A court in the northern Malawi city of Mzuzu Wednesday convicts a 37-year-old man for calling President Joyce Banda “stupid” and a “failure.” Japhet Chirwa, who was arrested on Tuesday, pleaded guilty to the single charge of “conduct likely to cause breach of the peace,” a misdemeanor. …read more
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Police in Malawi said Tuesday they had arrested a 37-year-old man and charged him with breaching the peace, after he allegedly called President Joyce Banda “stupid.” …read more
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Nearly 10 percent of Malawi’s 13 million people face hunger due of low yields of the main staple maize, prolonged dry spells and flooding, a report released Saturday said. …read more
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At least 130 people have been killed, including 10 soldiers, in ongoing clashes between army forces and rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the government said Monday.
“Our forces have inflicted very heavy losses on the M23 fighters, 120 have been killed and 12 captured,” government spokesman Lambert Mende said, referring to fighting that broke out over the weekend.
Mende said that 10 soldiers had also died in the clashes, which erupted on Sunday in North Kivu province between the Congolese army and the M23 rebels.
UN soldiers did not intervene, Mende stressed.
“The toll from these skirmishes is not yet definitive but until now the army forces have responded with bravery and efficiency to this attack,” said Mende.
Army forces also managed to recapture previously rebel-held positions as they fled, said the spokesman.
Some 2,000 soldiers were reportedly deployed during the fighting but Mende declined to confirm this figure.
A heavily armed brigade of some 3,000 UN troops with more power to fight renegade forces than ever before has recently been dispatched to the region.
The troops, drawn in equal numbers from Malawi, South Africa and Tanzania, are joining about 17,000 UN soldiers already deployed in the area with a limited mandate to protect civilians and themselves only.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News
Civil rights activists and human rights lawyers Monday demanded that Nigeria arrest Sudanese leader Omar al-Bashir and deliver him to the International Criminal Court to stand trial for crimes in Darfur.
President Goodluck Jonathan was urged “to support the demand by the international community for justice for the victims of genocide and war crimes,” by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project.
Human rights lawyers are going to court to argue for an order to force the arrest, said Chino Obiagwu of Nigeria’s Legal Defense and Assistance Project.
Human Rights Watch was contacting diplomats to add to the pressure. They are urging Nigeria’s international partners “to signal that Nigeria should show leadership and not host ICC fugitive Bashir,” said Elise Keppler of the New York-based organization’s International Justice Program.
Nigeria is a member of the International Criminal Court and “has international legal obligations to ensure that this country does not become a safe haven for alleged perpetrators of crimes under international law like al-Bashir,” said Adetokunbo Mumuni, executive director of the rights and accountability project.
A failure to arrest al-Bashir could have “huge legal ramifications” and lead to sanctions by the U.N. Security Council, he warned, though Chad and Djibouti have welcomed al-Bashir in the past year without suffering any consequences.
Human Rights Watch said Nigeria’s stand is “a stark contrast” to that taken by most African countries.
South Africa, Malawi, Uganda, Kenya, Zambia, and Central Africa Republic “have specifically made clear Bashir will be arrested on their territory, seen to it that other Sudanese officials visit instead of Bashir, relocated conferences or otherwise avoided his visits,” said Obiagwu, who also heads the Nigerian Coalition on the International Criminal Court.
The International Criminal Court in The Hague indicted the Sudanese leader in 2009 and 2010 for crimes including extermination, forcible transfer of population, torture and rape. He was the first sitting African head of state to be indicted by the court.
Al-Bashir arrived in Nigeria on Sunday to a red carpet welcome with full military honors. He is here to attend a health summit of the African Union, which has told its 53 members not to cooperate with the ICC. Some Africans argue that the European-based court is racist in its targeting of Africans.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News
Hosts Zambia embark on Sunday on a Cosafa Cup journey they hope will last seven days and finish with a record-equalling fourth title.
They face Mozambique in the second half of a quarter-finals double-header at Nkana Stadium in mining city Kitwe.
Surprise qualifiers Lesotho, who topped a qualifying group ahead of Botswana and Kenya, meet Angola in the other match.
