If there are a group of people who believe that history has the tendency of repeating itself, then Malawians must be those who could be on the forefront raising their hands up ululating and dancing, giving all the support to the notion. Just before the 2004 general elections, good willing politicians, human rights activists and Civil Society Organisations (CSO) stood their ground defending the move by the former president Dr. Bakili Muluzi to manipulate the constitution. - Power hungry Muluzi, wanted to change the constitution to give a chance of standing for the third term, otherwise known as the open term which would give him chance to ‘finish off’ the developments he had start…

Vendors in Kalonga, the Northern district of Malawi, on Wednesday petitioned the District Commissioner to flash out all Chinese nationals who are doing their businesses in the district. The petition, signed by over 33 representatives of the vendors, says the Chinese investors have gone over bound taking over small-scale business which the natives can ably do. - “A lot of vendors have closed down their businesses because people are flocking to Chinese shops which are selling the same goods as ours at very low prices. At the end of the day, we have nothing to eat and help our families, we want them out of districts markets immediately,” said Jilly Simwaka, one of those who signed t…

Malawi is losing $28 million (about MK4.6 billion) worth of fisheries resources each year due to unsustainable fishing in natural bodies, an estimate which represents 0.8 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), according to the Ministry of Finance and Development's Economic valuation of Sustainable Natural Resource Use report in Malawi. - The report, released over the weekend, says aquaculture production is still very low, staggering at around 2000 tonnes per annum, and contributing only about 2 percent of the total fish production of Malawi each year. It says due to a multiplicity of factors (increasing population, declining stocks, overfishing, increase exportation, among other),…

Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma said is worried with Malawi's poor human rights status. Speaking in the capital Lilongwe after completing his visit to the country, Sharma said this is the main important area for any Commonwealth member state and has to be pursued with equality on both social and political agendas. - “The main methodology for the country to strengthen its respect for human rights and rule of law is to remove impunity and protect those people whose rights are being violated. I have had talks with rights bodies on the same and it was very promising, they are also fighting for the same course which is very important,” he said. On gay rights, Sh…

Malawi would be richer by MK 26.6 billion (US$191 million) each year in 2007 prices if soil, forest, fishery and wildlife resources were used sustainably, according to the 2010 Economic valuation of Sustainable natural resource use in Malawi. - According to the report, launched in the Capital, Lilongwe on Friday, with a 10 percent discount rate, the discounted value of unsustainable natural resource use over a decade amounts to more than MK84 billion (US$600 million) in 2007 prices – about MK 28,000 (US$200) for each household in Malawi. This is more than the total funding allocated to the education sector and to the heath sector in the 2009 Budget. “There is compelling evi…

Like many rural and illiterate mothers from her home village Nthiwatiwa in Salima district lying almost 150 kilometres east of the Capital Lilongwe, Malawi, 25 year old Linnes Robert, sitting in tobacco drying shade looked at her daughter with tender love. All she knew was that her daughter was growing each and every passing day, once her daughter, nine months old Loisi smiles, Linnes is assured that all is fine. - “Look at her, my daughter has been a flower in my heart since the day she was born. Every day I woke up, I look at her for inspiration and courage of day while breastfeeding her to maintain the good weight. “After three months, I started feeding her porridge with sa…

Following the failure of the Malawi government to distribute fertilizer and seeds under the Farm Inputs Subsidy Program (FISP) to farmers due to the persistent fuel shortage that has rocked the country, United Kingdom, Norway and Ireland has come to the country's rescue after releasing additional K7.7 billion kwacha. - DFID has provided £10.1 million for fertilizer, £9 million for seeds and £370 000 for fuel while the Irish government has provided €2.1 million for seeds and €1.5 million. Norway has contributed NK35 million for fertilizer and NK32 million for seeds. Donor funds make up more than a third of the planned FISP budget with the Malawi government contributing an initial bud…

The Malawi government has suggested the extreme punishment of revoking licenses of the three telecommunications companies which have gone to court over the "Spy" machine which the Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) is planning to start using soon. - Macra and Agilis International Inc signed a contract agreement in which the USA firm is expected to install systems to help government agents to see and read text messages, hear conversations and read emails in real time using Lawful Intercept. Lawful Intercept is the legally sanctioned official access to private communications, such as telephone calls or email messages. The contract, signed by Macra finance direct…

