Dakar- Senegal (PANA) – The Criminal Investigation-s Department (CID) of Niger Po lice Force has arrested and detained the editor of Niamey-based independent week l y newspaper Opinions, Zakari Alzouma, the media watchdog, Media Foundation for W e st Africa (MFWA) said in a communiqué received by PANA on Tuesday. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) -- The trial of sacked Gambian parliamentarian Dawda Manneh and ex-soldier, Demba Baldeh has resumed at Banjul Magistrate's Court with both men denying drug trafficking charges, sources in Banjul disclosed to PANA on Fri d ay. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) -- Dutch film star and UNICEF goodwill ambassador, Sipke-Ja n Bousema is expected to arrive in Gambia on Thursday on a working visit, UNICEF Banjul office said in a statement obtained by PANA in Dakar on Wednesday. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) - – A magistrate court in Gambia has convicted and sentenced 54 Guineans to three months mandatory jail term each after finding them guilty o f charges relating to "unlawful assembly" during a riot. Full text...

Accra- Ghana (PANA) -- Ghana's top security man Friday confirmed that an Israeli businessman has been kidnapped in the West African country and that efforts were being made to rescue him. Full text...

Accra- Ghana (PANA) -- Customs officials have intercepted a huge volume of cannab is at the Kotoka International Airport in Accra, Ghana, about to be shipped to t h e UK. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) – The Paris--based press freedom body Reporters Without Bor ders under the French acronym (RSF) on Wednesday released its World Press Freedo m Index which argues that it is not economic prosperity but peace that guarantees press freedom RSF. Full text...

Gaborone- Botswana (PANA) -- A London-based non-governmental organisation, Surviv al International, has made a mockery of former President of Botswana, Festus Mog a e, winner of the 2008 prestigious Mo Ibrahim Leadership Award. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) -- Bechir Ould Babana, chief editor of Saharamedia newspap er has been was assaulted by the anti-riot unit of Mauritania police force, the A ccra-based media freedom watchdog, Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) said o n Tuesday. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal, (PANA) – Sacked Gambian High Court- Judge, Haddy Roche, has been reinstated, informed judicial sources confirmed to PANA on Tuesday. Full text...

Rabat- Morocco (PANA) -- More than 33,560 marriages of female Moroccan minors, representing 86. Full text...

Praia- Cape Verde (PANA) -- The umbrella National Union of Cape Verdean Workers (UNTC-CS) and the Cape Verdean Confederation of the Free Labour Unions (CCSL) have rejected the government's proposal to increase salaries by 2. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) -- The Bulawayo Magistrate's Court in Zimbabwe on Friday ru led that two female leaders, Jenni Williams and Magodonga Mahlangu, of the press u re group, Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA), should be remanded in custody till 21 O ctober, the group said in a communiqué received by PANA in Dakar on Friday. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) - – A cameraman, Mohamed Ould Moustapha, who works for the l ocal Mauritanian office of the Qatari television network, Al Jazeera, has been a s saulted by trade union activists in Nouakchott, press freedom watchdog, Media Fo u ndation for West Africa said in a statement received by PANA on Friday. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) – Several beggars have appea-red before a magistrate's cour t in Banjul on charges relating to being "public nuisance" and "obstruction" of a highway, sources told PANA in Dakar on Friday. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) -- Members of a leading Zimbabwe pressure group, Women of Z imbabwe Arise (WOZA), on Thursday took to the streets of Bulawayo, declaring a " n ational disaster" and demanding "immediate food aid for all Zimbabweans", the gr o up revealed in a statement received by PANA. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) -- A magistrate's court in Gambia has handed down a six-mon ths jail term to a former Senegalese soldier, Salifu Jallow, reliable sources in f ormed PANA on Thursday in Dakar. Full text...

Gaborone- Botswana (PANA) -- Intensifying his war against alcohol, Botswana Presi dent Ian Khama has ordered the police to monitor all drinking places in the country. Full text...

Banjul- Gambia (PANA) -- The West African Journalists Association (WAJA) will Thu rsday, 16 October, honour the late proprietor and editor of the Point Newspaper, Deyda Hydara, who was gunned down 16 December 2004, with the conferment of a pos t humous Lifetime Achievement Award. Full text...

Gaborone- Botswana (PANA) -- Botswana has engaged the state media in its ongoing war against the abuse of alcoholic beverages, PANA reports Thursday. Full text...

Banjul- Gambia (PANA) -- President Yahya Jammeh has urged all companies operating in The Gambia to attend the Jammeh Foundation for Peace fund-raising dinner set for Saturday at the Kairaba Beach Hotel here. Full text...

Gaborone- Botswana (PANA) -- A Botswana High Court has suspended the 30% alcohol levy, imposed recently by the government to control abuse, following an applicat i on to it by the Kgalagadi Breweries Limited (KBL). Full text...

