By AFP

Mali’s army said eight soldiers died during an attack in a western area of the Sahel nation where jihadist forces operate, doubling the previous toll.

In an update late Thursday, Mali’s Armed Forces (FAMA) said Wednesday’s attack also saw seven soldiers wounded and two military vehicles destroyed but added that 31 assailants were killed, without identifying their group.

When it first reported the attack, the army said four soldiers had died and around a dozen were wounded when a “unit in the Nara region was the target of a sophisticated attack combining IED (Improvised Explosive Devices) and heavy weapons.”

In its latest statement, the army said “on the side of the assailants, 31 bodies were discovered” Thursday morning, along with weapons and munitions.

The army has not said who carried out the attack.

It also said that Wednesday night saw troops attacked at Sikasso in the far south while the Hombori military camp in the central Mopti area came under shelling. No casualties were recorded in the two incidents.

Mali is the epicenter of a jihadist insurgency that began in the north in 2012 and has spread to neighbouring Niger and Burkina Faso.

Thousands of people across the region have died and around two million have been displaced by the conflict.

Despite the presence of French and UN troops, the conflict spread to neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger.

France intervened in 2013 and now has roughly 5,000 troops in the region, but plans to lower that number to 2,500-3,000 by 2023.

The spiral of violence has continued despite the coup that brought the military to power in Bamako in 2020.

UDP commando Momodou Sabally has vowed he will never give up fighting for an end to President Adama Barrow’s rule and has called on UDP supporters never to retreat.

In his latest address to UDP supporters, Sabally who is renowned for being UDP leader Ousainou Darboe’s most trusted aide said: “Let no one lose hope and let no one retreat. Let’s be patient and be ready to fight. Even God’s prophets used to have setbacks in their battles but they are always patient and Allah gives them victory.

“Let those who are not with Adama Barrow and his squirrel crew know they are on the side of truth and victory will end up theirs.

“I Momodou Sabally will never give up. I will continue to devise strategies to ensure we remove Adama Barrow and his government, in peace and within the confines of the law.”

South Africa lifted a midnight to 4 a.m. curfew on movement with immediate effect as it believes the country has passed the peak of its fourth COVID-19 wave driven by the Omicron variant, a cabinet statement said on Thursday.

South Africa, which is currently at the lowest of its five-stage COVID-19 alert levels, made the changes based on the trajectory of the pandemic, levels of vaccination in the country and available capacity in the health sector.

Besides lifting the restrictions on public movement, government said gatherings will be restricted to no more than 1,000 people indoors, and no more than 2,000 people outdoors.

It also ruled that alcohol shops with licenses to operate beyond 11 p.m. (2100GMT) may revert back to full license conditions, a welcome boon for traders and business hard hit by the pandemic and looking to recover during the festive season.

“While the Omicron variant is highly transmissible, there has been lower rates of hospitalisation than in previous waves. This means that the country has a spare capacity for admission of patients even for routine health services,” the cabinet said.

Source: Reuters

Thousands of people received a surprise gift on Christmas Day this year when European bank Santander accidentally deposited £130 million ($176 million) across 75,000 transactions.

The mistake happened when payments from 2,000 business accounts in the U.K. were processed twice, meaning some employees saw their wages double, while suppliers also got more than they were expecting.

The bank said the duplicate payments were caused by a “scheduling issue” that has now been rectified.

It is now trying to recuperate the mistaken payments, many of which have gone into bank accounts operated by rival banks.

“We’re sorry that due to a technical issue, some payments from our corporate clients were incorrectly duplicated on the recipients’ accounts,” a Santander spokesperson told CNBC.

“None of our clients were at any point left out of pocket as a result and we will be working hard with many banks across the UK to recover the duplicated transactions over the coming days.”

Reports suggest the incident may have dampened the spirits of some payroll staff on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

“It ruined my holiday period because I thought I’d paid out hundreds of thousands in error — I thought I had done something wrong,” one payroll manager reportedly told the BBC. “I thought it was just me and that I was going to get in trouble at work.”

The payroll manager added that Santander hasn’t shared how businesses should explain the second payment to staff or provided any information about how it should be repaid, according to the report.

Santander said the process for recovering the funds is an industry process known as the “bank error recovery process.” It added that it has started to work with other banks in accordance with the process and that these banks will look to recover the accidental payments from their customer’s accounts.

It said it also has the ability to recover the funds directly from people’s accounts.