Chipolopolo (Copper Bullets) won the first two editions of the 16-year southern Africa national team championship.
They were successful again in 2006, but the closest they came to glory since was collecting silver medals twice.
Although France-born coach Herve Renard has chosen an experimental squad, his side are favoured to lift the trophy.
And he accepts the pressure is on him and his team as they try and put a miserable year for the Copper Bullets behind them.
“Every Zambian believes we will win the Cosafa Cup this year, especially as we are hosting the tournament,” admitted Renard.
“This means there is only one path for us to follow — the one that leads to the winners’ podium in Ndola next Saturday.”
Renard became a national hero in Zambia last year when his team emerged as shock winners of the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations.
After 120 goalless minutes against Didier Drogba-skippered Ivory Coast, the underdogs won a penalty shootout in Gabon.
But little has gone right for Zambia since with a disappointing Africa Cup title defence followed by poor World Cup qualifying results.
They failed to win at the 2013 Nations Cup in South Africa, drawing with Ethiopia, Nigeria and Burkina Faso and making a first-round exit.
And draws with minnows Lesotho and Sudan have left dreams of a first World Cup appearance on the verge of extinction.
Renard hopes goalkeeper Danny Munyau, defender Kondwani Mtonga and midfielder Mukuka Mulenga can lead by example in Kitwe.
The local stars were promoted to the first team for recent World Cup ties and offer experience amid exciting but untested talent.
Mozambique coach Joao Chissano has been in charge less than a month since German Gert Engels paid the price for a 6-1 World Cup drubbing in Guinea.
His Cosafa Cup build-up has been nightmarish with a spate of withdrawals owing to injuries and club commitments leading to 11 squad changes.
Almiro Lobo and Dario Khan are long-serving defenders and Alberto Diogo is a midfielder with a fondness for goals.
Striker Josimar Machaisse gave Chissano a timely boost by scoring in a 1-0 friendly victory away to Malawi last weekend.
Lesotho held Kenya 2-2 and Botswana 3-3 before defeating Swaziland 2-0 to top Group B on goal difference and book an unexpected last-eight place.
The Botswana clash stamped Likuena (Crocodiles) as a team to watch when they came from behind twice to level deep in stoppage time.
Angola dare not concede any penalties as midfielder Ralekoti Mokhahlane has proven his worth by converting two spot kicks.
Striker Thapelo Tale has also netted twice and defender Nkau Lerotholi and strikers Mojela Letsie and Tsepo Seturumane once each.
A team averaging 2.3 goals a game and full of never-say-die spirit could trouble Angola, even though they are 65 …read more
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South Africa coach Gordon Igesund is wary of Namibia before a Cosafa Cup quarter-final in Zambia on Saturday.
The ‘Brave Warriors’ have shocked ‘Bafana Bafana’ (The Boys) twice in previous editions of the annual southern Africa national team championship.
Boths upsets came in Windhoek with an extra-time goal bringing a 3-2 victory and Namibia winning another showdown on penalties after a 1-1 stalemate.
South Africa received a FIFA rankings-related bye into the quarter-finals this year and withdrawals have robbed Igesund of half his original 20 players.
Namibia secured a date with their neighbours by defeating Indian Ocean challengers Mauritius 2-1 and Seychelles 4-2 to top Group A.
Both wins came at the compact Nkoloma Stadium in Lusaka, the setting for a last-eight double-header with title-holders Zimbabwe facing Malawi first.
Tackling Bafana Bafana is a dream come true for Namibia coach Ricardo Mannetti, a South Africa-based professional for many years.
His most successful spell was under Igesund as unfashionable Cape Town outfit Santos defied the odds to be crowned 2002 South African Premiership champions.
“Anything can happen when Namibia face South Africa because it is always an emotional occasion,” recently appointed Mannetti told reporters.
“We have defied the odds to shock Bafana Bafana several times in the Cosafa Cup and I would love to get one over my former boss Gordon.”
Igesund concedes that the 66-place advantage South Africa enjoy over Namibia in the FIFA world rankings will count for little this weekend.
