Malawi: Constitutional Court starts hearing election result challenge

Lazarus Chakwera, the president of Malawi, who is also currently chair of the Southern African Development Community, gave an interview to FRANCE 24 from Dubai. He hailed Malawi and Zambia as "examples of what democracy is about". Chakwera insisted that overall, "democracy is getting consolidated" on the continent, in spite of "erratic events", referring to the recent coups in Mali, Guinea and now Sudan. He described such coups as being "not the African way".

In tonight's edition: Mozambique, Madagascar and Malawi take stock of the fatalities and destruction caused by tropical storm Ana. In Cameroon, Mo Salah helps Egypt beat Ivory Coast in a penalty shootout at the Africa Cup of Nations. And in Garoua artisans hope the tournament will give a boost to their business. Our team reports.

Malawian musician Giddes Chalamanda had never dreamed in his 92 years that he might one day be famous enough to dine with the president followed by a night in a luxury hotel. Last month the singer did both, thanks to his unlikely new stardom on TikTok, a social media platform beloved of youths four generations removed from him -- one he can't access because he lacks a smartphone or even electricity to charge one.

The first case of wild polio to be reported in Africa in five years has been confirmed in Malawi. Africa had been declared polio-free in August 2020.

Malawian activist Gloria Majiga-Kamoto's efforts helped push the country's government to enforce a ban on thin plastics in 2019. And she hasn't stopped there. Improving national waste management is next on her agenda.

Endemic poverty makes Malawi easy pickings for traffickers. The pandemic and fallout from Russia's war on Ukraine has exacerbated the situation despite government efforts to curb human trafficking.

A Catholic priest, a policeman and 10 others conspired to commit a brutal murder in rural Malawi in 2018. A court has found them guilty of mutilating the 22-year-old victim for the pigment of his skin.

A complex debate on media freedom is underway in Malawi, with opinion strongly divided. It comes after authorities revoked the licenses of several independent broadcasters over unpaid fees.

Malawi's Vice President Saulos Klaus Chilima has been arrested over graft allegations, the Anti-Corruption Bureau said on Friday.

Malawi is in the grip of its worst cholera outbreak in more than a decade, just as the world suffers a global vaccine shortage and as the country heads into rainy season when the disease is likely to spread quickly.

A civil rights group in Malawi has launched a crowdfunding campaign for women and girls stranded in Oman who had travelled to the country for job opportunities.

At least 40 people have been confirmed dead on Monday (March 12) from tropical storm Freddy in Malawi, where numbers are still coming in from areas affected by flooding, government officials said.