Kinshasa- DR Congo (PANA) - – A number of financial sector workers in the Democrat ic Republic of Congo (DRC) on Wednesday launched an indefinite strike action to p ress demands for payment of their bonuses for 2009. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) -- Togo's High Authority for Broadcasting and Communication (HAAC), has revoked the licence and closed down "Focus Info", a monthly privatel y -owned newspaper. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) – Alpha Bah, a Guinean freel-ance cameraman, was recently a rrested and detained by a member of the country's military government, the rulin g National Council for Democracy and Development (CNDD) for allegedly "working ag a inst the interest of the regime," the sub-regional media freedom watchdog, Medi a Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), said on Wednesday in a communiqué received i n Dakar by PANA. Full text...

Libreville- Gabon (PANA) -- Gabon's National Union of Health Workers (SYNAPS) embarked on a general strike on Monday to press for a better welfare for its member, PANA reported. Full text...

Freetown- Sierra Leone (PANA) - – The Sierra Leone Labour Congress has threatened a nationwide strike action if its demands for a reduction of market dues and rel e ase of detained executives are not addressed by the Freetown City Council in 48 h ours. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) – Deyda Hydara, the slain Ga-mbian journalist has been name d as one of the winners of the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award for 2009 b y African People's Intercontinental Awards (APIA), sources in Banjul confirmed to PANA on Friday. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) – Deyda Hydara, the slain Ga-mbian journalist has been name d as one of the winners of the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award for 2009 b y African People's Intercontinental Awards (APIA), sources in Banjul confirmed to PANA on Friday. Full text...

Freetown- Sierra Leone (PANA) – The Government of -Sierra Leone has slammed a tot al ban on all social clubs and cults in all educational institutions following t h e death a student during initiation into a club. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) -- Alasan Jammeh, Permanent Secretary, the highest technocr at at Gambia?s Religious Affairs Department and the country?s ?Amir-Ul-Hajj?, (b o ss for pilgrimage), Alhaji Kebba Landing Sanyang, have been sacked from their re s pective positions, the government said in a statement received by PANA Thursday. Full text...

Bamako- Mali (PANA) -- The Forum for Another Mali (FORAM), the Association of Dep orted People (AME) and the Malian Human Rights Association will here on Thursday hold a peaceful protest march against the signing of a "readmission" agreement b e tween Mali and France. Full text...

Harare- Zimbabwe (PANA) -- In a sign of growing economic hardships in Zimbabwe, municipal authorities in the country's capital, Harare, Wednesday increased rates by 10,000 percent. Full text...

Harare- Zimbabwe (PANA) -- Education authorities in Zimbabwe Wednesday postponed the opening of schools across the country over unmarked examinations of various grades written at the end of last year. Full text...

Banjul- Gambia (PANA) -- As part of the celebration ushering in 2009, Gambian Pre sident Yahya Jammeh will Saturday host Jamaican reggae superstar Sizzla Kalonji a t the July 22nd Squad in Banjul, in a live musical performance to be attended by the president, cabinet ministers and other reggae fans. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) – The Banjul Magistrate's Co-urt on Tuesday sentenced a Bri tish couple, David and Fiona Fulton, to one-year imprisonment each in hard labou r for sedition. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) - – The Banjul Magistrate's Court will on Tuesday deliver ju dgement in a sedition case involving British couple David Borland Fulton and Fio n a Rachael, judicial sources in Banjul confirmed to PANA Monday. Full text...

Lagos- Nigeria (PANA) -- Six children from the same family died in an early morni ng fire outbreak on Friday in Surulere, a middle class area of Nigeria's commerc i al city of Lagos, according to a report by the privately-owned Silverbird Televi s ion (STV). Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) -- The General Administrator of Conakry-based privately-own ed Le Lynx Media Group, Diallo Souleymane, was arrested and grilled by Guinea's P residential guards for publishing stories on the ailing health of General Lansan a Conte, Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) said in a statement received her e by PANA Saturday. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) -- Thiernodjo Dayedio Diallo, managing editor of La Verite newspaper, is being detained by the Police in Guinea Conakry after writing and p u blishing an open letter calling for the dismissal of the country's Prime Ministe r Ahmed Tidiane Souare, the sub-regional media freedom watchdog, Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), said in a statement on Friday. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) -- The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has re newed calls for an independent investigation into the killing of a leading Gambi a n journalist, Deyda Hydara, calling for the "perpetrators of this heinous crime t o be brought to justice," the global media freedom watchdog said in a statement r eceived by PANA on Wednesday. Full text...

Maputo- Mozambique (PANA) -- Rail traffic between the central Mozambican port of Beira and Zimbabwe has been interrupted since Monday by the derailing of 19 of the 21 wagons of a goods train in the area of Amatongas in Manica province, reports Wed nesday's issue of the Maputo daily Noticias. Full text...

Lagos- Nigeria (PANA) -- The President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) -- The global rights body, International Federation of Jour nalists (IFJ), on Tuesday condemned the arrest of four leading members of Burkin a Faso's Coalition Against Impunity which recently held a demonstration marking t h e 10th anniversary of the assassination of investigative journalist, Norbert Zon g o, IFJ said in a communiqué. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) – The Accra--based rights body, Media Foundation for West A frica (MFWA) on Tuesday called on the international community maintain "sustaine d pressure" on the Gambian government with a view to ending "impunity" and ensure that the country improves on its "horrific media rights situation", MFWA said in a statement received here by PANA. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) --The Paris-based media freedom watchdog, Reporters Without Borders, with French acronym (RSF), on Monday blamed the Gambian authorities fo r “continuing impunity” for failing to bring to justice the killers of Deyda Hyda r a, Managing Editor of Banjul-based Point Newspaper. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) – Colleagues and friends of -Deyda Hydara, the slain Gambia n journalist, have lined up activities to commemorate the 16 December killing of the former Managing Editor of Banjul-based Point Newspaper, sources informed PAN A Monday. Full text...