“It would be foolhardy to take Namibia for granted after they achieved good victories over Mauritius and the Seychelles.
“They held Africa Cup of Nations champions Nigeria in a World Cup qualifier last month and that is sufficient warning for us,” he stressed.
While Mannetti watched his team waste many chances when beating the Mauritians and the Seychellois, Igesund battled with a spate of pull-outs.
“My players are not horses,” fumed Kaizer Chiefs official Bobby Motaung after withdrawing four players.
Other clubs preparing for a new Premiership season took similar action, leaving Igesund with a squad including two players from second-tier side Jomo Cosmos.
Anger over a $10,000 (7,600-euro) bonus offer to Malawi caretaker coach Tom Saintfiet has overshadowed the clash with Zimbabwe.
The Belgian says he is working for free and will pocket the cash only if Malawi win in Nigeria during September and reach the play-offs for 2014 World Cup slots.
“Why do officials not make similar offers to the players?,” asked captain and midfielder Joseph Kamwendo before the squad left for Zambia.
“We have been fighting for bonus increases for a long time, but officials just ignore us.”
Kamwendo, once on the books of South African giants Orlando Pirates, says he and his team-mates will get just $85 (65 euros) each for toppling Zimbabwe.
Ex-Namibia and Ethiopia coach Saintfiet has made changes to the list of predecessor Edington Ng’onamo, including axing goalkeeper Charles Swini.
Zimbabwe coach Klaus-Dieter Pagels can draw confidence from a 1-1 friendly draw in Malawi last month as he takes an experimental squad to Lusaka.
Among those called up for the first time are strikers Tendai Ndoro and Lot Chiwunga and goalkeeper Tafadzwa Dube.
The other …read more
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CHORWE, Malawi, April 11 (UPI) — Malawi President Joyce Banda’s office says U.S. pop star Madonna is demanding “state treatment” in return for her contributions to the African nation.
From: http://pheed.upi.com/click.phdo?i=84652e50ee867dfcdb4aba3f3e1b4574
By The Huffington Post News Editors
BLANTYRE, Malawi — The Malawi government issued an angry attack on the pop diva Madonna Wednesday, alleging she expected to be granted VIP treatment during her controversial tour to this southern African country last week.
A strongly-worded statement issued Wednesday by the president’s office, State House, in the capital, Lilongwe, accused Madonna of using her fame and money to press the government of Malawi to give her VIP treatment.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Huffington Post
By Evann Gastaldo Madonna no longer has VIP status in Malawi now that she’s annoyed President Joyce Banda, the Telegraph reports. The brouhaha started when Malawi‘s education minister accused the Material Girl of exaggerating the charitable work she’s done there; then Madonna’s request to see Banda during her recent visit was ignored. And,… …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Newser – Home
By The Huffington Post News Editors
BLANTYRE, Malawi — Madonna has left Malawi after visiting the projects she has helped support through her Raising Malawi charity.
The pop diva and her four children arrived in the southern African country Monday and left Saturday. Madonna visited the 10 school blocks that her charity has helped build or renovate in collaboration with BuildOn.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Huffington Post
Pop diva Madonna has opened new school classrooms she funded in Malawi.
Schoolchildren serenaded her Tuesday with praise songs as she inspected school blocks she paid for in the central Kasungu district. People danced around her at Nkoko Primary School where she worked with the non-profit organization, BuildOn, to build classrooms.
Madonna initially planned to build a $15 million 500-bed Raising Malawi Academy for girls, before changing plans to help fund several community schools to benefit more Malawians. She arrived in Malawi Monday to tour the 10 school wings she has helped to build.
Madonna has been joined on her tour by her two adopted Malawian children, David Banda and Mercy James, both now eight.
By Reuters
Filed under: People
LOS ANGELES – Angelina Jolie has opened another girls school in Afghanistan and plans to fund more from the proceeds of a jewelry line going on sale this week that she helped to design, celebrity website E! News reported on Monday.
Jolie, a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, funded the girls-only primary school in an area outside Kabul that has a high refugee population, E! News said in an exclusive report.
