Although the National Assembly has attempted to water down some democratic precepts by the numerous amendments that they have allowed, the fact remains that the spirit and purpose of democracy still exists in our supreme law. The many attempts, including the removal of the recall provision, the abolishing of the second chamber, and the senate so far have not fully eroded the basic spirit of democracy and the accountability of the Executive through the people’s representatives.

The Executive Director of the National Youth Council Alex Mseka has declared that the war on HIV/Aids can only be won if the youth are sensitised on the dangers of contracting HIV. Mseka made these remarks during the official opening of the Gender and HIV/Aids awareness and capacity building workshop for NGO’s organised by Counseling of the Adolescent and Youth Organisation in Mponela.

Malawi on Wednesday confirmed the arrest of two senior government officials accused of obstructing investigations into the sale of the country's strategic maize reserves which added to the country's food crisis.

Research conducted by the Centre for Social Research at the University of Malawi suggests that 81.5% in the ministry of Labour and Vocational Training were found to be willing to go for voluntary counseling and testing (VCT). The ministry has commended women within the ministry for taking a leading role in the fight against HIV/AIDS in their on-going HIV/AIDS Workplace Programme.

A social statistic map with and over-riding focus on poverty has been produced by the International Food Policy Research Institute. The spatial patterns seen in the atlas provide insights into key geographic factors associated with poverty, thereby assisting in the development and in the geographic targeting of programs designed to reduce it.

Continued deaths due to HIV/Aids related illness continue to claim a vast human resource and threatens to largely affect the labour sector, the Ministry of Labour has said.

Boys in Malawi have twice the risk of dying in their first few years as do girls-an observation researchers describe as both surprising and unexplainable. "Basically, it is well known that a bit more boys than girls are born in all populations," said Dr. P. Ashorn of the University of Tampere Medical School in Finland.

Students in Malawi have set fire to the ruling party offices over President Bakili Muluzi's attempt to alter the constitution to stay in power.

Malawi President Bakili Muluzi on Tuesday sacked a senior minister opposed to his plans to amend the constitution so he can stay in office beyond the current legal limit of 10 years. Commerce and Industry Minister Peter Kaleso had been removed and his position handed to Muluzi ally Paul Maulidi.

As the food crisis tightens its grip in Malawi, Christian relief and development agency Tearfund reports a worrying increase in the number of children coming onto the street in the desperate search for food and money. Starvation looms for more than three million people in Malawi, almost a third of the population, as a result of the country’s worst food crisis for decades.

On 27 January 2003, Penelope Paliani-Kamanga, deputy chief reporter for the "Daily Times", Malawi's oldest daily, was shot in the knee by a rubber bullet. The shot was fired by Blantyre anti-riot police, who fired shots to disperse demonstrators. Members of civil society were demonstrating against the tabling of a bill in Parliament aimed at allowing President Bakili Muluzi to serve a third term in office.

A Malawian radio journalist was arrested this week for broadcasting an interview with a man who claimed to have been attacked by a vampire, the Guardian reports. Southern Malawi has been rife with rumours of blood-sucking vampires, fuelled by the popular belief that the government is colluding with vampires to collect blood for international aid agencies.

An International Monetary Fund (IMF) team arrived in Malawi on Monday to assess whether to unfreeze US $47 million in vital aid to the country, news reports said. In May the IMF said it would withhold the US $47 million earmarked for Malawi under its Poverty Reduction Growth Facility due to government overspending beyond targets set by the Fund.

The European Commission Humanitarian Aid Office has granted MK27 million, which is equivalent to about E300, 000 to the United Nations Childrens Fund in support of the Cholera Preparedness and Control Project. The project, which is scheduled to run for eight months, will cover areas in Central and Northern Malawi.

Malawi President Bakili Muluzi has declared a "state of national disaster" and called for international assistance following severe floods in several parts of the country.

Nowhere is southern Africa's food crisis more acute than in Malawi. Out of a total population of 11 million people, more than three million run the risk of starvation due to a combination of flooding and drought. But Malawi has a saving grace. Natural wonders of lake and mountain and wildlife are attractive to tourists, and the government is moving to enhance the country's tourist drawing power.

Malawi's finance minister is expected to come under investigation for his involvement in the controversial sale of the country's strategic maize reserves just months before widespread crop failure, officials told IRIN on Monday.

The Human Rights Consultative Committee has expressed concern that the Malawi Government has never submitted any reports on human rights to the African Commission. The attitude has been described as a result of lack of respect for human rights.

Paltry audiences of about 100 people brave the chilly cold weather of the mountainous Dedza to attend a HIV/Aids open day organised by the National Initiative for Civic Education. Speakers are armed to impart all their best to those present. The audience is well aware that the speakers will dwell extensively on how one gets infected with HIV and what the preventative strategies are. The speaker will also communicate how one can live longer after being infected.

I am interested to learn and share with other people on issues concerning human rights, good governance, democracy and peace building.