Zimbabwe in the News

This page is about the turmoil in Zimbabwe, the heavy-handed rule of Robert Mugabe, the expulsion of white farmers because they were white, economic collapse, property seizures, and the suffering of the general population.  Somehow the situation hasn't received a lot of attention in the American news media.  Perhaps this is because Zimbabwe doesn't have a lot of oil, or perhaps the U.S. news media dare not criticize a black "leader" under any circumstances.

More probably, news about Zimbabwe is suppressed because it is politically incorrect to come out and say that the people of Zimbabwe were much better off under white colonial leadership, back when the country was called Rhodesia.  Mr. Mugabe is still considered a great leader — as good as any other — by many members of the United Nations.  That in itself tells us a lot about the U.N.

Why do I care?  This is what the idea of "reparations" for 19th-century injustices really means.  Mugabe's rounding up and imprisoning the white farmers is justified, in his view, by the whites having taken control of the country about 100 years ago.  Black "leaders" like Louis Farrakhan seem to be delighted by what's happening there.  But it also shows what uncontrolled land grabs and property seizures can do to a country.

The story of Zimbabwe's miserable situation is the story of a power-crazed communist dictator who has single-handedly wrecked one of the strongest and most prosperous countries in Africa.  It is the story of a black racist government that has violently driven out white farmers just because they are white.  It is the story of a country that now endures mind-boggling rates of inflation — where a loaf of bread costs billions of dollars.  In spite of all the above, it is a story that is all but completely ignored by the American press, primarily — in my opinion — because the villain is black.

This page is mostly about current events.  The situation in Zimbabwe has been headed in the same direction for well over a decade.  More about Zimbabwe's history over the last 50 years can be found here.

(The last time I counted, there were about 524 links on this page.)


Recap and overview:

These articles sum up the current situation and the roots of Zimbabwe's troubles.

Zimbabwe is in the throes of an 'economic meltdown'.  Zimbabwe's relations with the West became strained after Mugabe's government launched controversial land reforms in 2000, seizing farms from white commercial farmers for redistribution to landless blacks.  Ties worsened when the United States and the European Union imposed targeted sanctions on Mugabe and members of his inner circle following the country's 2002 presidential election dismissed by the opposition as a fraud.  The country is now operating a budget deficit largely financed by the printing of money.

Alone again.  Isolated by the West and the world, Robert Mugabe maintains his grip on a desperate and fearful nation.

From Rhodesia to Zimbabwe.  As President Jimmy Carter's emissary to Africa, [Andrew] Young played a pivotal role — along with Secretary of State Cyrus Vance, National Security Adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski, and other Carter administration officials — in enthroning Mugabe's terror regime and turning much of the Dark Continent into the nightmarish slaughterhouse of chaos and terror it has become.

Published in May, 2000:
 Self-imposed starvation.  What's going on in Zimbabwe is part of what has been a general pattern in Africa and elsewhere:  The most productive people are forced to flee.  Not only do white Africans flee, but the most productive black Africans flee, as well.  Black Africans do well when they come to the United States and Europe, while their brethren at home perish.

The great paradox about Zimbabwe's Mugabe:  You may not believe this.  Of all the Heads of State in office today, Mugabe almost certainly is the most educated.  He has seven university degrees.  They are not honorary ones.  They are all earned.  Which brings me to the great paradox about the man.  He is not a simpleton like Idi Amin, nor like Jean-Bedel Bokassa, or Samuel Doe.  So what went wrong?

Botswana and Zimbabwe:  A Tale of Two Countries.  Since gaining independence, one has become a success while the other has become a dismal failure. ... Zimbabwe suffers from an 80 percent unemployment rate and, according to the International Monetary Fund, an inflation rate exceeding 150,000 percent.  Since 1994, the average life expectancy for women in Zimbabwe has fallen from 57 years to 34 years; among men it has dropped from 54 years to 37 years.  Some 3,500 Zimbabweans die every week from the combined effects of HIV/AIDS, poverty, and malnutrition.  Half a million Zimbabweans may have died since 2000, while some 3 million fled to South Africa alone.

Zimbabwe and the Liberal Mind:  Robert Mugabe:  exalted oppressor of the Zimbabwean people, jailer of opponents, suppressor of every human right known to man and then some.  Robert Mugabe, all-round tyrant, despot and jerk, as well as unwitting generator of a certain nostalgia for the bad old days of topees and gin and tonics.  Maybe, after all, we think, watching Zimbabwe's plunge into the Dark Ages, amid economic ruination and the shutdown of civil liberties, black isn't automatically the color of virtue, nor white the color of viciousness.  Maybe the old empires, which certainly had their demerits, had, as well, some good points.  For one thing, they'd allow you a fair trial.

A Heaping Bowl of Mush.  Conditions in the former British colony of Rhodesia could not be more horrific.  After nearly 30 years of independence, presided over by the Marxist tyrant and psychotic Robert Mugabe, the country, once the "breadbasket of Africa," has reverted to something resembling an atavistic state.  The economy is essentially dysfunctional, inflation has wiped out savings and capital, "food shortages" have given way to starvation, and the daily life of most Zimbabweans is a combination of grubbing for subsistence and avoiding the attention of Mugabe's armed thugs.

Mugabe Shuns Tents, Innocence Dies in Egeland's UN Aid Memoirs.  When Jan Egeland arrived in Zimbabwe as the United Nations's emergency-relief coordinator in December 2005, he offered tents to shelter thousands of slum dwellers whose homes President Robert Mugabe had ordered destroyed.  "Tents are for Arabs!" Mugabe said, rebuffing the offer.  "It was one of those situations when you do not know whether to cry, laugh, or shout," Egeland writes in "A Billion Lives," a book chronicling his more than three years as the head of UN efforts to help victims of civil wars, natural disasters and brutish governments.

How paradise turned to poverty.  Last year, Justine Shaw was forced to flee her beloved Zimbabwe.  Like millions of others, she had suffered years of threats, poverty and intimidation at the hands of Robert Mugabe's men.  Here, she recounts how paradise turned to poverty — and her fears for the elderly parents she left behind.

Why the UN is Worthless to Human Existence.  Africa has more natural resources than the United States.  Yet its people wallow in poverty and a horrible existence, not because the land doesn't provide for them, but because of bad governments.  Case in point is Zimbabwe which, by all accounts, should be the richest of all African nations.  It was once called the breadbasket of Africa because of its rich soil and prosperous farmers.  Today, under the brutal, unending dictatorship of insane ruler Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe sits in ruins.


The latest:
 Jacob Zuma wants immunity for Africa despots.  South African President Jacob Zuma has proposed a new deal for Africa that would allow autocratic leaders immunity from prosecution in exchange for their retirement, a move clearly aimed at the 85-year-old Zimbabwean despot Robert Mugabe.

US wants to back Zimbabwe.  Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai here on Thursday [6/11/2009] that the United States is looking for ways to "appropriately" back his tense unity government.  Clinton warmly welcomed Tsvangirai, who shares power with an internationally reviled President Robert Mugabe, as a "long-time advocate for his country and the people of Zimbabwe on behalf of human rights and economic opportunity...

$73 million in US aid for Zimbabwe.  US President Barack Obama announced $US73 million in aid for poverty-stricken Zimbabwe after meeting with the long-time opposition leader and now Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.  "I have committed $73 million in assistance to Zimbabwe," President Obama said after the White House meeting.

Vancouver world's easiest city to live in, Harare worst: poll.  Vancouver is the world's easiest city to live in while Harare is the toughest, a survey said Monday putting Europe and north America at the top while many African and Asian cities struggle behind. ... In ratings ranging from zero (intolerable) to 100 percent (ideal), Vancouver scores 98 percent, "benefiting from strong Canadian infrastructure," while Harare languishes on 37.5 "thanks to the unfolding crisis in Zimbabwe."

