Adolescents who claim they are “madly in love” might not be too far off the mark: a new study suggests that they show almost manic behaviours.

Serge Brand of the Psychiatric University Clinics in Basel, Switzerland, and his colleagues surveyed 113 teenagers at around 17 years of age, asking them to complete questionnaires about their conduct and mood and to keep a log of their sleep patterns. Of those, 65 indicated they had recently fallen in love and experienced intense romantic emotions.

The lovestruck teenagers showed many behaviours resembling “hypomania” – a less intense form of mania. For example, they required about an hour less sleep each night than teens who didn’t have a sweetheart. They were also more likely to report acting compulsively, with 60% saying they spent too much money compared with fewer than 30% of teenagers who were not in love.

Moreover, the lovestruck teens were more than twice as likely to say they had lots of ideas and creative energy. Worryingly, they were also more likely to say they drove fast and took risks on the road.

“We were able to demonstrate that adolescents in early-stage intense romantic love did not differ from patients during a hypomanic stage,” say the researchers. This leads them to conclude that intense romantic love in teenagers is a “psychopathologically prominent stage”.

They add that psychiatrists should take this information into account when assessing adolescent patients who are having trouble sleeping and are showing other behavioural changes.

The symptoms of hypomania overlap with those of mania, which is diagnosed as bipolar disorder when accompanied by periods of depression.

Journal reference: Journal of Adolescent Health

Information and Broadcasting Minister, Mike Mulongoti has taken a swipe at civil society organisations which are dragging the implementation of National Constitution Conference (NCC) and challenged them to disclose the source of their funding.

Mr Mulongoti said the pulling out of Non-Government Organisation Coordinating Council (NGOCC) from the NCC meant that the council was fighting the cause of its funders not the people of Zambia it claimed to represent.

Speaking on Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC)’s “Open Line” programme yesterday, Mr Mulongoti said the NCC was now law and dismissed fears of the NGOCC that the Government would dominate the Constitution debate at the NCC once it became operational. “The Government is not being rigid in the Constitution making process. We have refused to take the suggestion by NGOCC that we discuss social and economic rights as pre-determined issues. The conference will debate these issues,” he said. Mr Mulongoti said the Government would spend K202 billion to facilitate the NCC session which had to sit for 12 months with the chairperson being elected by NCC members themselves.

He accused the NGOCC of protecting its own interests and challenged the council to come out in the open and disclose its funding while describing fears of civil society as unfounded. He said the focus now should be on the content and urged all stakeholders to prepare because the minister of Justice would soon announce the establishment of the NCC secretariat and people will express their views freely in the conference. But NGOCC chairperson, Marian Munyinda, on the same programme said it was not fair for the minister to attack the civil society and described the pullout of the council as not the end of the Constitution fight.

Ms Miyanda said the council would continue to educate its members on the Constitution debate countrywide outside the NCC. She said the council would not go to the conference just to escort politicians hence, the decision to stay away. She said the council had no hidden agenda on the Constitution-making process and maintained that the new document would not be people-driven if the current composition was not revised and social and economic issues not taken on board.

Times of Zambia

PRESIDENT Mwanawasa is on Tuesday expected in Mazabuka to officially launch the Sugarcane Expansion Project at Zambia Sugar Company Plc.The President would depart Lusaka at 07:30 hours by helicopter and conduct an aerial view of the Kafue river, Delta farm, Manyonyo, Chilala, Nanga and Magobbo settlements before landing at Nakambala football ground at 08:00 hours.

Zambia Sugar Company Plc managing director, Paul de Robillard would accompany the President during the aerial viewing of farms and areas where the expansion programme was being implemented.

The President will then proceed to Kaleya Smallholders by road where he is expected to tour the Sugarcane Outgrowers Scheme before unveiling the project.

Zambia Sugar Company Plc has pumped K840 Billion into the expansion project which has gained momentum.

Production of sugar is projected to increase from the current 260,000 to 440,000 tonnes due to the additional 10,500 hactares of land under the expansion programme.

Construction of water canals will cover 30 kilometres from the Kafue river, which is the source of water for irrigation for sugarcane.

So far the digging of canals has covered a distance of three kilometres while on bush clearing, eight kilometres have been done.

ZANIS

Education Deputy Minister Lucy Changwe has challenged fellow members of parliament to go for voluntary counselling and testing (VCT), VCT.

Ms. Changwe disclosed that she was happy that she has gone for VCT and knows her HIV
status which is negative.

She said members of parliament should lead by example in the fight against HIV/AIDS
by going for VCT.

The Minister made the remarks when she officiated at the Teachers Health Day held
Naboye High school in Kafue yesterday.

on Saturday under the theme “Health Teacher for Quality Education”.

She noted with sadness that the Ministry of Education has not been spared from the
HIV/AIDS pandemic.

Ms Changwe challenged members of parliament, traditional leaders and civil society
to play an important role in mobilizing communities to take up preventive actions,
including fighting stigma.

She said there was need for action now before the disease wipes out the whole
nation. a

And speaking earlier,  Kafue District Education Standards Officer (DESO) Loveness
Mubisi commended the Ministry of Education for choosing Kafue to host the Teachers
Healthy Day whose theme is “Healthy Teachers for Quality Education”.

Mrs Mubisi said the theme was appropriate because a healthy teacher has a low
absenteeism rate from duty.

Government says it has intensified preparations for the National Constitutional Conference, NCC.

Justice minister George Kunda says the process of  appointing members of the NCC
will start next week.