The school educates 200-300 girls, E! said. It showed pictures of the school, which opened in November, and a plaque acknowledging Jolie’s contribution.
Jolie also funded a girl school in eastern Afghanistan that opened in 2010, according to the UNCHR.
Jolie’s representatives did not return calls for comment.
E! said that Jolie plans to pay for more schools by selling a “Style of Jolie” jewelry line that she helped create with jewelry maker Robert Procop. Procop designed the engagement ring given to the actress by her partner Brad Pittin April 2012.
“Beyond enjoying the artistic satisfaction of designing these jewels, we are inspired by knowing our work is also serving the mutual goal of providing for children in need,” Jolie was quoted as telling the website.
Procop’s website said the “first funds from our collaboration together have been dedicated to the Education Partnership for Children in Conflict (founded by Jolie) to build a school in Afghanistan.”
According to the Style of Jolie website, the newly expanded collection includes versions of the black and gold necklace that the actress wore to the premiere of her 2010 movie “Salt,” a pear-shaped citrine and gold necklace, and rose gold and emerald tablet-shaped rings, earrings and bracelets. No price details were released.
The jewelry will go on retail sale for the first time on April 4 through Kansas City jewelry store Tivol, Tivol said.
Procop told E! that it was “an honor to have the opportunity to be part of creating this line with Angie, as we both believe every child has right to an education.”
Jolie is not the first celebrity to open schools in faraway places. Both Oprah Winfrey and Madonna have funded the building of schools in South Africa and Malawi in the past six years, although both ran into trouble.
Madonna’s project provoked controversy over costs and mismanagement, while a staff member at Winfrey’s school was arrested on charges of assault and abuse of students.
(Reporting By Jill Serjeant; Editing by David Brunnstrom)
Local residents say that U.S. pop diva Madonna has arrived in Malawi for an unannounced visit.
An aviation department worker said Madonna’s jet landed at the Kamuzu International Airport in the country’s capital, Lilongwe, early Monday. It was not clear if she came with her children. The aviation worker spoke on condition of anonymity because he did not have permission to speak to the press.
The singer has previously stayed at the exclusive Kumbali Lodge in Lilongwe, and an employee there says all other guests were checked out. The employee spoke on condition of anonymity because he didn’t have permission to speak to the press on the matter.
Madonna adopted two children from Malawi. She promised the court she would bring her adopted children twice “every two or three years.”
Today President Obama welcomed President Ernest Bai Koroma of Sierra Leone, President Macky Sall of Senegal, President Joyce Banda of Malawi, and Prime Minister José Maria Pereira Neves of Cape Verde to the White House. The United States has strong partnerships with these countries based on shared democratic values and shared interests. Each of these leaders has undertaken significant efforts to strengthen democratic institutions, protect and expand human rights and civil liberties, and increase economic opportunities for their people.
President Obama and the visiting leaders discussed how the United States can expand our partnership to support their efforts to strengthen democratic institutions and promote economic opportunity, both in their countries and across sub-Saharan Africa. A particular focus of the conversation was on the importance of transparency and respect for human rights, and President Obama commended each leader for their work in these areas and their commitment to join the Open Government Partnership. President Obama also commended these leaders for their leadership on food security and engaged the leaders in a fruitful conversation about how the United States can help Africa harness the potential of its young people and empower the next generation of African leaders.
Cabinet Room
3:45 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Well, it is a great pleasure to welcome four leaders from Africa, all of whom are doing extraordinary work — President Sall from Senegal, President Banda from Malawi, President Koroma from Sierra Leone, and Prime Minister Neves from Cape Verde.
The reason that I'm meeting with these four is they exemplify the progress that we're seeing in Africa. All of them have had to deal with some extraordinary challenges. Sierra Leone just 10 years ago was in the midst of as brutal a civil war as we've ever seen. And yet, now we've seen consecutive fair and free elections. And under President Koroma's leadership, we've seen not only good governance, but also significant economic growth.
When you talk about Malawi, there was a constitutional crisis just last year. And yet, President Banda has not only been able to be in office and make sure that constitutional order was restored, but has also made significant progress on behalf of her people. And her personal story of overcoming a history of abuse and leading women throughout her country I think indicates the kind of progress that can be made when you've got strong leadership.