Cairo- Egypt (PANA) – A Togolese man was shot and -killed by Egyptian police alon g the lengthy desert border with Israel on Friday in yet another show of force t h at human rights groups have condemned. Full text...

Bamako- Mali (PANA) -- The Malian government has stepped up measures to set up a national road safety agency (ANASER) against the background of bloody accidents i n the West African state, official sources said on Friday. Full text...

Banjul- Gambia (PANA) - – A British couple was on Friday arraigned before Principa l Magistrate Edrissa Mbai of the Banjul Magistrate's Court charged with sedition . Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) -- The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) on Fri day condemned the abduction of a Zimbabwean female journalist, Jestina Mukoko. Full text...

Banjul- Gambia (PANA) – A British couple, David Bo-rland Fulton and wife Fiona Ra chel, is being detained at the Gambia police headquarters in Banjul for allegedl y publishing negative articles about the West African state. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) -- The US-based global media watchdog, Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), on Thursday released its annual report which indicated that a total of 23 journalists remained jailed for their work in sub-Saharan Africa co m pared with 125 across the world. Full text...

New York- US (PANA) -- About 100 countries on Wednesday in Oslo, Norway, began endorsing an international treaty to ban the use of cluster bombs. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) - – The Bulawayo Magistrate's Court in Zimbabwe on Tuesday r elaxed bail conditions for Jenni Williams and Magodonga Mahlangu, the embattled l eaders of Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA), before adjourning the trial to 22 Janu a ry, WOZA said in a statement received in Dakar by PANA. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) - – A group of youth from Tombo, a town situated 40 kilometr es from Freetown, the Sierra Leone capital, has ransacked the premises of a comm u nity radio station, Voice of Peninsula, destroying the broadcasting equipment, m e dia rights body Media Foundation For West Africa (MFWA), said in a statement rec e ived in Dakar by PANA on Tuesday. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) -- The trial of Jenni Williams and Magodonga Mahlangu, the embattled leaders of Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA), a pressure group in Zimbabw e , will resume on 2 December, WOZA said in a statement on Monday. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) -- The Accra-based Pan-African rights body, Network of Afri can Freedom of Expression Organisations (NAFEO), on Friday condemned the recent k illing of a journalist, Didace Nalujimbo, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (D R C). Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) -- A magistrate court in Gambia has sentenced a police volu nteer, Doduo Janneh to death after finding him guilty of murder, judicial source s in Banjul confirmed to PANA on Wednesday. Full text...

Accra- Ghana (PANA) – A group of young people, who- have fought against seemingly impossible odds for a place in a classroom, would have a roundtable with govern m ent ministers from different regions of the world on Thursday in Geneva to discu s s the complex issue of "inclusive education". Full text...

Harare- Zimbabwe (PANA) -- Immigration officials in Zimbabwe said Tuesday they had busted a human trafficking ring involving Bangladeshi citizens which was operating in the country. Full text...

Bamako- Mali (PANA) -- Libya has placed an order to buy 150,000 sheep from Mali's cattle and meat federation to celebrate next month's Eid-Ul-Adha (Muslim festiv a l of sacrifice). Full text...

Bamako- Mali (PANA) -- Libya has placed an order to buy 150,000 sheep from Mali's cattle and meat federation to celebrate next month's Eid-Ul-Adha (Muslim festiv a l of sacrifice). Full text...

Gaborone- Botswana (PANA) -- The Botswana government has lost yet another war aga inst alcohol regulation after a High Court here ruled in favour of nightclubs in a case filed by their owners. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) – Rights groups under the ba-nner of Network of African Fre edom of Expression Organisations (NAFEO) have urged the African Commission on Hu m an and Peoples' Rights to ensure that "freedom of expression violations and arbi t rary use of repressive media laws are stopped in the Gambia". Full text...

Kumasi- Ghana (PANA) -- Thirty-one people died on the spot while 29 others sustai ned serious injuries when two buses collided head-on in the Ashanti Region in ce n tral Ghana on Thursday. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) -- A four-day Regional Conference on Higher Education in Af rica on Thursday wound up at Hotel Meridien President in Dakar with participants identifying four key areas that they hoped would enhance rapid transformation of African societies in a globalised world. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) -- South Africa's Education Minister, Naledi Pandor, on Mon day called on governments in Africa to do more towards realizing the goals of en s uring higher education, saying "let's move beyond rhetoric to action". Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) -- South Africa's Education Minister, Naledi Pandor, on Mon day called on governments in Africa to do more towards realizing the goals of en s uring higher education, saying "let's move beyond rhetoric to action". Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) -- A four-day Regional Conference on Higher Education in Af rica opened on Monday at Hotel Meridien President in Dakar with participants cal l ing for more investment in higher education on the continent. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) -- Lamin Fatty, the convicted Gambian journalist working fo r the banned Banjul-based Independent Newspaper, has filed and appeal against hi s conviction. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) -- Justice Ndou of Bulawayo High Court on Wednesday granted the embattled leaders of Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA), Jenni Williams and Mag o donga Mahlangu, bail, the pressure group disclosed in a press communiqué receive d by PANA in Dakar on Wednesday. Full text...