Robert Mugabe's lecture on running economies.  In an astounding reversal of fortune, Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe has taken over the leadership of Africa's largest trading bloc, using an address to the first major international conference to be held in his country in years to lecture fellow heads of state on how to run their economies.

Mugabe's State Religion.  Leftist religious groups like the World Council of Churches, guided by Liberation Theology, funded Robert Mugabe's Patriotic Front insurgency in old Rhodesia and celebrated his 1980 accession to power as divinely ordained.  Of course, like other church-backed Marxist guerrillas, Mugabe quickly revealed he's more more despot than populist.

The UN is taking up a collection to clean up Mugabe's mess.
 UN launches $718 million Zimbabwe aid appeal.  Zimbabwe's humanitarian situation has deteriorated sharply since the end of last year, U.N. agencies said Monday as they called for more aid for the troubled southern African country.  In a joint statement, the agencies appealed for $718 million for 2009 to provide food, clean water, AIDS medicines and other aid — up from an estimate of $550 million in November.

Zimbabwe's breadbasket farms become spoils of power.  Anticipating a follow-up visit from a truckload of veterans, [Ben] Freeth urged us to leave for Harare.  Foreign journalists are banned from Zimbabwe and face automatic imprisonment in the capital's cholera-plagued and overcrowded jails.

Zimbabwe unity government 'broke', says Morgan Tsvangirai.  The Movement for Democratic Change leader said he, President Robert Mugabe, and all government employees, were on $100 a month (about £65).  "This government is broke, and we are only able to pay the $100 allowance, but when things improve, we want this allowance to graduate into a proper salary," he said at a May Day rally.  "For now, everyone, all of us, including President Mugabe, is getting $100."

Applause for Mugabe at inauguration.  There was a round of applause for President Robert Mugabe as he arrived at the Union Buildings, Pretoria, for the inauguration of South Africa's new President Jacob Zuma on Saturday.  The Zimbabwean leader raised a clenched fist in response to mostly ANC members.

Zimbabwe court orders activists to jail.  A Zimbabwe court on Tuesday [5/5/2009] ordered 18 opposition activists facing charges of terrorism back to prison after they were indicted for trial next month in a move that will spark fresh tensions in the new unity government.  The activists, including leading human rights activist Jestina Mukoko, say they were abducted by state security agents from their homes last year and tortured to force them to confess to planning to remove President Robert Mugabe from power.

China gives $US10 million to Zimbabwe.  China has given $US10 million ($A13.51 million)to Zimbabwe, half of it directly into the state coffers, to help boost the country's troubled economy, a Chinese government official said on Tuesday [5/5/2009].

SA will 'continue to support Zim'.  African National Congress Treasurer General Mathews Phosa said the coalition government in Zimbabwe must be given a chance to succeed, SABC radio news reported on Saturday.

The Editor says...
 Is it true that Robert Mugabe hasn't been "given a chance to succeed"?  No, the fact is that Mr. Mugabe was given too many opportunities to succeed, and as a result he became a ruthless tyrant.

US ends Zimbabwe travel warning, sanctions stay.  The United States has scrapped an advisory warning Americans against travel to Zimbabwe but this does not signal a shift in US policy toward the unity government, the State Department said on Friday [4/17/2009].

Zimbabwe 'to re-engage with West'.  Zimbabwe's new coalition government has adopted a 100-day renewal plan aimed at mending ties with the West after years of isolation under Robert Mugabe.

Anti-Mugabe farmer Mike Campbell who stood up to thugs loses his land.  A Zimbabwean farmer who has led the campaign against Robert Mugabe's land-grab policy appeared to have lost his battle after being forced to leave his property by the President's henchmen.

Zimbabwe to arrest farm invaders.  Zimbabwe's Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai on Friday [3/27/2009] warned people invading commercial farms that they were committing theft and would be arrested and prosecuted, appearing to challenge a key feature of President Robert Mugabe's land policies.  The seizure of white-owned farms to give to poor black Zimbabweans has become a controversial but important Mugabe strategy, and his opponents say this has helped to destroy the agriculture sector that was once the backbone of the economy.

Grace Mugabe is immune from prosecution in Hong Kong.  Zimbabwe's first lady, Grace Mugabe, is entitled to diplomatic status in Hong Kong, making her immune from prosecution for an alleged attack on a photographer for the Sunday Times.  The Department of Justice in the territory issued a statement saying:  "Grace Mugabe is not liable to arrest or detention, and enjoys immunity from prosecution."  These rights come under Chinese regulations on diplomatic immunity and privileges, the department said.

Hong Kong lawmakers urge ban on Mugabe's wife.  Hong Kong lawmakers urged the local government to ban Zimbabwean first lady Grace Mugabe from visiting the city again after she allegedly punched a newspaper photographer.  The pro-democracy politicians issued the calls after Hong Kong authorities decided not to take legal action against the wife of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe.

Zimbabwe's fledgling leaders plead for cash.  Zimbabwe's Finance Minister has warned that the country's power-sharing Government will fail, with potentially disastrous consequences, unless international donors urgently inject cash into its treasury.

From Riches to Rags:  Inflation and Poverty in Zimbabwe.  As bad as things were in Germany in the 1920s, the hyperinflation that has plagued Zimbabwe recently makes the Weimar Republic of that era look like a model of fiscal and monetary integrity.  The tragedy now unfolding in Zimbabwe provides the latest example that a government cannot create prosperity simply by cranking up the printing presses and creating previously unimaginable sums of money.  All that course of action ever does in the long term is destroy the value of the currency.

Tsvangirai assures wife's death was an accident.  Zimbabwe's grieving Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai on Monday called on his supporters to accept the death of his wife Susan in a weekend car crash as a genuine accident in an attempt to quash speculation of foul play.

Mugabe's mess.  The horror that is Zimbabwe today can be summed up in the fate of one man who has fought longer, harder and with more courage than most to make the country succeed.  Roy Bennett was a successful farmer whose land was confiscated by President Robert Mugabe, a Marxist neo-Stalinist who rules by fear while wrecking the economy of what once was Africa's most hopeful country.  Bennett, 53, was a police officer in colonial times, and more recently has been elected to Zimbabwe's House of Assembly (parliament) in a heavily black constituency — one of three white parliamentarians.

Car-truck crash kills Zimbabwe prime minister's wife, injures him.  Zimbabwe Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai was in stable condition and recovering from head injuries Friday night [3/6/2009] after a car wreck that killed his wife, Susan, medical sources told CNN.  The crash, on a busy two-lane highway between Tsvangirai's hometown of Buhera and the capital city of Harare, comes just weeks after the start of a power-sharing agreement between Tsvangirai and his political rival, President Robert Mugabe.

Fatal Tsvangirai crash 'was not accident', says MDC.  The wife of Zimbabwean leader Morgan Tsvangirai has been killed in a car crash in what his party claims may have been an assassination attempt.

U.S.-Tied Truck Hit Zimbabwe PM's Car.  The truck that hit Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's car today belonged to a contractor working for the U.S. and British governments, ABC News has learned from three sources.  The truck hit a pothole in the road, causing it to swerve into oncoming traffic where it sideswiped Tsvangirai's vehicle.  Tsvangirai's car overturned several times.

Zimbabwe PM 'seeks Botswana care'.  Zimbabwean PM Morgan Tsvangirai is said to be going to neighbouring Botswana for medical tests and rest, a day after a car crash which killed his wife.  A source close to Mr Tsvangirai told the BBC he was exhausted and needed time to come to terms with events.