The same is true for His Excellency President Sall. There were some bumps in the road in terms of transition from the previous President, and yet, the Senegalese rose up at the grassroots level and sustained their democracy.
And Cape Verde is a real success story. We were hearing from Prime Minister Neves about the fact that just in a few decades they have moved from a per capita income of maybe $200 a year to now $4,000 a year, and are now moving into the middle of the pack in terms of development levels because of good governance and management.
So what our discussion has focused on is, number one, how do we continue to build on strong democracies; how do we continue to build on transparency and accountability. Because what we've learned over the last several decades is that when you've got good governance — when you have democracies that work, sound management of public funds, transparency and accountability to the citizens that put leaders in place — it turns out that that is not only good for the state and the functioning of government, it's also good for economic development because it gives people confidence, it attracts business, it facilitates trade and commerce.
And all of these leaders have good stories to tell on that. They recognize that there’s still more work to be done, and so I’m very pleased that all of them are looking to move forward on the Open Government Partnership that we helped to organize through the United Nations several years ago, and that we are now seeing countries from all across the world sign up for — setting up international norms for accountability and transparency that can lead to good governance.
We also talked about the …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at The White House Press Office
A lawyer in Malawi says 11 top government officials and former Cabinet ministers who were charged with treason for an alleged coup plot have been released on bail.
Defense lawyer Kaleken Kaphale said Thursday that the suspects were released on bond of about $18,000 each and they also had to surrender travel documents. No date was set for the next court hearing in Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi.
Prosecutors believe the suspects conspired after the death of President Bingu wa Mutharika to undermine his deputy, Joyce Banda, and prevent her from becoming president.
Banda, now president, had fallen out with Mutharika, who wanted his younger brother, Peter, to take over after his scheduled retirement in 2014. Peter Mutharika is among those charged with treason.
A Malawian magistrate says that 12 top government officials and former cabinet ministers must stand trial for treason for an alleged coup plot last year following the sudden death of former Malawi president Bingu wa Mutharika last April.
Magistrate Agnes Chinangwa confirmed the charges Wednesday in the capital, Lilongwe, following the release of an official report into Mutharika’s death which alleged that the officials tried to prevent then Vice President Joyce Banda from becoming president.
An additional charge of inciting mutiny was pressed against Peter Mutharika, the late president’s brother and two others. The three allegedly urged Army Commander General Henry Odillo to order “the army to just take over” to prevent Banda from becoming president, according to the inquiry report.
Malawi‘s government says it has arrested at least 10 former top government officials for allegedly plotting a coup to stop then-Vice President Joyce Banda from becoming president after the death of former President Bingu wa Mutharika last year.
The arrests Monday set off violence in the commercial capital, Blantyre, as supporters of Mutharika’s former ruling party protested in the streets. Police fired tear gas to break up the crowd.
Information Minister Moses Kunkuyu said the arrests were carried out based on evidence in a report on the death of Mutharika in April. The report, presented to Banda last week, concluded that top officials at the time conspired to try to prevent Banda from assuming power.
The Malawi government has agreed to raise public workers’ salaries by 60 percent, ending a two-week old strike, a union leader said.
Civil Service Trade Union (CSTU) president Eliah Kamphinda Banda told a press conference in the capital, Lilongwe, Thursday that his team has agreed with the
government negotiating team to end the strike. Banda called on all civil servants to return to work Friday.
According to the agreement, lowest-paid civil servants get a 61 percent pay hike while the highest paid have been given a 5 percent salary increase.
Earlier in the day, police in Lilongwe and the commercial capital of Blantyre used tear gas to break up demonstrations by hundreds of school
children. The students, from public primary and secondary schools, had gone two weeks without attending classes following the public workers’ strike.
“We are marching to State House because we are not learning. … We are tired of not attending classes for two weeks,” said 15-year-old Ella Chilenje in Blantyre.
The civil servants say last May’s 49 per cent devaluation of the Malawi currency, the kwacha, has eaten into their buying power.
