Young women leaders from eight African countries have asked governments in Southern Africa to amend and harmonise customary and com¬mon laws on child marriage and ensure that the age of marriage for boys and girls age of consent and age of majority is harmonised to age 18.

German ambassador to Malawi Peter Woeste has named the newly-constructed 10, 000 Euro youth centre in Rumphi after the first German explorer to visit Lake Malawi, Albrecht Roscher. The 23 year-old German scientist came to Malawi, then Nyasaland, two months after Scottish explorer and missionary David Livingstone in 1859.

The Electricity Supply Commission of Malawi (Escom) has instituted an inquiry into an incident in which two of its employees were badly burnt while on duty.

Isaac Cheke-Ziba, who has just been sacked as Director of Information, has said he has no regrets.

A new water way to cost K87.1 billion (US$260m) from Indian Ocean through Zambezi and the Shire Rivers into the ports of Lake Malawi is on the card.

Some senior police officers named in the recently released Commission of Inquiry report into the death of former Polytechnic student Robert Chasowa have been sent on forced leave to pave way for further investigations.

The Malawi Savings Bank (MSB) has dragged Mulli Brothers Limited to court where they are demanding K3.3 billion for a MK3.2 billion overdraft that the company took that was later turned into a loan after the company failed to service it.

A pious Lilongwe resident paid for his beliefs when he was sum¬marily dismissed from his job on allegations that he was reading a Bible during working hours.

District Commissioner for Mwanza and some chiefs from Mwanza and Chikwawa have expressed satisfaction with what 'Kalondolondo', a programme that evaluates government projects, is doing saying it is helping in making stakeholders accountable.

The Malawi University of Science and Technology (MUST) in Thyolo will cost the tax-payer K600 million in furnishing.

Scores of people who have been victimised by wrangles over the Kilupula chieftaincy in Karonga are surviving on small food donations from fellow vil¬lagers as no other assistance has been granted to them.

Great Britain has come to the rescue of Malawi with £20 million (about K10.6 billion) as an emergency budgetary support. This is the first disbursement of budgetary sup-port since the suspension in July 2011 following worsening political and economic governance un-der the administration of the late President Bingu wa Mutharika.

THE opposition Friday flexed its muscle in Parliament to reject government's appointment of Anderson Kuligomba as new Auditor General after a secret ballot.Only 64 MPs in the 193-member House voted for Kuligomba while 87 rejected him. There were four null and void votes while four other MPs abstained from the voting.

There was an atmosphere of upheaval at Banja La Mtsogolo Head Offices at Ginnery Corner, Blantyre, when immigration officers stormed in, Friday, and netted two for¬eigners on allegations of work¬ing without permit.

Politicians have now joined the civil society groups in Karonga in pressing for more benefits for ordinary people from Paladin Energy Limited, a company that is mining rare earth deposits, uranium in the northern region border district, saying the company should temporarily suspend its operations until issues are resolved.

The Reserve Bank of Malawi (RBM) has found itself in an awkward position when its Governor, Charles Chuka, signed a notice to sell houses that belong to RBM Pension Fund, instead of it being signed by the Fund's Chairperson.

Minister of Justice and Attorney General Ralph Kasambara has refuted reports that he issued a statement announcing the country's suspension of anti-homosexual law to pave way for public debate and parliamentary vote on the legislation.

Civil Servants Trade Union (CSTU) has written President Joyce Banda to address different issues that are said to be affecting the civil service.

The Malawi Police Service (MPS) has not conducted intensive op¬erations to uproot and destroy Indian Hemp gardens in three years and this has resulted in increased cases of trafficking.

Former first lady Callista Mutharika can temporarily stay at Bingu wa Mutharika's opulent Casa Blanca Manor at Ndata in Thyolo until November 22, 2012 when the High Court will sit to determine whether she is entitled to the residence as she claims or not.