Tsvangirai car crash:  Accident or assassination attempt?  The fatal car accident on Friday night, killing the wife of Zimbabwe Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and injuring Mr. Tsvangirai himself, has left many Zimbabweans suspicious about whether this was truly an accident, or an attempted assassination.  Tsvangirai himself says the truck that sideswiped his car, drove "deliberately" at him.  But members of his Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party say that they are withholding judgment as they carry out their own investigation in parallel with that of the police.

Mugabe wants Zimbabwe's white farmers out.  Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe said Saturday that land seizures would continue, and he called for the country's last white farmers to leave.  Mugabe was addressing supporters at a celebration marking his 85th birthday in Chinhoyi, 60 miles northwest of Harare.  "Land distribution will continue.  It will not stop," Mugabe said.  "The few remaining white farmers should quickly vacate their farms as they have no place there."

Mugabe seeks stake in foreign firms.  Zimbabwe's President, Robert Mugabe, said yesterday land seizures from white farmers would continue and vowed to press ahead with plans for locals to take majority stakes in foreign companies operating in Zimbabwe.  Mugabe, Zimbabwe's sole ruler for nearly three decades, is holding on to power despite economic and political turmoil that have forced him into a unity government with the opposition.

Mugabe birthday celebrated in style.  Robert Mugabe marked his 85th birthday this weekend with a sumptuous banquet in Harare at the start of a week of parties which observers say is a further sign of the Zimbabwean President's defiance in the face of growing criticism of his regime.  His latest show of excess came as Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai said "maybe US$5 billion" would be needed to rehabilitate the collapsed health, social and education systems.

The Editor says...
 $5 billion in U.S. dollars would be about 1,250,000,000,000,000,000 (1.25 quintillion) Zimbabwe dollars.

Mugabe's new crisis: no cash for birthday.  Zimbabwe's president, Robert Mugabe, turns 85 today — but nobody wants to pay for his party.  So far, fundraisers have been unable to raise the £17,500 needed to stage a party in the central town of Chinhoyi next week.

Should I stay or should I go:  what every white Zimbabwean asks.  At one point or another every white Zimbabwean family has had the same debate:  whether to stay in the country they love, as it steadily deteriorates, or whether to cut their losses and move elsewhere.  The young, those concerned about their futures, have mostly chosen to go.

Mugabe's birthday present:  purge of last white farmers.  A secret plan has been hatched by President Robert Mugabe's most loyal supporters to evict the last of Zimbabwe's white farmers from their land before his 85th birthday.  He is already planning to celebrate the occasion with vast quantities of champagne and caviar, even though half his country faces starvation.  But just in case the Bollinger does not provide enough fizz, his acolytes are preparing an extra surprise:  a fresh onslaught against Zimbabwe's last white farmers.

Found:  Robert Mugabe's secret bolthole in the Far East.  Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe and his wife Grace have secretly bought a £4m bolt-hole in the Far East while his country struggles with hyper-inflation, mass unemployment and a cholera epidemic.  The Mugabes' house, in an exclusive residential complex in Hong Kong, was purchased on their behalf by a middleman through a shadowy company whose registered office is in a run-down tenement block.  When a reporter and a photographer called at the house last week, they were attacked by the Zimbabwean occupants.

Robert Mugabe henchmen bent on sabotaging fragile partnership.  Zimbabwe's fledgeling power-sharing Government staggered into its fifth day yesterday as fears grew that a shadowy cabal of President Mugabe's top security bosses are edging towards a military coup.  Roy Bennett, nominated by Morgan Tsvangirai as his choice for Deputy Agriculture Minister, was seized and detained by state security agents on Friday — an act seen widely as an attempt to sabotage the coalition of Mr Mugabe's Zanu (PF) and the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), led by Mr Tsvangirai.

Zimbabwean official charged with terrorism.  A newly nominated Zimbabwean official faces accusations of banditry, sabotage and terrorism, his attorney said.  CNN reported Sunday that Roy Bennett, the former Zimbabwean opposition activist who was to become a Cabinet minister, was charged and arrested Friday.

Zimbabwe Cabinet Pick Faces Terrorism Charges.  Authorities in Zimbabwe have dropped treason charges against a would-be member of the new government, but still plan to bring him to court Monday to face other charges.  Lawyers for Roy Bennett, an MDC (Movement for Democratic Change) party member and ally of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, say he faces charges of attempting to commit acts of terrorism, insurgency and banditry.

Robert Mugabe binges on champagne and caviar as Zimbabwe starves.  It is the 85th birthday of President Mugabe this month and the zealots of his Zanu (PF) party are determined that it should be an occasion that their great leader will never forget.  In recent days they have been out soliciting "donations" from corporate Zimbabwe and have drawn up a wish list that is scarcely credible in a land where seven million citizens survive on international food aid, 94 percent are jobless and cholera rampages through a population debilitated by hunger.

Is Zimbabwe Now a Rogue State?  The situation in Zimbabwe has now reached the point where the international community would be entirely justified in using force to put Robert Mugabe under arrest and place him on trial.  Why do I say this now?  Mugabe's crimes were frightful enough before, to be sure.  But they were the crimes of an elected government, and it wasn't absolutely clear that they exceeded the threshold at which intervention can be justified or, rather, mandated.

Robert Mugabe's wife Grace seizes Zimbabwe farm.  President Robert Mugabe's wife Grace has seized a farm from a high court judge, according to legal and agricultural sources.  Mrs Mugabe, who at 43 is more than four decades younger than her husband, already has a string of properties across the country, taken after Mr Mugabe's loyalists began evicting white farmers in 2000.

7 Zimbabwe opposition members charged in bomb plot.  Seven members of Zimbabwe's main opposition party were the first of dozens of jailed dissidents to be formally charged Wednesday [1/7/2009], and they pleaded not guilty in a bombing plot.

Report:  Mugabe set to form government.  Zimbabwe's main opposition leader has insisted that he will not become prime minister in a government of national unity until disagreements are settled.  There were signs Saturday [1/3/2009] that President Robert Mugabe would press ahead regardless.

White Farmers Confront Mugabe in a Legal Battle.  Edna Madzongwe, president of the Senate and a powerful member of Zimbabwe's ruling party, began showing up uninvited at the Etheredges' farm here last year, at times still dressed up after a day in Parliament.  And she made her intentions clear, the Etheredges say:  she wanted their farm and intended to get it through the government's land redistribution program.

Zimbabwe prosecuting 140 white farmers.  Zimbabwe will prosecute 140 white landowners on charges of failing to vacate their farms under the country's controversial 2000 land reform program, state media has reported.  "A total of 140 farmers are to be prosecuted for failing to vacate farms after being issued with eviction notices," The Sunday Mail said, citing a report presented at the ruling ZANU-PF party's national conference.

Nervous Mugabe to cancel holiday.  Each morning and afternoon, a nauseating ritual is performed in Harare as Robert Mugabe travels in a heavily guarded motorcade between his home and State House.  Police motorcyclists force traffic off the road to allow the presidential motorcade unimpeded progress through the crumbling streets of the capital.  Guarded by truckloads of soldiers, Mugabe sits in the back of a custom-built, armoured and gadget-equipped Mercedes.  A small man in a black Savile Row suit, he is invisible behind the black-tinted windows.  Woe betide anyone who gets in the way — even pointing at the motorcade is an offence that can lead to imprisonment.

