LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-The Malawi Police Service (MPS) have arrested a suspected ringleader of the panga-wielding gang that has been behind a series of violent attacks in Lilongwe and surrounding areas.
The three suspects arrested on November 2, 2025 have been identified as Bruno Munlo Makina (37), of Mponda Vge, T/A Msamala in Balaka; Erick Phakamisa (40), of Undi Vge, T/A Kaphuka in Dedza; and Hanif Banda (23), of Wimbe Vge, T/A Wimbe in Kasungu.
The suspects are believed to be former President Lazarus Chakwera’s Malawi Congress Party (MCP) zealots.
National Police Service Deputy publicist Alfred Chimthere told The Maravi Post on Sunday afternoon, November 2, 2025 that “Munlo Makina is believed to have been coordinating some of the gang’s criminal activities”.
The police publicist adds, “Banda and Phakamisa are also directly connected to various offences of attacks that have been under investigation.
“The arrests were made following sustained investigations and coordinated intelligence operations.”
Chinthere explains further, “This latest breakthrough brings the total number of suspects apprehended in the ongoing operation to fifteen (15).
“All suspects are currently in Police custody pending court appearance. The MPS reiterates its unwavering commitment to bringing all perpetrators of violent crime to justice”.
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BLANTYRE-(MaraviPost)-Vice President Jane Ansah has urged Malawians and corporate institutions to unite in supporting Beit-Cure Children’s Hospital, which continues to provide free surgical care for children across the country.
Speaking on Saturday during a fundraising dinner held at Amaryllis Hotel in Blantyre, Ansah appealed to the public to contribute towards the hospital’s mission, stressing that every donation no matter the size can help transform a child’s life.
She commended Beit-Cure for its 23 years of dedicated service, during which the hospital has reached all 28 districts of Malawi, offering free and specialized medical care to children with disabilities.
To demonstrate her support, the Vice President personally donated MK2 million to the cause.
On his part,Beit-Cure Hospital Board Chairperson John McGrath described the event as ‘a night of compassion,’ emphasizing that each contribution, big or small, makes a lasting difference in the lives of children who need surgical care.
Representing First Capital Bank, Head of Marketing Twikale Chirwa reaffirmed the bank’s commitment to supporting the hospital, noting that the partnership has seen the bank contribute over MK70 million towards Beit-Cure’s operations over the years.
Held under the theme ‘Healing Journeys: Bridging the Gap of Hope,’ the event sought to raise K310 million to fund life-changing surgeries for more than 200,000 children across Malawi.
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p class=”readrate” data-rr=”16″ style=”line-height: 1.2;” data-pm-slice=”1 1 []”>Two judges rule that it’s unlawful for President Trump to suspend SNAP food benefits. With higher premiums and a government shutdown, open enrollment for health insurance is different this year. Higher electricity prices are factoring into who voters in New Jersey and Virginia pick as their governors.
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“Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven.” – James 5:14-15
All around the world, the month of October is commemorated (or remembered) as Breast cancer Awareness Month.
During this month, many women remember to wear pink outfits, hats, or shoes, and handbags. But throughout the year women also get the government-ordained annual breast cancer screening; most governments around the world pay for this screening.
This screening has detected breast cancer early, managed, and/or treated. This has saved many women’s lives or allowed them to live longer, put their affairs in order.
The same now needs to be done for men over 55 years old.
Governments must come up with ordinances to get men screened for prostate cancer; they should also set aside funds for the screening to be paid for by the government.
In the past 10 months numerous men have succumbed to prostate cancer, some are battling the gruesome illness. Sadly many men (not being required by government ordinance) get the cancer and are sometimes only diagnosed with the disease at its advanced stage.
Prostate cancer is a type of cancer that develops in the prostate gland, which is part of the male reproductive system. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that “the prostate is a part of the male reproductive system, which includes the male reproductive organ, prostate, seminal vesicles, and testicles.
The prostate is located just below the bladder and in front of the rectum. It is about the size of a walnut and surrounds the urethra (the tube that empties urine from the bladder). It produces fluid that makes up a part of semen….Prostate cancer is a disease in which cells in the prostate grow out of control.”
The CDC furthermore points out in the Prostate Cancer Fact Sheet “…most men with prostate cancer have no symptoms.
