Govt to roll out Affordable Farm Inputs Programme

Minister of Agriculture Lobin Lowe has said about 4,279, 100 smallholder farming households have been earmarked to benefit from the Affordable Inputs Programme which will roll out in the coming farming season.

Lowe said if the inputs are used for the intended purpose, the country may have surplus maize of about 2.48 million metric tonnes.

Lowe added that the Ministry has cleaned the database that the Ministry had and plans to work with National Registration Bureau and E+government in the management of beneficiaries and supply of the inputs.

Man in custody for possessing medical drugs illegally

Police at Nkhunga in Nkhotakota have arrested a 36 year old man Wiskes Chikweya for possessing medical drugs and operating a drug store without permit.

His arrest comes against a background of a case where unknown criminals between the month of June and July broke into Ngala Health Center where they went away with assorted medical drugs and supplies.

Essau Nkhunga police publicist said upon raiding his shop on July 30, 2020 the police have managed to seize assorted medical drugs.

Among others, the drugs found are LA,ndocide capsules, Amoxicillin capsules, Fragyl tables, Bactrim tablets and Diclofenaec.

According to Essau, the police are currently waiting for medical personnel to check if the recovered drugs are the ones that were stolen at Ngala health center in the district.

Wiskes Chikweya who comes from Mombo village T/A Nkhumba in Phalombe district will appear in court soon.

-MIJ-

Marine dies and eight missing after training mission off California

A marine has died and eight are missing after a training mission went wrong off the coast of Southern California.

Search and rescue efforts are underway to find the missing men with support from the Navy and Coast Guard in the US.

Two other marines were also injured in the mission which took place on Thursday.

All are assigned to the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU).

The MEU has a command element, a reinforced infantry battalion, a composite helicopter squadron and a combat logistics battalion.

Computers stolen at Central Internal Audit Unit offices

Thieves have stolen 23 computers at Central Internal Audit Unit offices, days after President Lazarus Chakwera claimed that over K1 trillion was stolen from government coffers.

Director of the office, Dickson Chasambira, broke into the offices at Gemini House last night.

The office conducts routine sets of audit of all public offices before a comprehensive audit exercise by the National Audit Office(NAO).

It was not, however, clear what kind of information the thieves want in the computers.

The theft comes after Chakwera on Saturday claimed that over K1 trillion was stolen during the Peter Mutharika administration. Chakwera came up with the estimate after analyzing a report by the Auditor General for the year ending June 30.

The president assured Malawians that his government will ensure that people involved in plunder under previous administrations or in future are not protected or forgiven but

Three teenagers jailed over police officer's death

Three teenagers have been jailed over the killing of PC Andrew Harper.

Henry Long, 19, and Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers, both 18, had denied murder. Long admitted manslaughter and his co-accused were found guilty of the same offence by a jury at the Old Bailey in central London last week.

Long was sentenced to 16 years in prison, and Bowers and Cole handed jail terms of 13 years each.

PC Harper was dragged for a mile behind their car, after he tried to stop the group towing away a quad bike, stolen from outside a house in Berkshire in August last year.

The judge, Mr Justice Edis, said on Friday his role was to impose a sentence against the teenagers responsible for PC Harper's death which reflected "the seriousness of this case and protects the public".

First dog to test positive for coronavirus dies

The first ever dog to test positive for coronavirus in the US has died.

The seven-year-old German shepherd named Buddy from Staten Island in New York, passed away after a three-month illness battle.

Two vets, who had not treated Buddy, but reviewed his medical records for National Geographic, told the publication that the dog probably had cancer.

It is unclear if Buddy died from complications connected to the killer virus or lymphoma he may have had, National Geographic reports.

The magazine reported: "It's unclear whether cancer made him more susceptible to contracting the coronavirus, or if the virus made him ill, or if it was just a case of coincidental timing."

Buddy's owner Robert Mahoney tested positive for Covid-19 in the spring and when the dog fell ill in April he suspected he had the virus too.

However it wasn't until mid-May that the family found a vet who was prepared to test him.

The test confirmed Buddy was infected with the virus.

Mr Mahoney's wife Allison told the National Geographic: "You tell people that your dog was positive, and they look at you (as if you have) ten heads."

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer urges Man Utd to act quickly on Sancho

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has urged Man Utd to act quickly in their pursuit of Jadon Sancho in order to avoid a repeat of last summer.

