Pambazuka News 385: A defining moment for Zimbabwe

Levy Mwanawasa, the president of Zambia, is reportedly recieving intensive care treatment in a French hospital, the vice-president said.Rupiah Banda also denied claims on Thursday that Mwanawasa had died. "The president had [a] satisfactory night at the Percy military hospital in France. The news reports ... are not true," Banda said in a statement.

While lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people in countries such as Uganda continue to fight for their inclusion in the HIV and Aids programmes, Malawian LGBTI community is making noticeable strides towards recognition. This comes after the Center for the Development of People (CEDEP), a Malawian human rights organisation, presented research findings on HIV sero- prevalence study among men who have sex with other men (MSM) in Malawi.

Somalia has been without effective central government for almost two decades. Most state institutions have vanished in large parts of the country -- schools are no exception. In the northeast and northwest of Somalia, where there has been relative stability, schools have been operating almost as normal; it is in the southern and central regions of the country -- including the capital -- that the education system has collapsed.

Annette* is a small, lively woman in her early sixties. Married to an abusive husband -- who once threw boiling water on her, landing her in hospital -- she was not repeating the story with her alcoholic and drug-addicted son. Just as her husband was growing older and calmer, her son was getting increasingly violent.

Arid eastern Chad has always suffered water shortages. In 2004, a quarter-million Darfuri refugees settled in the region, placing further strain on local water sources. Intensive labor by a wide range of aid groups -- drilling new wells, building dams to catch rainwater, opening up channels to feed rain into underground reservoirs -- has alleviated but not eliminated the problem.

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