However, some men experience the following: frequent urination, trouble urinating, blood in urine or semen, pain in the back, hips, or pelvis. These may be caused by conditions other than prostate cancer,” the CDC therefore advises men to talk to their doctor if they experience any or all of these symptoms. Below are the symptoms of prostate cancer:
Difficulty starting urination, weak or interrupted flow of urine, urinating often, especially at night, trouble emptying the bladder completely, pain or burning during urination, blood in the urine or semen, pain in the back, hips, or pelvis that doesn’t go away, painful ejaculation.
The CDC states that men that are 65 and older are more likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer. Another likelihood is if a member of the family has been diagnosed with the disease.
Lastly the CDC states that compared to other men, black or African American men are more likely to get prostate cancer, get prostate cancer at a younger age, have a more advanced stage of prostate cancer when it’s found, and sadly die from prostate cancer. So, please do not wait until you are 55 if you are a black man or African American man!
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, a group of medical experts, recommends, and I strongly agree and recommend all men reading this column “…..that men 55 to 69 years old make individual decisions about prostate cancer screening. Talk to your doctor about your risk and how you feel about the benefits and harms of screening.”
The task force says the goal of the screening is to look for cancers that are likely to spread if untreated. While some of these cells may not grow at all, most grow slowly.
“The most common screening method is the prostate specific antigen (PSA) test, which measures PSA levels in your blood. PSA is a substance the prostate makes.
Higher PSA levels can show a prostate problem, but it doesn’t always mean you have cancer. If your PSA level is high, your doctor may recommend a biopsy.
This means removing a small piece of tissue from your prostate to examine under a microscope for cancer cells,” the task force informs on the fact sheet.
According to the Force, the benefits of finding prostate cancer that has a high risk of spreading, may lower the chance of death from prostate cancer in some men.
The force warns however, that there is harm in having an abnormal PSA test result when there is no prostate cancer, which could lead to unnecessary tests, like a biopsy. And regrettably “prostate biopsy can cause pain, infection, and blood in the semen or ejaculate.
It states that men who would not have had symptoms or died from prostate cancer can have complications from treatment but have no benefit from it.”
Once diagnosed with prostate cancer, the treatment that may not grow, your doctor may suggest monitoring it over time instead of immediate treatment; this is called active surveillance or watchful waiting, including regular check-ups.
Men whose prostate grows or is at an advanced stage, who may need treatment, modern medical science has the following options that include the following:
Surgery to remove the prostate, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and other treatments. Such treatments have side effects such as urinary incontinence (accidental leakage of urine), difficulty having sex, and bowel problems.
Men between the ages of 40 and 65 should have annual prostate cancer screening.
As far as possible, governments around the world must make such screening available to all men.
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NEW YORK, Oct 10 2025 (IPS) – Egypt and Vietnam are on track to secure seats on the United Nations Human Rights Council despite being woefully unfit for membership. The UN General Assembly will elect members to the UN’s premier rights body in a noncompetitive vote on October 14, 2025.
These 2 countries are among 14 member states seeking three-year terms on the 47-nation Human Right Council starting in January 2026. Vietnam, currently a Council member, is seeking re-election.
“Noncompetitive UN votes permit abusive governments like Egypt and Vietnam to become Human Rights Council members, threatening to make a mockery of the Council,” said Louis Charbonneau, UN director at Human Rights Watch. “UN member states should stop handing Council seats on a silver platter to serial rights violators.”
Egypt, along with Angola, Mauritius, and South Africa are running for four African seats. India, Iraq, and Pakistan are joining Vietnam for the four Asian seats. For Latin America and the Caribbean, Chile, and Ecuador are unopposed for two seats.
In the Western group, Italy and the United Kingdom are running for two available seats, while Estonia and Slovenia are candidates for two seats for Central and Eastern Europe.
General Assembly Resolution 60/251, which created the Human Rights Council in 2006, urges states voting for members to “take into account the contribution of candidates to the promotion and protection of human rights.” Council members are required to “uphold the highest standards in the promotion and protection of human rights” at home and abroad and to “fully cooperate with the Council.”
Candidates only need a simple majority in the secret-ballot vote in the 193-nation General Assembly to secure a seat on the Human Rights Council. That makes it highly unlikely that any of the candidates will not be elected. Nevertheless, UN member states should not cast votes for abusive governments that are demonstrably unqualified for Council membership.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s government has continued wholesale repression, systematically detaining and punishing peaceful critics and activists, and effectively criminalizing peaceful dissent. Government security forces have committed serious human rights abuses with near-absolute impunity. These include killing hundreds of largely peaceful protesters and widespread, systematic torture of detainees, which most likely amount to crimes against humanity.