As the world's population is set to shoot to seven billion by October 31, this will negatively impact the poor nations, Malawi in particular, in economic development, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) report indicates. - Launching the State of the World Population 2011 Report themed, “People and Possibilities in a World of 7 billion” in Lilongwe, the country’s UNFPA deputy representative Gift Malunga said it is a challenge because the current pace of population growth increases the demand for natural resources and puts increased pressure on the planet. This year’s State of World Population report looks at the dynamics behind the numbers. It explains the …

With close to 800 000 deaths each year, most of whom are children in sub-Saharan Africa, the first results of phase 3 trial of RTS,S/AS01 vaccine against malaria has brought about hope in protecting children and expecting mothers who are mostly vulnerable to the disease, if the results released on Tuesday are anything to go by. - During the past decade, the scale-up of malaria-control interventions has resulted in considerable reductions in morbidity and mortality associated with malaria in parts of Africa However, malaria continues to pose a major public health threat. The RTS,S vaccine that targets the circumsporozoite protein and is given with an adjuvant system (AS01 or AS02) has cons…

Malawi has ignored the call by Human Rights Watch to arrest the Sudanese president Omar al- Bashir who is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on various charges. Al-Bashir arrived in Lilongwe on Thursday at exactly 17:40 pm aboard the Sudan Airways airplane number ST-PRA IL62M to attend the 15th Summit of COMESA authority of heads of state and government. - He was welcomed by Deputy Foreign Minister Kondwani Nankhumwa and Finance Minister Ken Kandodo among top ruling party officials. Malawi’s Minister of Information Patricia Kaliati said the country cannot arrest al-Bashir because they are not going to discuss about the ICC summon but developments amongst member states.…

It was early in the morning of July 21, when George Thekere, a builder from Kaliyeka in Malawi's capital city of Lilongwe, told his wife that he was going to do a piece of work, just close to his neighborhood. Apparently, that was his last day on earth as he met his untimely death as a result of the political unrest in the southern African country. - “I warned him not to do so following the demonstrations that had just happened the other day which cost the lives of innocent Malawians after the police used live bullets. I told him to be indoors as it was the case on July 20, but he insisted that the demonstrations were over. “He needed to find food for the family as he was…

Malawi boasts that more of its citizens are accessing potable water and live in hygienic conditions and also on track towards achieving the 2015 Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) on water and sanitation. However, that might be correct on paper, but not the actual situation on the ground. - If for nothing at all, persons who are visually impaired are struggling to access water, enjoy good sanitation and hygiene facilities in the country. A visit in a slum of Mgona in Lilongwe, where President Bingu wa Mutharika led the country in commemorating World Water Day this year revealed how visually impaired persons are struggling to access safe water and good sanitation facilities. Mgona is a…

Nurses Organization for Nurses and Midwives (NONM)-Malawi has revealed that about 30 nurses died of AIDS related illness in 2010. The recording is under the 'caring for care givers project' which is being implemented in the country with the funding from the Norwegian Nurses Organization (NNO). - Project Manager Harriet Kapyepye said since the roll-out of the project, about 12 000 health care workers in the country have been trained since 2005 and they are supporting about 300 orphans. “We have also seen about 445 nurses declaring that they are HIV positive, 2400 registered health workers living with HIV/AIDS. We have also managed to reduce AIDS related deaths in the profes…

Airtel launches new global brand across its operations in Africa, Bharti Airtel, a leading global telecommunications company, has finally taken over Zain Malawi following the unveiling of the new brand identity in Lilongwe. The company is the largest telecommunication provider in the country with about 1 500 000 subscribers. - Airtel’s CEO (International) and joint Managing Director said the company brings together all operations under a single, strong and unique brand identity. “We can deliver more for our customers under a single brand across Africa to fulfill our vision of providing affordable and innovative mobile services for all customers. “Our customers will e…

Zain Malawi, a local telecommunications company has joined the MISA-Malawi in a promotion which will see one scribe to go on an all expenses trip to Lagos, Nigeria, to witness the main MTV Africa Music Awards with Zain (MAMA) show in December this year. - Zain Malawi’s Marketing Director Enwell Kadango said this will give a chance for Malawian journalists who rarely find their way to continental functions to give the country’s citizens first hand information. “After introducing the similar promotion for our subscribers, we thought it wise to include the journalists because we believe that without their presence at the show, people back home will have little knowledge on …