Lawyer:  Zimbabwe activist held in notorious prison.  A lawyer says Zimbabwean peace activist Jestina Mukoko is being held in a notorious maximum-security prison despite a court order that she be taken to a hospital.  Human rights lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa says that a colleague tracked Mukoko to Chikurubi prison near the capital, Harare, but had not been allowed access to her.

Tutu says South Africa's legacy 'betrayed' over Zimbabwe.  Archbishop Desmond Tutu said Wednesday [12/23/2008] that South Africa had 'betrayed its own legacy' by failing to remove Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe from power.

Robert Mugabe:  'Zimbabwe is mine -- I will never surrender'.  A defiant President Mugabe scorned the growing international clamour for him to step down, insisting yesterday [12/19/2008] that "Zimbabwe is mine" even as his regime struggled to contain a devastating cholera epidemic that has brought his already ravaged nation to the brink.

Mugabe: "Zimbabwe is mine".  The ever-defiant Zimbabwean president says "Zimbabwe is mine" and no African nation can dare remove him from power except Zimbabweans.

Zim unveils Z$500m note.  Zimbabwe's central bank on Friday introduced a Z$500m note, as the African country struggles to cope with the world's highest inflation and crippling currency shortages.  The half-billon note, worth about $10, was released together with a Z$200m bill, which the central bank said in a statement was introduced for the "convenience" of the public. ... Just last Thursday, Zimbabwe introduced a Z$100m bill that at the time was worth $14.  One week later, it's worth less than 50¢.

Zimbabwe:  Cholera introduced by West.  Zimbabwe on Saturday [12/13/2008] accused the West of waging biological warfare to deliberately start a cholera epidemic that has killed hundreds of people and sickened thousands.  The spread of the disease has focused the world's attention on the spectacular collapse of the southern African nation, which often blames its troubles on the West.

The Editor says...
 There is no cholera in Zimbabwe, Mugabe insists.  (See below.)  But if there is, it's because of an evil plot by the U.S.  This is reminiscent of Jeremiah Wright, when he claimed that AIDS was invented by the U.S. government.

Mugabe: 'There is no cholera in Zimbabwe'.  With breathtaking contempt for the suffering of his people, Robert Mugabe declared yesterday [12/11/2008] that "there is no cholera" in Zimbabwe.  As the UN announced that the death toll had risen to 783 and prepared for 60,000 cases, Zimbabwe's autocrat claimed that his country's doctors, with the help of unnamed "others", had arrested the epidemic and with it the West's pretext for regime change.

Soldiers assault state radio DJ for wearing camouflage.  Tafadzwa Sikwila, a DJ employed by ZBC's Power FM Radio, sustained serious head injuries after being brutally assaulted by four Zimbabwe National Army soldiers in Gweru on 25th October.  According to reports which only surfaced this week the soldiers accused him of wearing replica military camouflage trousers, without permission (under Zimbabwe's obscure defence Act, civilians are prohibited from wearing camouflage).
Source:  DX Listening Digest, December 10, 2008.

Rift widens as the African Union stands by Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe.  The international rift over how to deal with Zimbabwe widened yesterday after the African Union rejected proposals for tougher action against the regime even as President Bush joined calls for Robert Mugabe to step down.  "It is time for Robert Mugabe to go," Mr Bush said in Washington.  "Across the continent, African voices are bravely speaking out to say, 'Now is the time for him to step down'."

Stop The Genocide -- Get Rid Of Mugabe.  Another humanitarian crisis has hit Zimbabwe, where hundreds, maybe thousands, are dying from cholera.  Will its Marxist president ever be held responsible?

Zimbabwe cholera death toll reaches 775; pressure mounts on Mugabe to quit.  The death toll from Zimbabwe's cholera outbreak has risen sharply, the United Nations said Wednesday, reporting 775 deaths and 16,141 cases of the waterborne disease in the southern African country.  Cholera has spread rapidly in Zimbabwe because of the country's crumbling health-care system and the lack of clean water.

EU gives 9 million euros to Zimbabwe to help deal with cholera.  The executive arm of the European Union, the European Commission, said Tuesday [12/2/2008] it was providing 9 million euros (11.4 million dollars) in funds to help Zimbabwe deal with a cholera outbreak that has claimed nearly 500 lives so far.

Kenya PM calls for Mugabe removal.  Power-sharing in Zimbabwe is dead and it is time for African governments to oust President Robert Mugabe, Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga has said.  His comments are some of the strongest by an African leader against Mr Mugabe, says the BBC's Karen Allen in Nairobi.  "It's time for African governments... to push him out of power," Mr Odinga said after talks with Zimbabwe's opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai.

Robert Mugabe appeals to Britain for help with cholera crisis.  Robert Mugabe's regime declared a national emergency and appealed for international help to combat rampant cholera yesterday in an unprecedented acknowledgment of its failings.  With the official death toll from the cholera epidemic reaching 570 and 13,000 people infected, the Government admitted that Zimbabwe's once-proud medical system had collapsed ...

Zimbabwe introduces 200m dollar note.  Inflation-wracked Zimbabwe plans to introduce a 200 million dollar note just days after a 100 million dollar note came into circulation, the government has announced.  The 200 million dollar note, announced in a notice in the government gazette on Friday, will bring to 28 the number of notes put into circulation by the central bank this year alone, as the country struggles with the world's highest inflation rate of 231 million percent.

Calls grow for Robert Mugabe to be removed by force.  Britain and America added their voices yesterday [12/5/2008] to increasing demands for the removal of President Mugabe, by force if necessary.  David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, said that the world was "watching with horror the worsening situation in Zimbabwe", and assured the country's neighbours that there would be massive support for the removal of his "rogue" regime.

British woman, 74, beaten to death in 'Wild West' Zimbabwe.  A housewife described as a "nice old lady" was beaten to death and her husband left in critical condition after an "extremely violent" attack highlighted Zimbabwe's decline into lawlessness.  Mary Austen, a 74-year-old Briton, was murdered on her farm near Kwekwe, in the centre of the country, and her body discovered two days later.  By then her husband, Neville a 77-year-old Zimbabwean, could not move or speak.

Ban, Mugabe Discuss Power Sharing Deal.  United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon held secret talks with President Robert Mugabe yesterday [11/30/2008], asking the Zimbabwean leader to conclude a power-sharing deal with opposition parties.  The two men met "one-to-one" for 30 minutes yesterday on the sidelines of a U.N. development meeting in Doha, Qatar.

Carter, Annan, others refused entry to Zimbabwe.  Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter said Saturday [11/23/2008] that he and others planning a humanitarian mission in Zimbabwe had been refused entry to the impoverished African country.  Carter and two other members of The Elders group — former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and rights advocate Graca Machel, who is married to Nelson Mandela — had planned to assess the country's humanitarian needs as Zimbabweans are stalked by disease and hunger while political crisis occupies its politicians.

Carter states the obvious...
 Carter warns situation appears dire in Zimbabwe.  Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter said Monday the crisis in Zimbabwe appears "much worse than anything we ever imagined" after the government there blocked his weekend humanitarian visit.  Carter, former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and child advocate Graca Machel called for southern African leaders to halt the "deep suffering" in Zimbabwe, where the U.N. says more than 5 million people face imminent starvation.

Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF to form new government.  Zimbabwe's ruling party has vowed to form a new government "forthwith", brushing aside the objections of opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai to a power-sharing deal.  President Robert Mugabe's ruling ZANU-PF announced today that it would follow the recommendation of regional leaders who called last weekend for a government to be formed immediately.

UN agency struggles for donations as need to feed Zimbabwe grows.  The UN's World Food Programme warns that it will have to cut food rations for hungry people in Zimbabwe this month in order to make its stretched resources go further.  The relief agency reports that it will have to feed four million people in November, compared with the two million people who received rations in October, the first month it was operating on a large scale in the country during the current crisis.

