international campaign to preserve press freedom in Mozambique appeared to win a tactical victory Friday when a judge delayed for two months a criminal defamation trial against the two small children of a corruption-fighting journalist who was gunned down in an apparent assassination in the capital, Maputo, 14 months ago.

A cholera epidemic in 8 of Mozambique's 11 provinces has infected 11,527 people and killed 139 in only a few months, health officials said. The epidemic began in August in the central Zambezia province, where more than half the deaths have been recorded, Avertino Barreto, the deputy national director of health, told state radio.

Heavy rains in southern Mozambique have virtually made the city of Inhambane inaccessible by road, Radio Mozambique reported at the weekend.

UNESCO is one of several development partners working to support the establishment of community radio in Mozambique. They are supporting 4 on-air stations, the creation of a women's community radio network and a national coordination forum for community radio, as well as working to establish 8 new community radio stations. This is part of UNESCO's 'Strengthening Democracy & Governance through Development of the Media in Mozambique' project.

The government in Mozambique has announced the formation of a special unit to fight corruption.