The US has stripped Gambia of its special trade status, after the country introduced an anti-gay law. Gambia had previously been afforded special benefits due to its status, under the African Growth and Opportunity Act of 2000, which allowed it to export goods worth $37 million each year to the US without paying duty. However, it was announced yesterday that the country would be removed from the scheme, after President Yahya Jammeh signed a law punishing homosexuality with life imprisonment.