The criminal trial involving Muhammad Bah, a teacher at Kombo Kerewan Upper Basic School, Kombo North, who is standing trial on a charge of impregnating his 16-year old student is set for judgement on September 9.

The trail is taking place at the Banjul Magistrates Court, presided over by Principal Magistrate EF M’Bai.

The first witness to testify in the case was the victim (name withheld), who confessed that she was not forced by the accused to submit to him.

The second witness was the young girl’s aunty, who is her guardian.
During the accused person’s own testimony, he admitted impregnating the young girl.
 
He also added that he had never forced himself on the young girl. He further maintained that he had intercourse with the young girl last February, when the girl had already turned sixteen (legal age of consent).

According to sources, the young girl has given birth to a baby boy. Sources further said that the relationship between the young girl and the accused continues to be cordial.

In what can be described as another important moment between the two municipalities, the children of the workers of Rufisque Municipality in Senegal, paid homage, on Monday, to Yankuba Colley, the mayor of Kanifing Municipal Council.

As a long tradition of fostering the cordial relationship existing between the two cities, the initiative is deeply rooted in the common values shared by The Gambia and Senegal.
 
In his welcome remarks,  Mayor Colley expressed delight with the visit, noting that the two countries are bound together by a common history.  

Advising the children to desist from certain social vices and be respectful and obedient, he urged the group leaders to take great care of the children and promised to visit them at their camp.  

For his part, Yusupha Sanyang,  the deputy mayor of KMC, gave an insight on how the municipality generates funds and the budgetary structure for the council’s activities. He also advised the children to be obedient and respect.

Amadou Tambedou, the head of the delegation, expressed delight and satisfaction at the hospitality accorded to them by KMC.

He then noted that their stay in The Gambia has been exceptionally memorable. Other speakers at the meeting included Modou Jallow, who expressed similar sentiments.

Itake the bull by the horns

Lovelines
There is a lady that I am attracted to because I could not resist my feeling towards her. I took the bull by the horns and told her how much I cherish and appreciate her. She agreed to my heart feelings for her. I call, text and visit her regularly but she never bothers to turn up or reciprocate my gestures. I am in doubt as to whether she loves me. This has made me to pay less attention to her.

Pa Sanneh

If you notice that someone you love is not showing any love, concern or affection towards you, it is better you let the person go. Trying to make someone love you when the person has no feeling for you is like peeling corn at the back of a calabash. So leap forward, your lover might be somewhere around the corner waiting to hear from you. If she loves you, she will come after you when she notices that you have woken up from your slumber. Good luck!
 
She flirts around with my friend

Lovelines
I am seriously not happy with my girlfriend’s attitude towards my friend. She is flirting with my friend. I kept cool and tried to observe what was going on and finally realized that my girlfriend wants my friend because he is financially stronger than I am. I have parted company with this girl but I am still staying with my friend. I still stand the chance to get her back if I want. I love her so much!
Andy

You are like a man who is keeping fast but cannot take his eyes and mind away from food. Although it is generally believed that love is blind. Sometimes blind lovers do regain their sight. You have to regain your sight and face a good direction if you do not want to fall into the trap of woman. If you don’t want to break the cord of friendship, it is better you keep away from this girl and browse for another disciplined, reliable and responsible lady who will love, take care of and accept you for who you are. Think about promiscuity. Good luck!

I can’t compare her with another girl
I told her to keep it secret

Lovelines
I love her so much that I could not compare her with any other girl. I do everything to make her happy and feel comfortable with me while she promised me her heart in return. We always have problems in spite of all her promises due to jealousy which makes her treat me shabbily sometimes. I am also dating her best friend, whom I met before I got attracted to her three to four months ago. I let her know about the relationship between her friend and I. But I told her to keep ours a secret between her and I. She confessed that she had secretly admired me before and promised to let the relationship be a secret one. Both of them always visit me in unison, just like twin sisters. I love them but right now I don’t know what to do.

Dampha

This is your harbinger. It can lead you to good and bad shores. You should accept that you are an unintelligent Casanova. Playing double games with your girlfriend’s best friend is a recipe for heartbreak. You said they visit you together, how do you know that your secret still remains a secret. I do not want to dilate more on this but I will like you to evaluate everything yourself and put yourself in their shoes. Then make a call or text Lovelines with your observation. Your girlfriend’s deliberate acts are meant to annoy you and such acts in love are part of emotional blackmail since there is a secret between you. I await your call on your observation. Remember, love in a high-risk place is dangerous. It always ends in vain. Good luck!

I want to call her a pet name

Lovelines
I am a just married man. I don’t know the pet name that I should call my wife. Can Lovelines help me?

Ray

There are many pet names that you can give to your partner. It depends on the love you have for each other, feelings, and how important you are to each other. Among pet names for you to choose from are sweetheart, darling, my baby, dear, precious, my love, love of my heart, honey, gift, happy, queen, egg-of-life, and many more. Sometime you name your babe because of her appearance, smile, voice, intelligence, honesty and so on. So observe her and think of a beautiful pet name for her. Good luck!

The Kanifing Municipal Council (KMC) Youth Fans Club and the Zinguinchor Union of Youth Working towards Liberty (UYWTL), have expressed their unflinching resolve to explore areas of fruitful cooperation to further cement the already existing cordial relationship between the two countries.

The two sister youth fronts recently converged at the KMC Chambers, where they organised a three-day development meeting aimed at finalising the cooperation pact signed earlier this year by the two presidents, in the Senegalese regional capital of Zinguinchor.
The cooperation pact, expected to be adopted in October this year, in Zinguinchor, outlines various areas of cooperation, notably health, environment and sanitation, agriculture, education, culture, amongst a host of other issues.