Zimbabwe compromise call rejected.  Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai has rejected a compromise plan aimed at breaking the country's political deadlock.  A summit of southern African leaders had told Zimbabwe's rival parties they should share control of the disputed home affairs ministry.

Zimbabwe attacks 'kill dialogue'.  Renewed violence has ended hopes of negotiating an end to Zimbabwe's political crisis, the country's main opposition party has said.  The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) blamed President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF party for an "orgy of brutality" across Zimbabwe.

Mugabe supporters grab one of Zimbabwe's last white-run farms.  A leading Zimbabwean farmer working some of the country's last productive land has had his property invaded by allies of Robert Mugabe.

The Editor says...
 Reporters found the "last white farmer" about six months ago, or so they claimed.

Zimbabwe riot police use violence to quell fresh protests.  Robert Mugabe's riot police returned to their violent ways yesterday [10/14/2008] as Thabo Mbeki, the South African mediator, sought to break Zimbabwe's political deadlock.  Four students were injured when they tried to deliver a petition to Parliament in Harare protesting at the failure of most of the country's universities to open at the start of the new academic year.

Zimbabwe shops stop accepting local currency.  For cash notes, which the price rises mean are in appallingly short supply despite the printing presses working overtime, on Sunday £1 was worth around Z$110,000.  But for cheque transfers, £1 brought anywhere from Z$8 billion to Z$32billion.  At independence in 1980, the Zimbabwe dollar was worth more than the US dollar, but Robert Mugabe's regime has destroyed the economy, with the slide accelerating in recent years, months and weeks.

Robert Mugabe's Zimbabwe, where baked beans cost $30 billion.  At the TM supermarket in Borrowdale, in Harare's western suburbs, many shelves were bare yesterday.  But a kilo of mince cost Z$490 billion, a kilo of sausage Z$170 billion, and a tin of baked beans Z$30 billion.  Despite Zimbabwe's desperate shortage of food, heavy import duties have been slapped onto edible products, and a litre of imported orange juice cost an eye-watering Z$303 billion.

Aid agencies:  5 million face starvation in Zimbabwe.  Death is stalking Zimbabwe's children, as a potentially catastrophic famine gathers momentum.  Aid agencies say that half the population, about five million people, face starvation, two-thirds of children are out of school and water shortages have led to deadly cholera outbreaks.

Mugabe 'has killed power share deal'.  Zimbabwe's power-sharing agreement was branded dead in the water by opposition leaders today ahead of mediator Thabo Mbeki's arrival for talks soured by President Robert Mugabe's ministerial allocation.

Mugabe regime cancels the school year.  Since the school year began in January, Zimbabwe's 4.5 million pupils have had a total of 23 uninterrupted classroom days, teaching unions say — a sorry state for a country that once had the highest standard of education in Africa.  President Robert Mugabe became an African hero of rare distinction when he carried out a big expansion of the education system in the early years of his rule.  But, as with most of the country's infrastructure, that system is now collapsing.

Zimbabwe parties fail to break impasse.  Zimbabwe's opposition renewed a call today [10/7/2008] for regional mediators to help break an impasse over a power-sharing deal with President Robert Mugabe's ruling party, after weekend talks ended in deadlock.

Robert Mugabe's marauders seize their last chance to grab white farms.  [Kevin] Cooke's Goeie Hoop (good hope in Afrikaans) farm is just one of those caught up in a new wave of land grabs by President Mugabe's henchmen.  The confiscations have been caused by fears that the creation of a power-sharing Government could mark an end to an eight-year campaign of seizures against the country's white-owned farms.  Some white farmers, whose property was occupied by squatters in earlier land invasions, now find themselves the victims of fresh invasions by new bands of squatters belonging to Mr Mugabe's Zanu (PF) party.

Zimbabwe bans bank transfers.  Zimbabwe's central bank on Friday outlawed one of the last functioning parts of the country's ravaged financial system, hampering businesses already brought to the brink of collapse by rapidly worsening hyperinflation.  Gideon Gono, governor of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe and a close ally of President Robert Mugabe, suspended electronic transfers between banks on the grounds that they were "being used for illicit foreign exchange deals" and to charge excessive prices for goods and services.  "We have no option but to take this drastic measure in order to maintain sanity in the financial system," Mr Gono was quoted as telling state radio.

Power-sharing deal in trouble after Mugabe demands all ministries.  The Zimbabwe government's power-sharing agreement appeared near to collapse yesterday [9/30/2008] after President Robert Mugabe demanded the right to appoint all key cabinet ministers, threatening to render the opposition powerless.

5.5 million Zimbabweans facing food crisis:  Tsvangirai.  A power-sharing government must be formed in Zimbabwe over the next few days to avoid a humanitarian crisis in the south African nation, its new prime minister designate said Saturday [9/27/2008].  Zimbabwe's farming, mining and other industries have come to a near standstill as the country's economy continues to crumble, Morgan Tsvangirai told reporters in Harare.  An estimated 5.5 million people will require food aid in the coming months as a result, said Tsvangirai, who is leader of the opposition party Movement for Democratic Change.  "I've had the opportunity to meet with food security experts, the food manufacturing companies and farmers to ascertain the qualities of food available," he said.

Zimbabweans overwhelm banks to withdraw cash.  Banking authorities raised the daily withdrawal limit in Zimbabwe, prompting tens of thousands to line up Monday in desperate hopes of getting enough cash for groceries before spiraling inflation eats away more value.  New rules went into affect the day President Robert Mugabe returned from the U.N. allowing withdrawals of up to 20,000 Zimbabwe dollars (US$35).  The old 1,000 Zimbabwean-dollar limit was barely enough to buy a newspaper.  The limit and the fact that Zimbabwe has the world's highest inflation rate, officially 11 million percent, unofficially much higher, has meant long lines at banks most days.

Zimbabwe's Mugabe slams West at U.N..  Zimbabwe's president is lashing out at Western powers and accusing them of genocide and mass destruction.  In a speech to the U.N. General Assembly on Thursday, Robert Mugabe also called for the removal of U.S. and British sanctions.  Those sanctions target individuals and companies seen to be supporting Mugabe's regime.  They were tightened after elections this spring that were widely viewed as a sham.

Zimbabwe power-sharing deal faces disaster.  Zimbabwe's power-sharing deal is close to collapse after only 12 days because Robert Mugabe and his generals are determined to thwart it, Western diplomats said yesterday.  "We are looking at the possibility of this thing failing," a senior diplomat told The Times as Mr Mugabe demanded an end to the "illegal and unilateral" sanctions at the UN General Assembly in New York last night.

Will Robert Mugabe wriggle out of deal?  Zimbabwe's bitter political rivals are expected to sign a landmark power-sharing agreement today designed to end months of violence and years of economic misrule.  President Mugabe and the Opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, are to initial the deal to set up a transitional government at a ceremony in Harare in the presence of regional heads of state, including South Africa's President Mbeki, who mediated the accord.

After 28 years, Robert Mugabe agrees to share power.  President Mugabe of Zimbabwe and his bitter enemy Morgan Tsvangirai agreed a deal last night [9/11/2008] that looks likely to end the octogenarian leader's 28-year monopoly on power in his shattered country.

Zimbabwe opposition wants new vote.  Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai today [9/8/2008] called for fresh elections, supervised by international observers, if deadlocked power-sharing talks do not reach a breakthrough.

Mugabe's threat could end power-sharing negotiations.  Zimbabwe's president, Robert Mugabe, said he will name a new cabinet if opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai refuses to sign a power-sharing deal by Thursday, the state-owned newspaper reported on Thursday — a deal that both sides have confirmed would leave Mugabe himself in command.

