A year after the Malawian government launched its HIV/AIDS treatment programme, the numbers of people awaiting treatment are stretching hospitals to their limits. In May 2004 the government began providing free antiretroviral (ARV) medication at public health facilities, hoping to reach 44,000 people living with the virus by June 2005.

This paper from the Chr. Michelsen Institute in Norway describes the nature and extent of the role played by the courts in Malawian politics in the context of the 2004 presidential and parliamentary elections. The authors attempt to explain why the courts have come to occupy such a central position on the political scene in Malawi, looking at the recent history, as well as factors that explain why it has been difficult for the government to fully control the courts; what has motivated the judges to assume a political role; and what motivates the parties to bring political disputes to the courts.

Malawi is to receive substantial aid from the United States of America to fight corruption and improve fiscal accountability. The board of directors of the Millennium Challenge Corporation has approved Malawi's threshold programme concept paper, allowing it to receive the funding. The American government expects Malawi to fight corruption and improve fiscal management before the country qualifies for full Millennium Challenge Account assistance of 15bn dollars.

Civil Society Coalition for Quality Basic Education (CSCQBE), a Coalition of more than 54 NGOs active in advocating quality basic education in Malawi is pleased to inform the general public about the 2005 global campaign for education action week. As part of its contribution CSCQBE has organized a number of activities that include a national launch, follow up district launches, media advocacy and stakeholder workshops.

BBC reporter Raphael Tenthani and Mabvuto Banda of the independent daily The Nation have been released on bail after being held overnight by police in the capital, Lilongwe. The two journalists were arrested at their homes in the southern city of Blantyre for reporting that the president feared ghosts may haunt the presidential palace.

Will they or won't they? This question is on the lips of political observers in Malawi at present, as they wait to see whether substantial numbers of ruling coalition or opposition members will support the country's newest political grouping: the Democratic Progressive Party. At stake is the future of party founder, President Bingu wa Mutharika, who resigned from the United Democratic Front (UDF) earlier this month. The UDF, which only controls 49 of 193 parliamentary seats after last year's general and by-elections, rules Malawi with support from other political parties and independent legislators.

Malawi's President Bingu wa Mutharika quit the ruling party on Saturday after his crackdown on corruption in the impoverished southern African country sparked a political rift with factions loyal to his predecessor. Wa Mutharika, who last month accused United Democratic Front (UDF) party chairman and former Malawi President Bakili Muluzi of plotting with party officials to kill him, chose national anti-corruption day to announce his resignation from the party.

A critical lack of resources is jeopardising Malawi's efforts to achieve its Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015, according to a joint report by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the government. The assessment showed that while progress had been made in reducing child mortality and improving access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation, the country lagged behind on all the other development targets.

On 29 January 2005, "Daily Times" reporter Collins Mtika was beaten up by supporters of the Alliance for Democracy (AFORD), a party that is a member of the ruling coalition. Mtika told MISA-Malawi that he was attacked when he went to cover a press conference at AFORD leader Chakufwa Chihana's house, in the northern city of Mzuzu. At the press conference, Chihana challenged a decision by certain executive members to dismiss him from the party on allegations of poor governance and fraud.

Political divisions in Malawi were set to deepen after a meeting at the weekend to discuss the possible expulsion of the country's president from the ruling United Democratic Front (UDF) party for alleged misconduct. "The meeting is intended to fire [President Bingu wa] Mutharika for being ungrateful to a party that sponsored him to become president," UDF secretary-general Kennedy Makwangwala reportedly told Agence France Presse late on Sunday.

Science journalists from across Africa have formed a network to share experiences and information, and to improve coverage of science news on the continent. The African Federation of Science Journalists intends, among other things, to provide African science journalists with information about scholarships, training opportunities and awards. It will also serve as a forum for members to share ideas, experiences and contact details of relevant individuals and institutions.

Malawi aims to more than triple the number of HIV-positive people in the country who are receiving antiretroviral drugs at no cost by July with the help of a $14 million grant from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, a Malawian health official said on Monday, AFP/Independent Online reports. Malawi in May 2004 began a five-year, $196 million nationwide program to provide antiretroviral drugs to HIV-positive people at no cost.

A new report by Oxfam International has highlighted the watchdog role NGOs can play in monitoring budget spending in resource-poor countries like Malawi. In Malawi, the Civil Society Coalition for Quality Basic Education (CSCQBE), a grouping of NGOs, began monitoring how the education ministry was spending its budget allocation three years ago.

After four decades of agricultural-led development strategies in the postindependent Malawi, economic growth has been erratic and a large proportion of the population live below the poverty line and studies suggests that the poverty situation has worsened. Smallholder farmers face several constraints including landlessness and small land holdings and declining agricultural productivity, states this University of Malawi study, which argues that past agricultural strategies have been less successful because they ignored the land question among smallholder farmers.

More heads are expected to roll as Malawi's President Bingu wa Mutharika pushes ahead with his campaign to rid the country of high-level corruption, analysts said on Friday. Last Thursday the mayor of the commercial capital, Blantyre, was arrested in connection with the disappearance of Kwacha 400,000 (US $3,782) from the city's coffers. John Chikakwiya is said to have solicited the money from the Grain and Milling Company for the rehabilitation of roads, but the funds cannot be accounted for.

Talks are underway in Malawi aimed at easing tensions between President Bingu wa Mutharika and his predecessor, Bakili Muluzi. Analysts say one of the main reasons for the divisions in the ruling United Democratic Front (UDF) party has been Mutharika's tough stance against graft, which has seen six UDF officials arrested on charges of corruption and fraud since he took office in May.

The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) has embarked on a three-year project to fight child abuse in Malawi. The US $3.5 million project, funded by the Norwegian government, will tackle issues such child labour, juvenile justice and violence against children, UNICEF representative Aida Girma told IRIN on Wednesday.

The fight against corruption led by President Bingu wa Mutharika is dividing the ruling United Democratic Front (UDF), with some experts warning of a threat to Malawi's stability. "The division within the UDF is causing a threat to our young democracy. The problem is that there are some big people in the party who think that we are still in the one-party system of government, where there is no separation of powers between the state and party," said Public Affairs Committee Chairman Father Boniface Tamani.

The effects of the 2002 food crisis in Malawi continue to take a heavy toll of the country's children, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) said in a new report. The 50-page study, launched last week, noted an increase in the number of children forced to seek informal employment to cope with the aftershock of food shortages two years ago, when consecutive poor harvests placed over three million people in need of emergency food aid.

As Malawi attempts to consolidate gains in agricultural production after three years of drought, experts have highlighted access to land and the preservation of biodiversity as key to future food security. International NGO Oxfam has warned that a lack of access to arable land had contributed to food shortages and was also heightening tensions, with land-hungry communities increasingly encroaching on forests and tea estates. Early last week a land dispute erupted in the Chimaliro traditional area in Thyolo district in the Southern region of the country.