An International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission met the Malawian government this week to discuss the country's deepening economic problems. Earlier this year, Britain suspended aid to the southern African country citing government over-expenditure and the lack of fiscal discipline.

Malawi's independent press is the latest casualty of political intolerance in the region, the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) said in a statement.

A hoard of civil society representatives from over 45 non governmental organisations have started meeting in Blantyre to discuss issues of current food crisis, macroeconomic framework and good governance ahead of International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission's visit next week.

Malnutrition is making it difficult for Malawi's doctors to successfully treat patients, IRIN has learnt. The director of one of Malawi's main hospitals told IRIN that many discharged patients are being re-admitted after suffering a relapse, of whatever illness, because they have no food at home.

The Malawi government has defended it's human rights record ahead of a public inquiry into political and religous discrimination, violence, and related intolerance.

A new report released by the ICFTU has condemned the deplorable situation faced by working people in Malawi and challenged the government to meet its obligations to protect its citizens. Despite having ratified all of the eight ILO conventions on core labour standards, the situation for the hundreds of thousands of child labourers, women and for the majority of workers in general, remains as miserable as ever.

Hospitals in Malawi have run out of antiretroviral drugs for AIDS patients because the state treasury delayed depositing the necessary money into the state-sponsored fund designated to purchase the medications, Agence France-Presse reports. Wesley Sangala, chief technical adviser to the health ministry, did not give a reason for the glitch but said that the government is treating the "serious matter with urgency so as not to put the AIDS patients at higher risk," adding that it is "extremely crucial" to get the patients back on medication "as soon as possible."

The Committee on the Rights of the Child concluded its review of an initial report from Malawi with a Committee Expert recommending, in preliminary remarks, that the Government increase its efforts to enact further laws for the promotion of child rights and to revise the country's Constitution to bring it in line with the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Closing Date : 31 Jan 2002
Posted on : 19 Dec 2001

The Malawi Media Women's Association (MAMWA) recently received a grant from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to add four new "radio listeners clubs" to its broadcast operation, according to Janet Karim, MAMWA's co-founder.

The University of Malawi has been shut until further notice following a week of violent student protests.

The World Food Programme (WFP) is drafting plans to help thousands of impoverished Malawians survive this year's maize shortages.

The World Food Programme (WFP) is drafting plans to help thousands of impoverished Malawians survive this year's maize shortages.

Recently released government land reform proposals, which prohibit the foreign ownership of land, have received a cautious welcome in Malawi.

Millions of dollars worth of aid to Malawi suspended due to corruption and the curtailment of the government's privatisation programme will be released soon, a government spokesman told IRIN on Tuesday.

The Magistrates' and Judges' Association of Malawi has written to President Bakili Muluzi, urging him to reject his United Democratic Front MPs attempts to sack three senior High Court judges.

THE European Union (EU), the American and British governments have suspended K1.5 billion worth of aid pledged for this year's budget because of top level corruption and the suspension of the Privatisation programme.

The Magistrates' and Judges' Association of Malawi has written to President Bakili Muluzi, urging him to reject his United Democratic Front (UDF) MPs attempts to sack three senior High Court judges.