Source: CNBC

The Drug Law Enforcement Agency of The Gambia has announced arresting four people with suspected drugs including a student.

DLEAG in a statement, said: “DLEAG’s Bakau field office took into custody Omar Bangura and Ablie Njie alias Papa lie for possession of suspected prohibited drugs. They were apprehended on the 29 December 2021 around 06:36 AM onwards at Bakau with four (4) bundles of suspected cannabis.

“A Twenty (20) years old student was also arrested by DLEAG’s Kanifing field office at Kololi with twenty four (24) small stones of Hashish and twelve (12) wraps of suspected cannabis sativa

“In the West Coast Region,  Musa Camara of Tabokoto was apprehended by DLEAG’s Brikama field office with three (3) parcels and one hundred and fifty two (152) wraps of suspected cannabis sativa. He was nabbed on the 29 December 2021 around 14:45 GMT onwards at Brikama Darsilameh

“In the Lower River Region,  a 19 years old Gambian National and a resident of Jappineh was clutched with forty one (41) wraps and a smoking joint of suspected cannabis sativa

“The suspects are in custody as operatives further probe in their matters.”

The nation’s leading newspaper The Standard has named President Adama Barrow Gambian of the Year 2021.

Officials of the daily met President Barrow at State House on Thursday to present him a certificate of award and a trophy.

Swaebou Conateh’s News and Report Magazine initiated the awards in 1992 but the awards are now given by The Standard newspaper, according to the paper.

Lamin Jassey in congratulating the president, wrote: “And he is also the man of the year! Hearty congratulations to my great friend His Excellency President Adama the man of Year.”

By: Amara Thoronka

Incumbent president Brigadier (Rtd) Julius Maada Bio has been endorsed by his ruling Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP) to again serve as the flagbearer of the party in the 2023 presidential poll.

The endorsement took place yesterday at the party’s ongoing two-day national delegates conference holding in Bo District, second administrative city of the country.

Nomination for the position of flagbearer was announced by the party’s electoral commissioner, Dr. David Moinina Sengeh, who is also the Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary education.

President Bio was nominated by the incumbent chairman, Dr. Prince Alex Harding, who seeks reelection. The nomination was seconded by the party’s secretary general Umaru Napoleon Koroma. No other member declared interest for the flagbearership, so the President had it all.

Accepting the endorsement, the former military head of state turned democratically elected President of Sierra Leone said:

“Thanks for making me your flagbearer again. Nobody knows the All Peoples Congress [referring to the main opposition] better than I do. I have beaten them before, beat them again and I will beat them again.”

This is the third time the party is endorsing the ex-military general as its presidential candidate. He was the party’s standard-bearer in the 2012 and 2018 presidential elections.

Americans are again facing a stay-at-home New Year’s Eve as US political leaders and senior health advisers have urged people to scrap party plans and avoid larger public events as daily cases of Covid-19 break all previous records.

In New York, attendance at the Times Square celebration known as the Ball Drop an event which attracted over 60,000 people is now capped at 15, 000 with organizers encouraging revelers to watch it on TV or online.

The scaling back comes as the incoming New York mayor, Eric Adams cancelled his inauguration party.

Outgoing Mayor Bill de Blasio was in an end of two-terms party mood.

“Everyone come on down,” he said on 16th November. “We can finally get back together again. It’s going to be amazing.”

But recently, on the same day New York reported its highest number of new virus cases ever, de Blasio said the city would scale back its New Year’s event. Attendees must be fully vaccinated and wear masks.

The changes are meant to “keep the fully vaccinated crowd safe and healthy as we ring in the New Year”, the mayor said in a statement.

In Chicago, the Illinois governor, Jay Pritzker, has not yet imposed restrictions or shut down the city’s traditional fireworks show. But he warned Chicagoan this week that “Omicron and Delta are coming to your party”.

San Francisco has cancelled its fireworks show over the Bay for the second year in a row. Mayor London Breed told residents that “we must remain vigilant in doing all we can to stop the spread of the Covid-19 Omicron variant”.

Atlanta, too, has cancelled its Peach Drop where for 30 years, revelers have gathered to watch a glitter fake peach descend to the ground.

The Atlanta mayor later issued a press release, announcing the decision

The WHO director, General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, urged earlier this month for people to approach the holidays cautiously, even if that meant cancelling or delaying a shindig. “An event cancelled is better than a life cancelled,” Tedros told reporters. “It’s better to cancel now and celebrate later than to celebrate now and grieve later.”

