problems. The new leaders must fix how the country reports its finances before they restart the loan program. Edward Gemayel, who heads the IMF team for Senegal, agreed with what Senegal's Court of Auditors found in their investigation. The Court discovered that Sall's team made the national debt look smaller than it...
Gambia to check teacher skills for better classes
According to Education Minister Dr. Habibatou Drammeh, about half of the teachers at lower basic schools in The Gambia can't teach reading and math properly. She told the National Assembly that her ministry started giving extra tests to Gambia College graduates because of this problem. The tests ensure that new teachers actually know what they need to teach grades 1 through 7. Dr. Drammeh answered questions from Latrikunda representative Yaya Sanyang, who asked why graduates need another test after finishing college. She explained that classroom checks found many teachers speak poorly when teaching lessons, make spelling mistakes, miss punctuation marks, and format letters and essays incorrectly when teaching writing. The minister...
Scot gives big for new maternity ward in Nakasongola
William Whyte, a 79-year-old man from Scotland, gave 2.5 billion Ugandan shillings to build a new maternity center at Nakasongola Health Center. Whyte worked as a boat skipper in Fraserburgh, the biggest shellfish port in Scotland. He runs the Oor Bairns Charitable Trust, which makes money by recycling steel, scrap metal, and old fishing nets. His trust pays for helpful projects across Uganda. He already helped start a farm and brought clean drinking water to local people. In 2021, he sent two ultrasound machines to Nakasongola to help pregnant women. The health center needs help because it delivers about 200 babies every month with just 16 beds. Many new mothers must leave only hours after giving birth because the place stays...
Uganda battles power cuts as demand outstrips supply
Uganda faces electricity shortages because people need more power than what's available. The Energy Ministry admits many areas lack steady power but promises they'll fix this problem soon. They say they want to meet everyone's energy needs both well and for the long term. Last year, people had reliable electricity, but that changed when demand grew beyond what the systems could handle. This will happen as Uganda switches from Umeme Ltd to the Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Ltd starting April 1. Many electrical stations simply can't manage all the electricity people want to use right away. Several issues cause these blackouts across the country. Some equipment broke down completely. Other systems still work but can't handle...
Top