Zimbabwe doctors' advice:  Don't get sick.  The advice of doctors to Zimbabweans is, don't get sick.  If you do, don't count on hospitals — they're short of drugs and functioning equipment.  As the economy collapses, the laboratory at a main 1,000-bed hospital has virtually shut down.  X-ray materials, injectable antibiotics and anticonvulsants have run out.

Zimbabwe travel ban lifted by Foreign Office.  The [British] Foreign Office lifted its ban on travel to Zimbabwe this week following a decrease in violence in the country, although warnings remain against visits to some areas.  The lifting of the ban was welcomed by African tour operators.

Okay, but...
 Who goes on holiday to Zimbabwe?  The Foreign Office warns against all but essential travel to Zimbabwe, but according to the country's tourism chiefs, thousands of people from overseas still head there every year.  So who are Zimbabwe's tourists and why do they go?

Boo and hiss as much as you like, Robert Mugabe's still in power.  Zimbabwe sailed into uncharted waters this week with only one thing certain:  President Mugabe's hand is still firmly on the rudder.  Although his ruling Zanu (PF) party lost the position of Speaker of Parliament on Monday for the first time since independence in 1980, talk of it being the endgame for the octogenarian's brutal rule is premature.

Zimbabwe swimmer gets cash prize.  Kirsty Coventry won all of Zimbabwe's four medals at the Beijing games, taking them to 38th in the medal table.  She was given the money, worth £54,890, in a suitcase by the governor of the central bank. ... It was rare praise for a white Zimbabwean, our correspondent notes:  Mr Mugabe has spent much of the last 10 years repossessing white owned farms and railing against Britain and the West.

Zimbabwe farmer victim of latest Mugabe land eviction.  Kobus Joubert, who is in his 70s, is a former president of the Zimbabwe Tobacco Association, whose members used to earn 40 percent of the country's export earnings before Mr Mugabe destroyed commercial agriculture with the seizure of white-owned land.  He once farmed 1,200 acres, but he and his wife Maryanna have been left sleeping in a lorry, loaded with a few meagre possessions they have been able to salvage.

Impoverished Zimbabweans are killing elephants, claim activists.  Elephants in Zimbabwe are being shot and eaten as wildlife is decimated by the impact of the country's economic crisis, activists claimed today [8/14/2008].  Almost 2,000 elephants have been killed in and around the Hwange national park in north-west Zimbabwe this year, the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force claimed, adding that the country's national parks department intended to authorise the shooting of 1,000 more by the end of the year.

Robert Mugabe 'strikes deal to exclude Morgan Tsvangirai'.  Robert Mugabe last night appeared to have ensured his political survival by splitting the opposition Movement for Democratic Change.  A senior member of Mr Mugabe's ruling Zanu (PF) party said that the 84-year-old dictator had agreed to set up a coalition government with Arthur Mutambara, the leader of a breakaway faction of the MDC with ten seats in Parliament.

Talks in Zimbabwe falter as Tsvangirai refuses to concede power to Mugabe.  Talks to end Zimbabwe's political crisis were bogged down yesterday [8/11/2008] as Morgan Tsvangirai resisted intense pressure to agree to Robert Mugabe retaining much of his power.  A second day of gruelling negotiations broke up last night without agreement and Mugabe gave a downbeat assessment, saying they were not making progress at present but that he hoped differences "will be overcome" when the talks resume today.

S. African President Arrives in Zimbabwe for Inter-Party Talks.  South African President Thabo Mbeki has arrived in Zimbabwe to meet with President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, in an effort to broker a power-sharing deal between them.  Mr. Mbeki arrived in the capital, Harare, Saturday amid reports that the two sides are close to an agreement.  The state-run Herald newspaper quotes a presidential spokesman as saying the talks represent a milestone in relations between the two parties.

Mbeki in Zimbabwe for power-sharing talks.  Zimbabwe mediator South African President Thabo Mbeki arrived in Harare on Saturday for power-sharing talks amid growing optimism over an agreement, witnesses said.

Beijing sends Mugabe packing.  Zimbabwe's President, Robert Mugabe, has been forced to return home following intense political pressure from the Chinese Communist Party not to attend Friday night's opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games.

China pumps money into Zim.  China has further strengthened its ties with Zimbabwe after Chinese mining giant China Jiangxi Corporation for International and Technical Cooperation (CJIC) announced plans to form a joint venture company with the Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation (ZMDC) to mine chrome in Zimbabwe.  According to a report carried by The Zimbabwe Guardian on Wednesday [8/6/2008], CJIC has agreed to bankroll the development of two chrome mines.

Red Cross appeals for money to feed millions of Zimbabweans.  The Red Cross in Zimbabwe on Wednesday issued an emergency appeal to donors for 26.6 million dollars for food aid to Zimbabwe, saying millions in the politically and economically unstable country faced hunger. … The number of people in need could rise to up to 5.1 million, almost half the population, by the end of the year, the IFRC noted.

Risks of Inflation:  new Zimbabwe bank notes.  "One major commercial bank said its automated teller machines are not configured to dispense multi-zero withdrawals and freeze in what it called a "data overflow error."  Software writers are busy writing programs to try to overcome the problem."

Zimbabwe's Money Worth More As eBay Novelty Than As Actual Money.  Amid Zimbabwe's mind-boggling hyper inflation, a new 100 billion dollar bank note has more value as a novelty item on eBay than on the streets of the capital.  The note, launched this week, is worth enough to buy a loaf of bread — if you can find one on Zimbabwe's depleted store shelves.  Meanwhile on eBay, the bill was on offer for nearly US$80.

Mugabe's no Einstein.  With talks in South Africa set to resume this weekend on Zimbabwe's impasse, strongman Robert Mugabe has suddenly rediscovered his nation's disastrous economy.  Not that Mr. Mugabe has applied the right lessons.  On Wednesday [7/31/2008], the regime rolled out an old classic in government economic illiteracy — a new zim dollar that simply knocks 10 digits off the old currency's denomination.  So, a loaf of bread that previously cost Z$50 billion now costs either $50 billion of the old zim dollars, or $5 in new ones.

200 billion dollars for a loaf of bread.
 Obsolete coins cause chaos at Zimbabwe tills.  The central bank, overwhelmed by stratospheric inflation, this week cut 10 zeros from the currency and reintroduced coins made obsolete in 2002 when they became worthless.  A $1 coin now is worth 10 billion of the old dollars.  On Friday [8/1/2008], about 20 $1-coins — or 200 billion Zimbabwe dollars — could buy a loaf of scarce bread if it could be found in a downtown supermarket.  That's about $5 at the official rate and $2 at the black market rate that better reflects the value of the currency.

Zimbabwe to remove 'zeros' from currency.  Previous currency reforms have failed to tame Zimbabwe's inflation — officially pegged at 2.2 million percent a year but estimated by independent analysts to be closer to 12.5 million percent.  It also has become virtually impossible to get access to cash as the country's economic collapse worsens.

U.S. Must Give U.N. the Boot.  I've demanded it before, to no avail.  Now, the U.S. should again consider getting out of the U.N., and the U.N. out of the U.S.  What better timing than in a transitional election year?  Nothing of lasting importance ever happens at the U.N. Why throw good money after bad?  The straw that broke this camel's back has been the U.N. refusal (or inability) to do anything about the brutal dictatorship in Zimbabwe….

Zimbabwe army nearing collapse as recruits lack basic training.  President Robert Mugabe relies on the army to keep him in power and its generals are now believed to be the most powerful men in Zimbabwe.  While they have grown rich, hyperinflation now exceeding two million percent has impoverished their troops.