The United boss was forced to wait until just days before the 2019/20 season kicked off to land primary transfer target Harry Maguire from Leicester.

Man City had been rivalling them for the defender's signature until they were blown out of the water by United's £80million bid.

A move for Sancho looks on the cards this summer, but United are approaching the deal with a similar caution to how they did with Maguire.

ESPN report that United believe they can push Sancho's valuation down to closer to the £80m mark as there are no other clubs believed to be chasing the Borussia Dortmund star.

Man who killed Ugandas rare gorilla sentenced to 11 years

A Ugandan man who pleaded guilty to killing a rare silverback gorilla was condemned to 11 years in prison on Thursday.

A 25-year-old male gorilla named Rafiki was found dead in June at the Bwindi National Park in Uganda. Rafiki was the dominant male in a family of 17 mountain gorillas.

The suspect told investigators that he killed the gorilla in self-defense.

About one thousand mountain gorillas live in protected areas in Congo, Uganda and Rwanda.

Tourism in national parks brings critical funds to protect the animals, but since the coronavirus pandemic, the industry has collapsed, and concerns about how to protect vulnerable animals are rising.

Mountain gorillas are now critically endangered due to the surge of illegal hunting.

Africa COVID-19: 874,036 cases; 18,498 deaths; 524,557 recoveries

There are now more than over 870,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus across the continent, with a number of African countries imposing a range of prevention and containment measures against the spread of the pandemic.

According to the latest data by the John Hopkins University and Africa Center for Disease Control on COVID-19 in Africa, the breakdown remains fluid as countries confirm cases as and when. As of May 13, every African country had recorded an infection, the last being Lesotho.

We shall keep updating this list largely sourced from the John Hopkins University tallies, Africa CDC and from official government data.

• Confirmed cases = 874,036
• Active cases = 330,981
• Recoveries = 524,557
• Number of deaths = 18,498

Countries in alphabetical order

• Algeria – 28,615
• Angola – 1,000
• Benin – 1,770
• Botswana – 739
• Burkina Faso – 1,105
• Burundi – 378
• Cameroon – 17,179
• Cape Verde – 2,354
• Central African Republic – 4,599
• Chad – 926
• Comoros – 354
• Congo-Brazzaville – 3,200
• DR Congo – 8,873
• Djibouti – 5,068
• Egypt – 92,947
• Equatorial Guinea – 3,071
• Eritrea – 265
• Eswatini – 2,404
• Ethiopia – 15,200
• Gabon – 7,189
• (The) Gambia – 326
• Ghana – 34,406
• Guinea – 7,126
• Guinea-Bissau – 1,954
• Ivory Coast – 15,713
• Kenya – 18,581
• Lesotho – 505
• Liberia – 1,177
• Libya – 3,017
• Madagascar – 10,104
• Malawi – 3,709
• Mali – 2,520
• Mauritania – 6,249
• Mauritius – 344
• Morocco – 21,387
• Mozambique – 1,720
• Namibia – 1,917
• Niger – 1,132
• Nigeria- 41,804
• Rwanda – 1,926
• Sao Tome and Principe – 867
• Senegal – 9,805
• Seychelles – 114
• Sierra Leone – 1,786
• Somalia – 3,212
• South Africa – 459,761
• South Sudan – 2,305
• Sudan – 11,496
• Tanzania – 509
• Togo – 896
• Tunisia – 1,468
• Uganda – 1,135
• Zambia – 5,002
• Zimbabwe – 2,817

Chisale formally charged with murder

Former president peter Mutharika personal body guard, Norman Chisale, has been formally charged of murder. This is in relation to the death of Issa Njaunju, who was Director of Corporate Services at the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB)

1

Lawyer representating Chisale, Chancy Gondwe has confirmed. "I can confirm that my client has been charged of murder offence. He has been remanded pending committal of the matter to the High Court where he shall be formally charged,” he said.

ESCOM disconnects 30 shops at Bangwe township in Blantyre

Business has been disturbed at Mthandizi Market in Bangwe Township, Blantyre where Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (Escom) has disconnected electricity from about 30 shops, including bars and houses that were illegally connected.
Escom Public Relations Manager Innocent Chitosi said the power was being supplied by two suspected culprits and estimated that it cost the parastatal about K10.5 million.
One of the two suspects, Horace Khan, who made illegal extension and unmetred bypass to 20 shops, had only purchased K1,000 worth of electricity units that he has used in supplying the power since 2018.