One of Malawi's telecommunication companies, Zain, will embark on a project to upgrade its network in the next six to twelve months to meet the demands of subscribers. The company's Marketing Director Enwell Kadango said this is in line with their commitment to the development of the communication sector in the country. - “We shall have additional 150 towers on our network to provide the best and most affordable services to our customers. We hope with these towers, we will ease the communication problems we have been experiencing due to the growing of the customer base,” he said. Zain Malawi was recently taken over by Bharti Airtel which will invest about USD 100 000…

The Malawi Communication Regulatory Authority (MACRA) has slapped a third licensed cell phone operator G Mobile with a penalty of $6.9 million (about K1.2 billion) for failing to roll out its network. The regulatory body imposed the penalty on May 20 this year and gave the firm 30 days to pay. - Malawi has currently three mobile telecommunications companies; Zain Malawi and TNM Malawi and G Mobile is a third operator to be given the license. G Mobile Phone Company was given until March 20 this year to roll out its network or have its license lifted which the company failed even if after Macra extended the duration to April 12. The third-to-be telecommunications company took the matter …

Pop star Madonna is expected to perform at the 'Walk out of poverty' fundraising gig to benefit Malawi in September. The 52-year-old Material Girl singer has called in favours from showbiz friends including U2 frontman Bono to perform with her at the charity concern which will be shown on TV worldwide. - “Plans are in place to make this the biggest fundraiser the world has ever seen. Madonna is throwing everything into it. She knows the bigger the event the more money will be raised,” Sunday Mirror quoted a source at her Raising Malawi charity. The paper claims more than 60,000 fans will be given “free tickets” for the show at a stadium in Blantyre. Ho…

Britain has offered to grant asylum to the pardoned Malawi gay couple - Steven Monjeza, 26, and Tiwonge Chimbalanga, 20. According to Peter Thatchel, British Human Rights Campaigner from Outrage, the organization is in touch with the couple about their safety and wellbeing. - “We are liaising with Steve and Tiwonge about whether they want to seek asylum abroad. If they want then we can help them to stay in Britain,” said Thatchel. Thatchel said although the couple was pardoned, there are possibilities that they will not have the room to operate freely in their relationship. Their lawyer Mauya Msuku shared Thatchel’s fears that they were unlikely to be treated in th…

The convicted and jailed Malawian gay couple released following a presidential pardon. President Bingu wa Mutharika said the decision was based on humanitarian grounds and that homosexuality was still illegal in the country. He said worldwide criticisms are putting stress on the nation. - Steven Monjeza and Tiwonge Chimbalanga had been given 14-year jail terms for "gross indecency and unnatural acts" after celebrating their engagement. They were pardoned during a visit by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. But a government minister told the BBC the men could be re-arrested if they continued their relationship. Gift Trapence, director of the campaign group Centre for the Deve…

US pop star Madonna has condemned the 14-year jail sentence of a Malawian gay couple Steven Monjeza and Tiwonge Chimalanga. The artist who has adopted two children in the southern African country expressed shock and saw the judgment as an infringement of their human rights, a press statement said. - “As a matter of principle, I believe in equal rights for all people, no matter what their gender, race, color, religion, or sexual orientation,” read part of the statement. She said following the ruling, Malawi took a giant step backward and the world is filled with pain and suffering; therefore, she called on all the concerned people to support the basic human right to love and be…

The 14-year jail sentence of a gay couple in southern African country Malawi has not gone down well with the USA and Britain - the country's major donors. Tionge Chimbalanga and Steve Monjeza were convicted for gross indecency and unnatural act after their open engagement ceremony late 2009. - In a joint statement, Henry Bellingham MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Stephen O’Brien MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for International Development and Lynne Featherstone MP, Minister for Equality at the Home Office have said the infringement of the rights of couple is intolerable. “We are deeply dismay…

A judge in Malawi's city of Blantyre has sentenced a gay couple to 14 years in prison with hard labour after they were convicted of gross indecency and unnatural acts. Magistrate Nyakwawa Usiwa Usiwa said he has passed the stiff punishment to protect the general public from immoral behaviour. - Steven Monjeza, 26, and Tiwonge Chimbalanga, 20, were arrested last year in December after getting engaged publicly in Blantyre, the southern commercial city of Malawi. Usiwa Usiwa said this will be an example to all Malawians not to emulate the horrendous example of homosexuality. Richard Brigden a Britain trained lawyer said the sentencing was uncalled for since it is going to two …