Bamako- Mali (PANA) -- Former French Minister for Emergency Humanitarian Action and founder of SAMUSOCIAL, Dr. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) – A magistrate's court sitti-ng in Gambia's provincial capi tal of Brikama has convicted and sentenced three butchers to three months' jail t erm with hard labour for failing to comply with President Yahya Jammeh's ultimat u m to reduce the price of beef, informed sources in Banjul told PANA on Thursday. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) -- Gambia's President Yahya Jammeh and his family left for Mecca in Saudi Arabia to embark on the lesser pilgrimage "ummra", authoritative s ources in Banjul confirmed to PANA Thursday. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) -- The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has ha iled the "roadmap" for media development in Africa recently agreed by the Africa n Union (AU) and the European Union (EU), the global media rights body revealed i n a statement received by PANA Thursday. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) -- A Mayor in Gambia's second capital of "Serre Kunda", Yan kuba Colley, has vowed to jail butchers who fail to respect presidential ultimat u m over the reduction in price of meat, national broadcaster, Gambia Radio and Te l evision Services (GRTS) monitored here, reported Sunday. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) -- Some 103 illegal immigrants, who were recently deported from Spain, have been refused entry into the Gambia shortly after their aircraft landed at Banjul International Airport, forcing them to return to Spain, sources in Banjul confirmed to PANA Monday. Full text...

Bujumbura- Burundi (PANA) -- Medical doctors in Burundi Monday embarked a two-day strike to press for higher wages, PANA reported. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) -- The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has demanded the unconditional release of Moussa Kaka, the Niger correspondent for Radio France International (RFI), who has been jailed for one year for his alleged links with rebels. Full text...

Yaounde- Cameroun (PANA) -- Cameroonian justice minister, Maurice Kamto, is seeki ng appointment as a judge at the Hague-based International Court of Justice (ICJ ) . Full text...

Accra- Ghana (PANA) -- The National Security Council (NSC), apparently angered by a meeting between several former top security chiefs with former President Jerr y John Rawlings, has banned them from all military and police installations and g a rrisons. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) -- A magistrate's court in the Gambia on Wednesday ordered the embattled Nigerian-born journalist, Abdulhamid Adiamoh to pay a fine of 10,0 0 0 Gambian dalasis, (approximately US$476) after finding him guilty of tax evasio n . Full text...

Freetown- Sierra Leone (PANA) -- Sierra Leone's newly appointed Secretary to the President, E. Full text...

Freetown- Sierra Leone (PANA) -- Sierra Leone's President Ernest Bai Koroma on We dnesday reaffirmed his abhorrence of human rights abuse, and pledged to uphold t h e rights of the people. Full text...

Freetown- Sierra Leone (PANA) – Two policemen and -an official of the Office of N ational Security (ONS) are the latest o be arrested in Sierra Leone in connectio n with the mysterious landing in Freetown of a plane last July with more than 700 kg of cocaine. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) - – There has been mass promotion in the Gambia Police Force, with some 38 officers elevated to different ranks, sources confirmed to PANA Monday. Full text...

Banjul- Gambia (PANA) -- Butchers in Gambia on Friday refused to sell meat to the public instead of obeying an order by President Yahya Jammeh to cut the price o f the commodity. Full text...

Banjul- Gambia (PANA) – The proprietor and managin-g editor of Today newspaper in Gambia was on Thursday charged by the Gambia police for evading sales tax from 2 006 to 2008. Full text...

Harare- Zimbabwe (PANA) -- Immigration officials in Zimbabwe said on Wednesday th ey had deported 30 foreign nationals suspected of smuggling diamonds from the co u ntry. Full text...

Harare- Zimbabwe (PANA) -- Immigration officials in Zimbabwe said on Wednesday th ey had deported 30 foreign nationals suspected of smuggling diamonds from the co u ntry. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) -- The US President George Bush has sent goodwill message to Moslems in the Gambia on the occasion of the fast month, saying "Ramadan Mubarak" (blissful month), the American Embassy in Banjul disclosed in a statement received by PANA here Wednesday. Full text...

Cairo- Egypt (PANA) -- Families on the outskirts of Cairo were in tears on Saturd ay after massive rocks from the towering Muqattam hills fell upon their homes, l e aving at least 24 people dead with fears of others in the rubble. Full text...

Port-Louis- Mauritius (PANA) -- Mauritius and South Africa will soon sign an agre ement establishing cooperation and coordination for sea searches and rescue, a M a uritius government official said in Port-Louis on Saturday. Full text...

Banjul- Gambia (PANA) - – A Gambian Islamic scholar and former president of the Ga mbia Supreme Islamic Council, Alhaji Ahmed Cherno Banding Drammeh, has argued th a t Muslim men who marry more than four women should be stoned to death. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) -- A global media rights body, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), Monday called for the release of three abducted journalis t s in Somalia, the media freedom watchdog revealed in a statement. Full text...

Accra- Ghana (PANA) -- The United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is holding training sessions for the vast African na t ion's police in a bid to ensure that victims and witnesses of sexual violence ar e better protected. Full text...

Banjul- Gambia (PANA) – Gambian lawmakers have ord-ered the country's telecommuni cation companies, Gamtel and Gamcel, to present its accounts to parliament's Pub l ic Accounts and Enterprises Committee by 8 September. Full text...

Banjul- Gambia (PANA) – Gambian lawmakers have ord-ered the country's telecommuni cation companies, Gamtel and Gamcel, to present its accounts to parliament's Pub l ic Accounts and Enterprises Committee by 8 September. Full text...

Accra- Ghana (PANA) -- Around 2,000 civil society groups are slated to attend the upcoming annual United Nations Department of Public Information (DPI) conferenc e on non-governmental organizations (NGOs), which will focus this year on the 60t h anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a senior UN official s aid on Tuesday. Full text...