The government also tries to prevent its own citizens from engaging with the Geneva-based Human Rights Council, and punishes those who engage with brutal reprisals. It ignores UN experts’ requests to visit the country.
The ruling Communist Party of Vietnam maintains a monopoly on political power and allows no challenge to its leadership. Basic rights are severely restricted, including freedoms of expression, peaceful assembly, association, and religion. Rights activists and bloggers face police intimidation, harassment, restricted movement, and arbitrary arrest and detention.
Mauritius and the UK, among the countries running. signed a treaty that recognizes Mauritius’ sovereignty over the Chagos islands but fails to address the ongoing crimes against humanity against Chagossians and their right of return to all the islands.
The UK forcibly displaced the Chagossian people between 1965 and 1973 to allow the US to build a military base. Mauritius and the UK should comply with their international rights obligations, including Chagossians’ right of return and should provide an effective remedy and reparations.
Angolan President João Lourenço has pledged to protect human rights, though Angolan security forces have used excessive force against political activists and peaceful protesters. South Africa has taken strong stances for accountability on Palestine and other issues. It should be similarly robust with rights violations by Russia and China.
The Bharatiya Janata Party government in India led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has refused access to UN experts. Modi’s party leaders and supporters repeatedly vilify and attack Muslims and Christians with impunity, while the authorities often punish those who protest this campaign of Hindu majoritarianism.
Pakistan should cease the use of draconian counterterrorism and sedition laws to intimidate peaceful critics, and repeal its blasphemy laws. The government should prosecute those responsible for incitement and attacks on minorities and marginalized communities.
In 2024, Iraq passed a law criminalizing same-sex relations and transgender expression. Violence and discrimination against LGBT people are rampant, for which no one is held to account. Iraqi authorities have increasingly repressed activists and journalists.
In Ecuador, the government has attacked judicial independence and security forces have committed serious human rights violations since President Daniel Noboa declared an “internal armed conflict” in January 2024.
In Chile, President Gabriel Boric’s administration has played a leading role in speaking out on human rights violations around the world. Human rights challenges, including racism and abuses against migrants, remain a problem in the country, however.
In the UK, the authorities should end their crackdown on freedom of assembly. Many peaceful protesters in support of Palestinians or action on climate change have been arrested and some imprisoned after demonstrating.
Italy should stop criminalizing and obstructing sea rescues and enabling Libyan forces to intercept migrants and refugees and take them back to Libya, where they face arbitrary detention and grave abuses. Italy also failed to comply with a 2025 International Criminal Court arrest warrant by sending a wanted suspect back to Libya instead of to The Hague.
The Human Rights Council has played a crucial role in investigating abuses in Syria, Myanmar, North Korea, Russia, Ukraine, Israel/Palestine, and elsewhere. It recently established an investigation into serious crimes in Afghanistan by all parties—past and present —and extended its fact-finding mission for Sudan. Other countries and situations need scrutiny.
Council members should press for investigations of abuses by major powers, such as China’s crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and others in Xinjiang, and take up extrajudicial killings by the US of alleged narcotics traffickers on sea vessels.
For Council investigations to be credible, it needs financing. It is critical for countries to pay their assessed UN dues while boosting voluntary contributions. This will ensure that independent human rights investigations do not become casualties of the UN’s financial crisis resulting from the Trump administration halting virtually all payments to the UN and China and others paying late.
“The Human Rights Council has been able to save countless lives by carrying out numerous human rights investigations that deter governments and armed groups from committing abuses,” Charbonneau said. “All governments should recognize that it’s in their interests to promptly pay their UN dues so the rights Council can do its job.”
United Nations Special Rapporteur Reem Alsalem recently released her report on violence against women and girls with a focus on surrogacy, one of the most controversial topics in the medical field.
United Nations Special Rapporteur Reem Alsalem. Credit: UN Photo/Loey Felipe
UNITED NATIONS, Sep 19 2025 (IPS) – A United Nations report calling for the global abolition of surrogacy has sparked intense debate among experts, with critics arguing that blanket bans could harm the very women the policy aims to protect.