Covid-19: MEC offices closed for disinfection

six members of staff at Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) have tested positive for Coronavirus.

The development has forced management to close down all its offices across the country for disinfection exercise which is expected to commence today.

MEC Public Relations Officer Sangwani Mwafulirwa confirmed of the development in an interview with the press.

Malawi has so far recorded over 3,700 cases of COVID-19 with 107 deaths.

MRA confiscates 7 vehicles from Peter Mukhito

Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) on Thursday confiscated seven vehicles at the Lilongwe residence of former Chief of State Residences, Mr. Peter Mukhito over suspected tax evasion.

The development came barely a day after the Malawi Police Service (MPS) arrested Mukhito over cement saga.

MRA Head of Corporate Affairs Steven Kapoloma confirmed of the development in an interview with the press.

According to Kapoloma, the tax collecting body received a tip off from well-wishers on the matter hence the operation.

“I can confirm that we have impounded seven vehicles from Mr Mukhito on suspicion that the vehicles were not duly cleared at MRA,” said Kapoloma.

Kapoloma has since urged Malawians to keep on informing the tax collecting body of the suspected tax evasion malpractices.

Some of the vehicles confiscated are;

1. Toyota Land Cruiser (VX8), registration number BW 6060.

2. Range Rover – No number plate.

3. Toyota Land Cruiser (VX8) – No number plate.

4. Mercedes Benz, registration number CPM 2.

5. VW Passat, registration number CP 7074.

6. Toyota Fortuner, registration number MH 950.

7. Bentry, registration number FW16LS-GP.

The motor vehicles are parked at MRA offices in Lilongwe.

BBNAija 2020: Watch Laycon Proposing Erica

Blantyre based group claims to have found cure for the novel coronavirus

A grouping calling themselves Grace of God based in Blantyre has written the Blantyre District Health Office (DHO) that they have found cure for the novel coronavirus.

Responding to the claims by the grouping, Dr. Gift Kawalazira of Blantyre DHO has asked the College of Medicine to evaluate the effectiveness of the cure which are herbals.

Kawalazira directed the letter to Director of Health and Social Services Dr. John Mphonda who said that the college’s pharmacy department should evaluate the effectiveness of the herbals in treating the deadly virus.

“The bearers of this letter are claiming to have found a herbal cure for Covid-19 and would like to work with Government Departments in administering the remedy.

“Kindly assist in evaluating the efficacy of their remedy and provide further guidance on how we can proceed in working with them,” says Kawalazira in the letter dated July 30.

Bottles of the remedy show that it was made by a group called by the Grace of God based in Blantyre.

Meanwhile, Covid-19 has killed 109 people and there have been 1807 recoveries. The total number of cases recorded is 3,981 cases.

There is currently no cure for Covid-19 and patients are treated based on their clinical condition since many of the disease’s symptoms can be treated.

Angry Youths In Nigeria Set Houses Ablaze Over Woman’s Murder

Angry youths from the Amakohia community in the Ihitte Uboma Local Government Area of Imo State have set ablaze five houses belonging to suspected cultists , who allegedly murdered a pub operator identified as Mrs Uchechi Ogoke.

Uchechi, whose husband is based in Malaysia, died as a result of machete cuts inflicted on her by the hoodlums, who invaded her residence.

Sources in the area, however, alleged that Uchechi’s husband and his younger brother had a hand in her gruesome murder.

According to the sources , the deceased’s husband was uncomfortable with allegations that his wife was involved in extramarital affairs.

The husband and his younger brother, it was alleged , conspired with the hoodlums to kill Uchechi.

The assailants also inflicted machete cuts on Uchechi’s eight-year-old daughter and house help.

Though the two girls survived the attack, it was learnt that the machete cuts on the woman’s body left her with no chance of survival.

Plumber Falls Into Well, Drowns In Nigeria

A plumber, Bankole Adeshina, has lost his life while working inside a well on Abosede Awolola Street in the Itamaga area of Ikorodu, Lagos State.

It was gathered that Adeshina and his apprentice, Tajudeen Akasoro, were working together when the 50-year-old, who was said to have supported himself with a rope, entered the well to do some repairs.

While coming out, it was learnt that the rope snapped and Adeshina fell into the well.

Immediately the incident happened, it was gathered that emergency responders, including personnel of the Lagos State Fire Service and the state police command from the Igbogbo Police Division were contacted to rescue the victims.

However, efforts by Tajudeen and some residents to quickly rescue Adeshina proved abortive as he