South Africa tells Robert Mugabe to surrender.  The president of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe, has been warned by Thabo Mbeki, the South African president, that he faces prosecution for the crimes he has committed during his 28 years in office unless he signs a deal to give up all effective power.

Robert Mugabe forced into talks with opposition.  Beijing put pressure on Mr Mugabe to begin talks because of fears that the continuing crisis in Zimbabwe risked overshadowing the Olympics, according to government and diplomatic sources.  China's leaders, who have have long enjoyed a close relationship with Zimbabwe's beleagured president, feared growing protests in the run-up to the Games and so leaned on Mr Mugabe to agree to the historic talks which began on Thursday.

Mugabe's power ploy:  [Scroll down]  The ruling elite are not troubled.  Some make good money out of Zimbabwe's ruin.  They are shifting their money overseas; sending the Zimbabwe dollar on down.  They can always bring a little foreign exchange back and buy a few trillion dollars to pay servants and purchase food and black-market fuel.

EU hits Zimbabwe with enhanced sanctions package.  The European Union stepped up sanctions against Zimbabwe yesterday [7/22/2008], in an effort to increase pressure on Robert Mugabe a day after he signed a pact to enter power-sharing talks with the opposition Movement for Democratic Change.

Zimbabwean currency Army may go unpaid as sanctions dry up supply of paper for Zimbabwe banknotes.  The Zimbabwean government is struggling to find enough cash to pay its workers, and more importantly the military, after it was forced to cut back on printing money because sanctions have severed its supply of banknote paper from Europe.

The Editor says...
 That's a lot of zeros.  If inflation doesn't slow down, they may have to start using floating-point numbers!

Mugabe's thugs waved through Australian skies.  Air Zimbabwe is using Australian air space to ferry military officials and war veterans responsible for political violence in Robert Mugabe's repressive regime to China.  Flights from Harare, also carrying tonnes of illicit goods including ivory, gold and diamonds, pass directly through Australian air space en route to Singapore, before touching down in Beijing and southern China.

Threat of mass starvation looms in Zimbabwe after latest harvest fails.  Millions of Zimbabweans are threatened with starvation after the widespread failure of the latest harvest brought on by the government's disastrous mishandling of land redistribution, and food shortages in the shops caused by hyperinflation.  The United Nations says hundreds of thousands of people require food aid immediately because they have harvested little or nothing in recent weeks.

Zimbabwe Rivals Sign Agreement.  Zimbabwe's feuding political leaders appeared jointly for the first time in years on Monday to sign a preliminary agreement laying out terms for negotiations to wrest their land out of political chaos.

Zimbabwe leaders agree talks pact.  President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai have signed a deal outlining a framework for talks on Zimbabwe's political crisis.  The pair — who shook hands after the signing — have been locked in a bitter dispute over this year's presidential elections.

Mugabe's Post-Election Media Blitz:  In the face of growing condemnation from the international community, President Robert Mugabe is appealing to the Zimbabwean public for support as he battles for legitimacy.  In what amounts to an after-the-fact election campaign, the state-owned media have gone into overdrive to try to salvage Mugabe's battered image after the second-round presidential election held on June 27.

Mugabe is, and remains illegitimate.  The Junta in Zimbabwe received a shot in the arm when its "look east" policy yielded the most rewarding political fruits at the United Nations meeting in New York last week.  A motion to impose international sanctions against Mugabe and 13 of his hardliners failed in the UN Security Council when it was opposed by China and Russia, permanent members with veto powers supported by South Africa and current Chair of the Council Vietnam.

Mugabe threatens to seize foreign firms.  Zimbabwe will transfer ownership of all foreign-owned firms that support Western sanctions against President Robert Mugabe's government to locals and investors from "friendly" countries, a state newspaper reported on Sunday [7/20/2008].  The southern African state is struggling with an economic crisis many blame on Mugabe's policies, which has left it with an inflation rate of over 2.2 million percent and chronic shortages of food and other basic needs.

Synopsis from DX Listening Digest.
 New Chinese Jamming Equipment for Zimbabwe?  The Harare Tribune says that the Zimbabwe government recently received another shipment of jamming equipment from China.  Landing records, shown to the newspaper's reporter at Harare International Airport by port authorities, confirmed that the government received the equipment on 17 May.  The newspaper says that both Studio 7 and SW Radio Africa have taken on to broadcasting on multiple frequencies in order to beat the jamming operation carried out by the CIO with the assistance of the Chinese attaches.

Inflation under-estimated at 2.2 million percent.  Economists believe the Central Statistics Office (CSO), which released the new figures, was conservative.  The real inflation in the country is around 10,500,000 percent.  Rising costs are forcing retailers to increase prices a number of times a day for goods purchased with billion dollar bank notes and the number of people falling into poverty is on the rise.

Zimbabwe releases $100 billion note.  Zimbabwe, grappling with record 2.2 million percent inflation, has introduced a new 100-billion-dollar bank note in a bid to tackle rampant cash shortages.  The new note will go into circulation on Monday [7/21/2008], the central bank said in a statement cited by state media.

Sharing power with Mugabe may be the only option.  Zimbabwe's beaten down opposition may end up being forced to accept what it swears is unacceptable — a power-sharing deal with President Robert Mugabe.

Come in Zimbabwe, are you there?  Zimbabwe has been having a lot of problems lately.  A sketchy election, violence and astronomical inflation.  Along with all that, it has become [nearly] impossible to get a call through to the country.  I've been trying to get someone in Zimbabwe on the line for our show and I keep running into a wall of busy signals!

Zimbabwe government puts inflation rate at record 2.2 million percent.  Zimbabwe's official inflation rate has escalated to 2.2 million percent, driving the cost of a loaf of bread to about one-third of a teacher's monthly salary.  But independent economists swiftly dismissed the government's figure, saying the true rate was several times higher and rising faster than ever.

We should never expect justice from the UN.  So, Russia and China have vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution to impose international sanctions on key members of Zimbabwe's government.  The British government's entire diplomatic strategy on Zimbabwe has thus ignominiously collapsed.  This is a particular humiliation for Gordon Brown after he thought he had persuaded all the G8 countries — including Russia — to back punitive measures against the Mugabe regime.

So Popular and So Spineless.  Welcome to a world of too much Russian and Chinese power.  I am neither a Russia-basher nor a China-basher.  But there was something truly filthy about Russia's and China's vetoes of the American-led U.N. Security Council effort to impose targeted sanctions on Robert Mugabe's ruling clique in Zimbabwe.

Stop the press:  Mugabe out of Monopoly money.  It has come to this — Zimbabwe is about to run out of the paper to print money on.  Fidelity Printers & Refiners, the state-owned company that tirelessly churns out bank notes for the Mugabe regime, was thrown into a crisis early this month after a German company stopped supplying bank note paper because of concerns over Zimbabwe's recent violent presidential election, widely seen as fraudulent by international observers. … The highest denomination [of Zimbabwean currency] is now $50 billion (worth $US1 on the street).

Battered but not beaten, Zimbabwe farmers seek justice.  It was a frigid June night at Pickstone Mine in Zimbabwe when 67-year-old Angela Campbell — soaking wet, her arm broken and a gun to her head — signed a document vowing to give up the fight for her family's farm.  The kidnappers demanding her signature at gunpoint were "war veterans" from President Robert Mugabe's heyday as a liberation hero, and they made it clear that her refusal would mean more beatings.