History is about to be made in southern African country Malawi as one Abigail Brown is set to swim a distance of 25 kilometers on May 1 2010. She is setting sail from the beautiful spot on Lake Malawi to nearby Thumbi Island. - The sponsorship raised in the course will fund the provision of microcredit to help people lift themselves out of poverty and supporting Lakeside development projects at Cape Maclear. “The idea of attempting to swim across the lake came up one night over a few beers and immediately got my pulse racing with questions like; how far it is across that narrow bottle-neck? Has it been done before and how hard would it be?” Brown told Lake Malawi Swim 2010. …

About 25 Heads of States and Governments have been invited to attend the wedding ceremony between the African Union (AU) chair and Malawi president Dr. Bingu wa Mutharika and former tourism minister, Callista Chapola-Chimombo this Saturday, according to a statement from the State House. - State House spokesperson Albert Mungomo said the 25 leaders are from different countries and other foreign dignitaries who will be part of the 4,500 invited guests attending the wedding. “The idea is to have a lot of people to attend the officiating and thereafter, the reception at State House,” Mungomo was quoted in the local media. Names of invitees especially the special guests are stil…

The family of Chifundo (Mercy) James, a girl US Pop star Madonna adopted in Malawi, said they are angry with the singer because they were not informed that she was coming with the child. John Banda, a distant uncle to the child, said they heard the news in the media. - He said Mercy was not given a chance to re-unite with her relatives. “We still take the four-year-old Mercy as part of our community. She is our daughter and child. When we said yes to the adoption, we did not mean that she is completely sold off. She still needs to know where she belongs and our culture should be instilled in her,” he said. He said this is not what Madonna said when adopting the child. …

The wind of homosexuality refuses to die in Malawi. The newly formed Anti Gay Movement (AGM) said it will conduct a general referendum to give Malawians a chance to choose if they want it or not. AGM Interim Chair, Grandy Chikweza, said that the referendum follows the arrest of the gay couple and the increasing gays in the country. - Tiwonge Chimbalanga and Steve Monjeza got engaged in December 2009 in Malawi and were arrested afterwards. “Malawi is a country with the population of about 14 million. We are a people with different on views on issues that are happening in our societies. We have had the reactions from religious leaders, chiefs, political leaders and other civil society…

The infamous Malawi gay couples would know their fate come May 18, 2010. They face a maximum 14-year jail term if found guilty. The Blantyre Magistrate court is hearing a case of "gross indecency" against Tionge Chimbalanga, 20, and Steven Monjeza, 26, for their public engagement ceremony in 2009. - The court is now awaiting written submissions from both prosecutors and defence lawyers for the two accused after the couple chose to remain silent. Khumbo Magwira a court official said the magistrate has warned the two parties that although he values the submissions, he will still make his ruling even in the absence of them. “So, come what may, the final ruling is on May 18…

Pop Star Madonna arrived in Malawi aboard a private jet with registration number HB-IHQ which landed at Kamuzu International Airport in Lilongwe, Malawi at around 8:20am on Monday. She came off through the cargo outlet - a move calculated to swerve the lenses of prying paparazzi. - Wearing a dark blue jeans and T-Shirt, the pop star came with a crew of about 10 people including the Sony Ericsson boss. AfricaNews reporter said Madonna came with all her children including David Banda and Mercy James whom she adopted in the country. She is expected to go to Mchinji Millennium project - a United Nations initiative in the central border district west of Lilongwe - on Monday and then on Tues…

There is no basis to form a United States of Africa (USA) when there is no unity among the various governments on the continent, stated the newly elected Africa Union Chairman Dr. Bingu wa Mutharika. He said it was "nonsense" to pursue that dream adding his predecessor Muammar Gaddafi pushed it too far. - “Why should we create one Africa when in our countries and our regional groupings we are not united? Libya is pushing these matters too much,” the Malawian president told the local press upon his arrival from the AU Summit in Ethiopia. He added: “We all know why Gaddafi wants the formation of OAU now; it is because he wants to be the first leader. Some of us d…

A 15, 000 euros boost is to be made to the underground Malawi Gay Movement (MGM) from their Netherlands counterparts (name withheld) to help heighten the activities of the movement in the southen African country. MGM said the money would help create a reliable network among its members. - “We want to have a powerful movement which will enable us to get settled in the country. We want to be recognised just as any other social groups. Currently, it is threatening in the country to come out and say you are gay just like what happens to our friends. “We are also going to use the same money to help this couple in legal fees. They are our friends and groundbreakers, they have done u…