The Chinese government is investigating the former head of its food and drug administration for corruption after dismissing him on suspicion of accepting bribes. The high-level investigation has highlighted problems in China's health care system. Daniel Schearf reports from Beijing.

Malawi President Bingu wa Mutharika says the country can be rescued from the poverty trap if it ceases to be a consuming nation and becomes a producing and exporting one. To achieve this, the President said his government has designed a Malawi Growth and Development Strategy, which has set out a new development agenda for the country. This he said would mark the beginning of a series of meetings, which aims to map out the way forward for the country's development.

China's work safety watchdog says the number of deaths from coal mine accidents, the highest in the world, declined dramatically this year following the closing of thousands of illegal and unsafe mines. But Chinese officials say collusion between local officials and mine owners is still a big obstacle to improving coal mine safety. Daniel Schearf reports from Beijing.

As the Democratic Republic of Congo President Joseph Kabila begins his first democratically elected presidential term, he faces the challenge of radical reform in the mining sector, which has been marked by decades of corruption and mismanagement. Phuong Tran reports from VOA's Dakar bureau.

The wife of Taiwan's President Chen Shui-bian passed out during the opening session of her corruption trial, and has been taken to the hospital.