According to the youth officials, a joint commission is also expected to be created at the level of the two parties with the objective to monitor, supervise and evaluate the implementation of the accord.

Speaking at the opening ceremony,the deputy mayor, Yusupha Sanyang,who deputised for the mayor of KMC, expressed delight in receiving the youth group of Zinguinchor, and  noted that the initiative under taken by the two youth organisations was a vital cause, which he said is  inline with African leaders’ objective of integration and unity.

Coming closer to home, deputy mayor Sanyang expounded on the fact that The Gambia and Senegal shared almost everything in common, adding that his council is more than determine to promote and enhance love and unity  between the two countries.
“This is why we have cooperations with almost four municipal councils in Senegal,' the KMC deputy mayor said.

Mr Sanyang hailed the cooperation pact and suggested that the pact designed should be followed by the drafting of a plan of action.

Mr Alieu Batchily, the president of Zinguinchor youth union, expressed delight for the hospitable and warm welcome accorded to  them.  He stressed the need for adherance to the pan-Africanist  crusade of African                                                                                                                                                                                                leaders.

On the editorial column of the last edition of the Daily Observer, we discussed the relationship between the profession of journalism and sedition. That was clearly a subject with close correlations with all the talk about human rights, women’s rights, children’s rights, the right to free press, freedom of expression, lock, stock and barrel. On this edition of the column, we amplify the question: who is entitled to all these rights and who isn’t?

Human rights, a concept that is as old as creation itself, is a topical issue these days, especially among rights groups around the world. As controversial as it sometimes turns out to be (for it serves as a ticket for destabilization of society), there has never been a moment when anybody denied the fact that there is the need for its observance. The bone of contention has always been who is at fault, and also who is entitled to it, although this is hardly a subject of discussion.

From a religious point of view, the Almighty Allah’s creation of man took into account special provisions for the preservation of his sanctity. This is spelled out in no uncertain terms in the Holy Scriptures – the Qur’an and the Bible. Among the greatest sins in the eyes of God is unlawfully taking the life of another human being.

And there is also this widely held belief that God can easily forgive man for sins he commits against Him [God] and not for those he commits against other human beings. All these deep-rooted beliefs are fundamental in the teachings of Islam, and there is every reason to believe that the same thing is true for the Christian faith; and they all go to show how aged the idea of human rights is.

In this contemporary world, however, when mention is made of the topic, it is some perceived ‘underprivileged’ group of people that are being defended, and, in most cases, against one form of political persecution or the other. The issue has become so much diluted that the rights of a significant chunk of society seems totally neglected.

The so-called influential figures in society are now at the mercy of the less influential. It appears today that it is no longer wrong to tarnish the image of an individual, hitherto respectable in society, but it is wrong to mete out a particular punishment on someone who is clearly found wanting by the law.

These are all issues that form part of the persistent problems our world is going through. And until we fix them, we can hardly have the peace we so much need to forge ahead.

The Vice president of the World Bank Human Development Network, Ms Joy Phumaphi, is expected to embark on an official visit to The Gambia, from August 20th to 22nd, 2008, according to a report from the department of state for Basic and Secondary education.

During her three-day visit to The Gambia, the World Bank official is expected to work with officials of the sector towards strengthening the already existing cordial relationship between her organization and the department, with a view to providing her a stronger basis to give her endorsement to the newly prepared EFA/FTI proposal, which is set to be presented to the Board for approval in September 2008.

Her Excellency, Ms Phumaphi and delegation are expected to pay a ‘courtesy call’ on the vice president of the Republic of The Gambia, Aja Dr Isatou Njie-Saidy, to register her compliments and appreciation for the smooth relationship between the World Bank and The Gambia Government.

Ms Joy Phumaphi, a Botswana national, before joining the Bank in February, 2007, served as assistant director general for Family and Community Health at the World Health Organisation (WHO) in Geneva, and she also represented the World Health Organisation in the Board of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunizations (GAVI).

From 1994-2003, Ms Phumaphi served in various capacities - as a member of parliament, a cabinet minister with responsibility for lands and housing - in the course of which she developed Botswana’s first national housing policy. She also served as minister for health, during which tenure Ms Phumaphi restructured the health ministry of that country, making it more focused on results, and implementing a multi-sectoral plan to provide prevention, care, and treatment services for HIV/AIDS.

Joy Phumaphi holds a Master of Science degree in Financial Accounting and Decision Sciences from Miami University, Ohio.

Mr Abdoulie B Sosseh, the first vice president of the Gambia National Transport, Agricultural Food and Industrial Workers’ Union (GNTAFIWU), has resigned from his position, effective from 19th July 2008.

In his resignation letter, tendered to the union president, Mr Ousman Drammeh, in the presence of the other union executive committee members during an emergency meeting, Mr Sosseh indicated that it had taken him a great deal of time and thought to ‘terminate’ his current relationship with the union. He said that he had worked for the union for 23 months, during which he had endured many trials and tribulations.

He, however, said that every situation encountered during that period was accepted with a clear conscience, although it had not been easy. He thanked his colleagues for according him the opportunity “to know and make quite a few friends within the organisation”.
 It could be recalled that Mr Sosseh was recently acquitted by the Brikama Magistrates Court for allegation of forging the same union’s letterhead.

The vice-president, Aja Dr Isatou Njie-Saidy, on Saturday, received in her office a special envoy of the president of the Republic of Ivory Coast, Laurent Gbagbo.

After a closed-door meeting with the vice-president, Akide Ajede told newsmen that their discussion centered on strengthening the bilateral relationship that already exists between Banjul and Abidjan.

He said that he brought a special friendly and brotherly message from the Ivorian leader aimed at strengthening the cordialities between the two countries, whle looking forward to collaboration in common areas of interest, especially in agriculture.