At a press briefing in Lusaka today, Mr Kunda said it is the intention of government
to convene the NCC as quickly as possible.

Mr Kunda said government through its Constitution Review Process Implementation
Committee is working on a sensitisation programme aimed at creating public awareness
on the Conference.

He said the idea is to ensure that members of the public including those in rural
areas are fully informed about the National Constitutional Conference.

Mr Kunda stressed that the position of government is that the NCC Act number 19 of
2007 as enacted by parliament will be implemented to the full as it is the only
lawful basis for the structure, composition and function of the conference.

The minister explained that only a few members from the CRC, mostly experts, will
take part in the NCC while the majority will come from various organisations and
interest groups.

Meanwhile, Justice Minister George Kunda says government does not accept arguments
being advanced by some interest groups that the composition of the NCC is unfair.

He said contrary to such assertions, the composition of the NCC is far much better
and fairer than that recommended by the Mung’omba Constituyional Review Commission.

Mr Kunda explained that stakeholders made submissions to the Parliamentary Committee
which dealt with the NCC and government graciously included in the NCC Act more than
90% of the suggestions which came from stakeholders.

He said for example, government removed the CRC recommendation which suggested that
the President should appoint 10 eminent persons because of insinuations that the
President enjoyed too much power.

Mr Kunda said it was therefore surprising that the same people who advocated for the
reduction of Presidential powers should  now be insisting on the unfettered
implementation of the CRC recommendations.

He said the ongoing contitution review process should be about improving the supreme
law of the land and not undermining President Levy Mwanawasa.

The minister said the idea of the new deal government is to improve the constitution
and that is why the document circulated commented to all stakeholdders for them to
make their input. 

He said the CRC Report had recommended the holding of elections in all the 72
districts to elect delegates to the confernce.

The Oasis Forum made representation to the Government it should not follow this
recommendation but instead include councillors who are infact politicians to be part
of the conference.

He said as a listening government,  one councillor from each district was included
in the NCC in line with the  suggestion by the OASIS Forum.

To government’s astonishment, the Oasis Forum has turned round demanding a full
implementation the CRC report.

“As it’s usually the case, the OASIS Forum has continued to raise new issues even
after the enactment of the NCC Bill with a view to sabotaging the process.” Justice
Kunda said.

He  urged members of the OASIS Forum to read the report and recommendations of the
CRC as they will discover that the NCC Act and its composition are better than that
recommended by the CRC.

Mr Kunda said government will not allow a situation where persons not interested in
having new constitution hold the public to ransom.

He said government will proceed to enforce the law as it is and not as some people
would like it to be.

Mr Kunda urged all organisations and interest groups mentioned in the NCC Act and
Zambians in general to prepare themselves for the conference.

The minister took a swipe at South African based law lecturer Professor Michelo
Hansungule for misleading Zambians on political issues he has little information
about.

Mr Kunda said he expected Professor Hansungule to guide the nation rather lower his
profile as a professor through unresearched presentations.

Professor Hansungule was one of the speakers at the civil society organised meeting
on the constitution making process at Lusaka’s Mulungushi International Conference
centre last week.

President Mwanawasa is expected in Mazabuka  on Tuesday this week to officially launch the sugarcane expansion project at Zambia Sugar plc.

This is according to a programme released to ZANIS in Mazabuka by District
Commissioner, Misheck Chiinda today.

According to the programme, Mr Mwanawasa will fly by chopper from Lusaka and conduct an aerial view of the Kafue river, Delta farm, Manyonyo, Chilala, Nanga and Magobbo settlements before landing at Nakambala football ground at 08:00 hours.

Zambia Sugar company plc, Managing Director, Paul de Robillard will accompany the
President during the aerial viewing of farms and areas where the sugarcane expansion
programme is being implemented.

The President will then proceed to Kaleya Small Holders by road where he is expected
to tour the Sugarcane Out-growers Scheme before unveiling the project.

Zambia Sugar company plc has invested K840 billion in the sugarcane expansion
project which has since gained momentum.

Production of sugar is projected to increase from the current, 260,000 metric tonnes
to 440,000 metric tonnes due to the additional 10,500 hectares of land under the
expansion programme.

Construction of irrigation canals will cover 30 Kilometres from the Kafue river
which is the source of water for irrigation for sugarcane.

So far the digging of the canals under the project has so far covered a distance of
3km while 8km of bush has also been cleared.

Zambia Sugar Corporate Affairs manager, Lovemore Sievu told ZANIS all is set for the
official launch of the sugarcane project by the republican President on Tuesday

Zambia Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) president Leornard Hikaumba says safeguarding of personal interests is what has derailed the merger of ZCTU with the Federation of Free Trade Unions of Zambia (FFTUZ).

Mr Hikaumba said informal discussions were underway between the two unions and hoped that workers’interests would be prioritised as opposed to personal interests.

Mr Hikaumba who said this on Zambezi FM Radio in Livingstone yesterday monitored by ZANIS.

He warned that coming up with many unions would weaken the union’s voice adding that the  fragmentation of unions has led to leaders dealing with each other instead of
dealing with the plight of workers and described the whole move as unfortunate.

”We in the leadership are a problem with the merger. We have however exchanged
letters and have had informal discussions and with time, I hope we shall discard
personal interests and look at interests of workers and this is the only way we will
achieve something,” he said.

Mr Hikaumba called on all Zambians to come up with a smaller number of unions.

He said many uinons have made negotiations with Government to take much longer
because Government had to negotiate with seven different unions all representing
public service workers.