Source: The Guardian

By The Sun

FROM the death of a dictator to cataclysmic quakes, Nostradamus is believed to have predicted dire events for 2022.

The French philosopher wrote 6,338 prophecies, suggesting when, where and how our world will dramatically end.

Many of Nostradamus’ predictions, such as the rise to power of Adolf Hitler, World War II, the September 11 terrorist attack, the French Revolution and the development of the atomic bomb have been interpreted as being accurate.

Nostradamus also appeared to have predicted the start of the coronavirus pandemic of 2020, according to believers.

According to Yearly-Horoscope, more than 70 per cent of his prophecies have been fulfilled so far.

The French astrologer died on July 2, 1566.

But his prophecies have continued to amaze those who follow his work.

Here’s what Nostradamus believers have interpreted from the entries in his book concerning 2022.

DEATH OF KIM JONG-UN

According to the interpreters of the prophecies, Nostradamus may also have predicted the death of North Korean dictator Kim-Jong Un.

In the 14th quatrain of Centuria IV, he wrote: “The sudden death of the first character / It will bring about a change and may place another character in the kingdom.”

Nostradamus believers have speculated the leader is Kim amid his dramatic weight loss and consistent rumours about his health.

The North Korean despot had not been seen for some time since a huge missile exhibition in October — his longest absence for seven years.

He reappeared again on November 15 – but it only fueled longrunning speculation about his health.

DISASTROUS EARTHQUAKE

The third quatrain of Nostradamus’ Centuria III is believed to forecast a huge earthquake in Japan, in 2022.

He wrote: “Towards midy extreme siccity / In the depths of Asia they will say earthquake.”

Indeed, if a quake did happen in the middle of the day it could wreak terrible damage and death.

On October 7, an earthquake estimated at a magnitude of 5.9 at its epicenter rattled the greater Kanto region.

While the damage was minimal, it was the strongest to hit Japan’s capital since the earthquake and aftershocks of the temblor that devastated the Tohoku region on March 11, 2011.

WAR IN EUROPE

One of Nostradamus’ prophecies for the coming year directly concerns Paris, according to some interpretations.

The French capital would be under siege – suggesting a war in Europe.

The section referring to this reads: “All around the great City / Will be soldiers lodged by fields and cities.”

Chaotic scenes have already come to the streets of the French capital this year amid riots over Covid restrictions.

And of course Paris was infamously attacked in 2015 by ISIS terrorists who killed 130 people.

It was the deadliest attack on France since World War 2.

MIGRATION CRISIS

Nostradamus wrote: “Of blood and hunger greater calamity. Seven times appreste to the marine beach / Monech of hunger, place taken, captivity.”

This has been interpreted to mean wars and armed conflicts in the world will probably only increase hunger.

Therefore it will increase migratory flows.

And experts believe when Nostradamus refers to the beaches, he is predicting seven times more migrants will arrive on the beaches of Europe than normal.

Immigration continues to be a major political debate in the UK and Europe, especially following the deaths of 27 people in the English Channel.

EUROPEAN UNION FALLS

And for some Nostradamus writing also predicted the fall of the European Union – which has been racked by trouble since the UK voted Brexit in 2016.

It reads: “Sacred temples prime Roman style / Will reject the goffes foundations.”

Interpreters point to the Treaty of Rome, ratified in 1957, essentially founded the Union.

According to Nostradamus, it is claimed, Brexit was only the beginning, and the whole European Union was fated to collapse in 2022.

It has already been suggested Poland could be the first country to follow the UK out of the bloc after a row between Warsaw and Brussels.

ASTEROID

In 2021, an especially prominent prediction was that some sort of asteroid would hit the earth.

“Fire do I see that from the sky shall fall,” the astrologer wrote.

The earth did have a near miss with Asteroid 2021GW4 this year, though it wasn’t considered too much of a threat by NASA, and didn’t exactly fit the astrologer’s dramatic prediction.

ROBOTS

Among Nostradamus’ predictions for 2021 is also the rise of artificial intelligence.

He wrote: “The Moon in the full of night over the high mountain / The new sage with a lone brain sees it: By his disciples invited to be immortal, Eyes to the south. Hands in bosoms, bodies in the fire.”

As modern artificial intelligence becomes more advanced each year, this warning about immortal disciples takes on a very real meaning.

