Yearbook 2010
Malawi. A sentence of 14 years in prison with hard work
for a gay couple was met with outrage in the outside world.
The two men, who were arrested in December 2009 after
announcing their engagement, were found guilty of gross
indecency and unnatural behavior. Probably because of the
harsh criticism from key donors, President Mutharika decided
a week later to pardon the men. The President has previously
spoken contemptuously of homosexuality.
According to
COUNTRYAAH,
Malawi has a population of 18.14 million (2018). The president's decision to change the country's flag at
short notice caused a lot of criticism within the country.
The former black-red-green flag with a half, red rising sun
in the black field was replaced by a red-black-green flag
with a full, white sun in the middle. The president
justified the change with the fact that the country cannot
be at dawn for almost half a century after independence. The
fully brilliant sun should represent the progress that has
been made, the president said, but received criticism for
the change of flag costing unnecessarily much money and
should have been preceded by a public debate and preferably
a referendum. The answer was that prosecution will be
brought against those who hoist the old flag.
In October, a vessel transport route was opened along the
Shire and Zambezi rivers from Nsanje in southern Malawi to
the port city of Chinde in Mozambique, a distance of 24 km.
The new transport opportunities are expected to greatly
facilitate Malawi's trade and save billions of dollars each
year.
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