A prominent Gambian journalist was killed in a pre-meditated operation by well-organised professionals says media watchdog, Reporters Without Borders. Deida Hydara's death three weeks ago had striking similarities with murders of other critics of the regime of President Yahya Jammeh, the group says. They have called for an independent commission to investigate.

Thousands of people thronged the streets of Banjul in December in a peaceful protest against the murder of one of the Gambia's leading journalists by unidentified gunmen. About 300 journalists - virtually the entire press corps of this small West African country - marched through the streets to protest at the killing of Deyda Hydara, a newspaper editor and veteran campaigner for press freedom, who was shot dead.

The Gambia's Council of Ministers has decided to revoke the Act passed two years ago establishing a National Media Commission that was considered repressive and unacceptable by all standards. Now, the Executive has drafted a new Bill to repeal the infamous NMC Act No.7 of 2002, which was enacted despite numerous appeals and protests from local and international press freedom organizations against its passage.

Gambia has decided to revoke a controversial 2002 media law requiring journalists and the privately owned press to register with a state-run commission, a local radio station reported on Wednesday. Local media and international organisations from the start condemned the media commission set up by the law, which had the powers of a court and whose chairperson was appointed by the head of state.

The Roman Catholic Church has voiced its opposition to the use of condoms to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS in Gambia, challenging a government-backed prevention campaign based on the distribution of cheap contraceptives to the country's youth. Father Edward Gomez advised the Catholic youths to seek more knowledge about their faith and its teaching on the issue of HIV/AIDS and not be "misled by public opinion that condoms should be made easily accessible for sex".