As he wishes the President a successful tenure Basidia M Drammeh has called on President Adama Barrow to start working on healing the divide in the Gambia, something which he attributes to the recently concluded elections.

“Elections are over, the healing process must start now,” this is among a litany of priorities that the President-elect should focus on Drammeh says.

“The president-elect should take tangible steps towards uniting the Gambian people deeply polarized along political and tribal lines. The healing process must start now. About 47% of Gambia’s population has not voted for Mr. Barrow, and this segment of society must not be alienated for their choice to foster national unity.

“After all, the president-elect is President for all Gambians and not only those who voted for him. In this vein, the President may call a national unity conference or form an inclusive Cabinet,” Drammeh advised.

He further called on the president to take positive steps towards fighting what he described as ‘rampant corruption in the Gambia’.

He strongly established the need for President Barrow to fully implement the recommendations of the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission to ensure that the perpetrators of heinous crimes and gross human rights violations face justice and the tears of the victims wiped.

He called on government to devise policies to address the hike in prices and make livelihood affordable for the Gambian people.

“Living cost is becoming unbearable for the average Gambian, with the prices of basic commodities skyrocketing every day beyond the means of the bulk citizenry of the impoverished nation. The Gambia has a liberal market system, but that does not absolve the Government of its primary responsibility of devising policies and strategies to bring down the prices and make life and livelihood affordable to the people.”

He ended by calling for the establishment of strong institutions and the appointment of competent people to oversee the institutions.

By Dawda Baldeh

A fire outbreak in Lamen Daranka has left a family of fifteen homeless, destroying properties worth millions of dalasis.

According to an eye witness, the inferno which razed the entire compound to the ground started between 5 to 6 pm on Tuesday with smoke coming from one of the rooms in the compound.

The victims said the firefighters were informed immediately but arrived at the scene one and a half hours after the fire had already consumed the entire compound.

Before the arrival of the firefighters, neighbours had come out in their numbers to help put out the fire. However, it was beyond their control.

Speaking to The Fatu Network, Ousman Sonko head of the compound said his family have lost a substantial amount of unspecified cash, foodstuff, electrical appliances, house furniture and other properties.

“I was out when my wife called and informed me that there was a fire in the house. I came home and found that the neighbors were  putting more effort to put out the fire but it was beyond their control. I have lost everything to the fire,” Ousman Sonko explained. “I am calling on people to come and support us. We are really devastated at the moment.”

Sonko described the incident as shocking, saying they watched the fire consume their properties, leaving them with nothing. Isatou Fatty lives in the neighbourhood, she explains how the fire started.

“I saw smoke coming out from one of the rooms and that’s the time I rushed to the compound to inform them. At that, the fire has already gained momentum. I called the Fire fighters to come and rescue us but at first I got Farafenni and then I tried several times. The last time I tried again I got Serekunda then they told me I should contact Brikama. I told them to help us because the fire is beyond our control. They arrived when the fire had already burnt the entire compound,” Isatou Fatty explained. “The firefighters arrive at the scene after one and half hours.”

Modou Lamin Jammeh is an eyewitness who was inside the house at the time of the incident. He said he was fortunate to come out of the house safely when he heard a sound outside.

“I was inside the house when I heard people shouting outside the house. This is how I quickly picked my laptop because I was holding it,” Modou Lamin Jammeh said. “I lost all my documents including my passport, money, mobile phone and other important documents.”

The affected family has called on the government, NGOs and other philanthropists to support them as they lost everything to the fire. For any support, you can contact Ousman Sonko on +2202400021/ 6611789

Dr Ismaila Ceesay has said it is not a crime to meet the president and has rubbished claims by critics he met President Adama Barrow to lobby for a job.

“We never discussed about a job, there was no job offer whatsoever, nothing in our discussions talked about a job in fact,” Dr Ceesay told The Fatu Network Wednesday while confirming meeting President Barrow.

The CA leader said he met the president to congratulate him on his electoral victory and to assure him of CA’s support in his second term.

Dr Ceesay said: “I met the president and then I met the president. It’s not a crime to meet the president. [The meeting was] to congratulate the president and to extend our goodwill like I wrote and to show that he’s got the confidence of the Gambian people, to assure him that we are ready to support him in his five year mandate, that he not failed the Gambian people. I think as citizens of this country, we can be in opposition and then help the president to fulfill his mandate to the people.”

Regarding his critics, the political scientist added: “I think critics have a right to critique and make their opinions. Like I always say, I don’t have any control with what critics say. What I have control over is my actions.