Reem Alsalem, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, issued a report on violence against women and girls with a specific focus on surrogacy as a form of exploitation. The report, officially titled “The different manifestations of violence against women and girls in the context of surrogacy,” was published on July 14, 2025, and is slated for discussion at the upcoming UN General Assembly session in October.
The report calls surrogacy “direct and exploitative use of a woman’s bodily and reproductive functions for the benefit of others, often resulting in long-lasting harm and in exploitative circumstances.”
It further delves into the danger of surrogacy business models, in particular, which embrace the ambiguity of international law to churn a profit, often at the expense of both the surrogate and the prospective family. Alsalem recommends the abolition of surrogacy and asks member states to “work towards adopting an international legally binding instrument prohibiting all forms of surrogacy.”
One of the largest problems with surrogacy today, according to Senior Lecturer at Swinburne University Jutharat Attawet, is a lack of comprehensive education and legal standards around the practice. This results in social alienation and false conceptions, which worsen exploitation of people who participate in surrogacy—they are not provided adequate resources
Attawet, who specializes in surrogacy healthcare and domestic policy, considers surrogacy itself a beneficial tool for nontraditional family building. However, she acknowledges the steps it has to take to ensure autonomy and respect for surrogates.
Attawet’s research, cited in Alsalem’s report, shows that approximately 1 percent of babies born in Australia are from surrogates, so although the number has doubled over the past decade, doctors are not familiar with the process. Furthermore, legislation is primarily top-down rather than region- or area-specific. Since doctors in places like Australia are “intimidated by the language” surrounding surrogacy due to minimal education, they are less willing to openly engage with the procedures. This pushes families to seek surrogates elsewhere, where laws are less stringent and doctors more comfortable with the procedures.
Another incentive for overseas surrogacy, Attawet says, is lack of national support for surrogacy. Since it does not fulfill the criteria of most healthcare insurance plans, prospective parents often seek a more affordable surrogacy birth internationally. This further contributes to the exploitation both she and Alsalem note in their respective research—international surrogacy is much more difficult to regulate between different countries’ laws and often primarily harms the surrogate and the child, who is less likely to know their birth mother from an international surrogacy.
Alsalem criticized the practice of international surrogacy as an exploitative technique to perpetuate wealth inequality between different countries, but many experts argue that the job is one of the few accessible, well-paying jobs for child-bearing people who need to care for their family full-time. Polina Vlasenko, a researcher whose work was also cited in Alsalem’s report, explained to IPS that international surrogacy in Ukraine and the Republic of Georgia “is the type of job you can combine with having a kid and being a full-time caretaker of your kid… it still benefits women.”
Vlasenko elaborated, saying that most workers in the surrogacy industry, including intermediaries and clinicians, were women who had some sort of pre-existing connection to the process—often being former surrogates. To ban surrogacy entirely, Vlasenko argues, would merely harm women in all facets of the industry rather than resolving wealth gaps. She said, “this inequality is much deeper than services of surrogacy.”
Social worker and professor at Ohio State University Sharvari Karandikar similarly opposes the Special Rapporteur’s recommendation of abolition. In an interview with IPS, Karandikar explained that “in countries like India, it’s really hard to implement policies in a uniform way, and I think that one needs to have proper oversight of medical professionals and how they’re engaging in surrogate arrangements and medical tourism. Blanket bans do not work.”
She emphasized the dangers of surrogacy without regulation, saying it would only do more harm.
Instead, Karandikar advocates for “the safety, the better communication, more education, more informed choice and decision, more safeguards, better treatment options, and long-term health coverage for women who engage in surrogacy” as “a wonderful way to speak about women’s choices, decisions and their health instead of penalizing anyone.”
However, in order for the global conversation surrounding surrogacy to center around female agency, experts like Vlasenko say the perception of surrogates needs to change. She said, “sex work is not seen as violence or exploitation when it’s done for free… it’s the same with childbirth… surrogate mothers are taking the only work that, in their situation, allows them to fulfill certain responsibilities like childcare and income generation. They think that they’re agents in this process, but society sees them as victims.”
Ultimately, the surrogacy debate reflects broader questions about women’s autonomy, economic inequality and reproductive rights. As Vlasenko noted, addressing the “much deeper inequality” that pushes women to surrogacy may prove more effective than focusing solely on limiting the practice itself.