“If we are looking for a job, we will not go and form CA. From the onset, we will go and join the president’s bus, it was easier for us to do that. But we did not. We believe in values, we believe in principles and we think that now time is over for politics.

“We will still hold the president to account if we think that where he goes wrong. We are still reminding him of his responsibilities, to implement the TRRC for example, to make sure that the security sector reform is going on. But again critics can say whatever they think, that’s their opinion and we respect critics’ opinion.”

By: Christian Conteh

The Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) has eight (8) more days to receive ‘Plea for Amnesty’ from names mentioned in the TRRC report. This is in line with Section 19, subsection 1 of the TRRC Act which makes provision for individuals who made full and remorseful disclosure before the commission to be granted amnesty if the commission thinks they are deserving of it.

Starting from December 24, the date the TRCC report was made public the people named had 14 days to apply for the amnesty.

“In line with Section 19(1) of the TRRC Act any adversely mentioned individual who has previously appeared before the Commission and made a full disclosure of his or her involvement in human rights violations and abuses and has expressed remorse is hereby granted a period of 14 days to apply to the Commission for amnesty,” a statement from the office of Gambia’s Attorney-General and Minister of Justice read.

Applications it notes will be reviewed over a six-week period, after which a report would be sent to the president. In line with the TRRC Act where the Commission refuses an application for amnesty, it shall give reasons for its refusal in writing to the applicant and any other person who in relation to the offence is a victim.

However, it is important to note that amnesty shall not apply to crimes against humanity.

“In line with Section 19(3) amnesty shall not apply to acts which form part of a crime against humanity,” the statement established.

The TRCC report which comes after over three years of consultations and hearings, clearly pointed out that former President Yahya Jammeh is criminally liable for Murder, extra-judicial killings, attacks on the press and opposition and sexual offences among others. The commission recommends Jammeh be prosecuted alongside his accomplices.

Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Dawda A. Jallow strongly maintained that the applicants will be presumed innocent until proven guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction.

A white paper establishing the government’s position on the TRRC recommendations and speaking to the way forward is expected to be made public on or before May 25, 2022.

Meanwhile, Dawda A. Jallow has informed the public that government will set up a successor institution that will be managing victims’ compensation. It will include setting up a victim’s fund and a body to manage the funds. He further reiterated the government’s commitment to implementing the recommendations of this report.

The United Democratic Party have again said they have ‘overwhelming’ evidence of the December 4 presidential election getting stolen.

UDP issued a statement on Wednesday to speak on the election, the first time the party is doing so.

UDP said in their statement: “Further, the United Democratic Party had on the 24th of December filed 30 witness statements and over two thousand pages of overwhelming evidence that established beyond any reasonable doubt that: The conduct of the election was fraught with corrupt conduct and vote buying; Thousands of voters were added to the voter list after close of registration; Thousands of foreigners obtained voters cards in The Gambia illegally; The conduct of the vote counting was full of irregularities that made the result of the election null and void.

“Over the past three weeks the United Democratic Party has carried out diligent investigation and placed evidence before the Supreme Court to demonstrate how the elections were stolen from The Gambian people.”

UDP supporters are contending with the devastating defeat they suffered in the hands of President Adama Barrow.

While the party has continued to claim the election was stolen, many including the international community have all held the election as free and fair.

Top commander Lieutenant Colonel Amadou Bojang has said training afforded his troops in Turkey centered on UN peacekeeping and advanced military tactics – as his troops returned home.

Two hundred and fifty GAF personnel dubbed GAMCOY QRF 2 were airlifted to The Republic of Turkey for training in October.

The group landed in Banjul on over the weekend after the successful completion of a much cherished training, the military said in a statement.

The statement said: “According to the Contingent Commander Lieutenant Colonel Amadou Bojang, the training was a specialized and tailored one centering on UN peacekeeping procedures and advance military tactics. He was also quick to highlight the special gains made in the field of convoy operations, mine awareness drills amongst a cadre of peace operation courses. The training package is part of a series earmarked amongst others for Gambian QRF contingents to undergo prior to deployment in a peacekeeping environment.

“The troops were received at the Banjul International Airport by the Deputy Chief of Defence Staff Major General Mamat O Cham together with some GAF top brass. General Cham welcomed them back home and commended them for the good conduct they showed while in Turkey, noting that no adverse report or misconduct of any individual has reached the Defence Headquarters.”