Inventor Bayliss hits out at Mugabe's radio ban.  Inventor Trevor Bayliss has hit out at the "horrible cruelty" of Robert Mugabe in banning Zimbabweans from using his wind-up radio.  The man credited with changing the lives of thousands of Africans with the clockwork radio said he only found out about the Zimbabwean President's crackdown on independent media from a friend.  "I was absolutely shocked and appalled," said the 71-year-old from Twickenham.

Russia, China Veto UN Sanctions for Mugabe Regime.  Russia and China vetoed proposed sanctions on Zimbabwe on Friday [7/11/2008], rejecting U.S. efforts to step up punitive measures after the African nation's disputed presidential election.

The UN fails again.
 Zimbabwe says sanctions failure a victory over racism.  Zimbabwe on Saturday [7/12/2008] welcomed the failure of a Western-backed U.N. Security Council resolution to impose sanctions over its violent presidential elections, calling it a victory over racism and meddling in its affairs.  Russia and China on Friday vetoed the resolution, which would have imposed an arms embargo on the southern African country and financial and travel restrictions on President Robert Mugabe and 13 other officials.

Did someone mention The UN?

Support grows for UN sanctions against Zimbabwe.  A majority of U.N. Security Council member countries support a proposal to sanction Zimbabwe and freeze the assets of President Robert Mugabe, French and U.S. officials said Tuesday, but Russia warned it might veto the plan.  A vote on a U.S. draft resolution calling for sanctions over state-sanctioned election violence in Zimbabwe is expected later this week.

Zimbabwe sanctions could lead to civil war, Mbeki warns leaders.  South Africa's president, Thabo Mbeki, was given a fierce grilling by G8 leaders yesterday [7/7/2008] at a private meeting at which they told him that they did not believe his mediation efforts in Zimbabwe were succeeding.  They also rejected his suggestion that Robert Mugabe remain as titular head of Zimbabwe.

Tyrant thrives as world looks away.  The 30-year friendship between South African President Thabo Mbeki and [Robert] Mugabe is the reason Mbeki was the wrong person to be appointed to mediate Zimbabwe's conflict.  Mbeki has refused to criticise Mugabe throughout the Zimbabwean crisis, nor has South Africa seriously attempted to put economic pressure on Zimbabwe despite the obvious butchery of Mugabe's regime.  Mbeki's policy of "quiet diplomacy" is a synonym for inaction.

Robert Mugabe uses food as weapon as famine looms.  A crop assessment by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) says that the country that once fed scores of famine-stricken African nations will harvest only 575,000 tonnes of maize, the national staple, from last summer's crop — only 28 percent of the grain needed to feed the country's estimated 11.8 million people.

Mugabe thugs raping teens:  aid staff.  Dozens of teenage girls have been made pregnant after being taken into the bush and raped in torture camps by President Robert Mugabe's youth militia operating near Mudzi, a town 160km northeast of Harare, human rights workers allege.  Amid the continuing chaos, there are as yet no clear statistics, but the sharp rise in teenage pregnancies seems almost certain to have been repeated elsewhere in rural districts.

Forbidden Voices From Zimbabwe.  From a back room in a London commuter town, a secret radio station is broadcasting the voice Robert Mugabe's government doesn't want his people to hear.

Mugabe pardons Zanu thugs.  With almost as much indecent haste as he inaugurated himself as president, against the wishes of the people of Zimbabwe, the leader of military junta, Robert Mugabe, has declared a blanket amnesty that will free hundreds of Zanu (PF) thugs who may have been convicted for state-sanctioned violence in the aftermath of the March 27 elections.

UN lines up big names for key role in pincer move to oust Mugabe.  Pressure was mounting last night for the key role of mediating an end to the crisis in Zimbabwe to be taken out of the hands of Thabo Mbeki, the President of South Africa, whose "softly softly" approach to Robert Mugabe has been condemned worldwide.  The UN's push for greater involvement came amid mounting frustration with the failure of current mediation efforts.

UN Security Council May Not Sanction Mugabe.  Long accused by critics of a timid approach to the crisis in Zimbabwe, the government of neighboring South Africa is now leading opposition in the U.N. Security Council to U.S.-led efforts to impose sanctions against Robert Mugabe's regime.

Robert Mugabe sails through summit unchallenged.  A defiant Robert Mugabe has sailed unchallenged through the first test of his presidency by his peers.  Freshly sworn in after a single candidate election, he received a leader's welcome when he strode into the African Union summit in Sharm el-Sheikh yesterday and emerged unfazed, his authority intact.

Iran 'respects' Zimbabwe poll result.  Iran today said it "respects" the outcome of Zimbabwe's one-man presidential election which saw veteran incumbent Robert Mugabe stay in power but was denounced as a farce by the West.  "We respect the will of the Zimbabwean people expressed in the second round of the presidential elections, whatever it is," foreign ministry Mohammad Ali Hosseini said.

Mugabe aide tells West:  'Go hang'.  A spokesman for Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has rejected Western criticism of the country's disputed presidential run-off election.  At an African Union summit in Egypt, George Charamba said the West had no basis to speak about the situation — and can "go hang a thousand times".

Zimbabwe white farmers beaten up by Robert Mugabe's regime plead for help.  Ben Freeth and his parents-in-law Mike Campbell, 75, and Angela Campbell, 70, were set upon by a gang of thugs armed with hunting rifles and shotguns when they returned to their farm near Chegutu, 60 miles west of Harare on Sunday.  "As I was driving in they shot my vehicle," Mr Freeth said last night from a hospital in Harare.

The Editor says...
 This is the peculiar thing about press coverage from Zimbabwe:  Supposedly the last of the white farmers had been driven out weeks ago, yet the reporters keep finding more white farmers.

Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe 'a hero', say African leaders.  African leaders gathering for a summit have greeted President Robert Mugabe as a "hero", dashing hopes that Zimbabwe's regime would come under immediate international pressure.

Street Vendor Arrested For Listening To Voice Of America.  Police in Harare have charged a street vendor for listening to a special news programme on Zimbabwe broadcast by the Voice of America, as President Robert Mugabe's government tries hard to limit alternative information available to voters ahead of a run-off presidential election next week.  The vendor, Noel Tichawana, who was arrested about three weeks ago will appear in court on 15 July to answer to charges of committing criminal nuisance after he was caught listening to the programme, Studio 7, that broadcasts political, economic and general news on Zimbabwe.

If you own a satellite dish in Zimbabwe, you may have your home burned down.  Residents from the mining town of Kadoma awoke Friday morning [6/20/2008] to the sound of Zanu PF thugs demanding they pull down their satellite dishes or risk having their homes burnt down.

Zimbabwe Central Bank Seen Constrained In Money-Printing Operations.  The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe's main monetary tool for years has been the printing press as it has churned out ever-higher-denomination notes reflecting hyperinflation that economists now estimate is running as high as 10 million percent a year.  But European pressures have cut the RBZ's off from its German banknote paper supplier, limiting its options.

Zimbabwe's Mugabe Says Opposition Must Accept Him as President.  Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe says the opposition must accept him as the country's leader if it wants to hold talks on ending Zimbabwe's political crisis.

Hidden Camera Footage Shows 'Vote-Rigging' in Zimbabwe.  A British newspaper says secret footage taken at a Zimbabwean prison shows how a supporter of President Robert Mugabe rigged the country's June 27 runoff election.  The Guardian newspaper says former prison guard Shepherd Yuda shot the film for the newspaper six days before the presidential run-off vote and smuggled it out of Zimbabwe.

Windup Radios Are Banned In Zimbabwe.  Authorities in Zimbabwe have banned wind-up receivers, a favourite among nongovernmental organisations seeking to promote access to information in rural areas.  Their presence has often spawned listening clubs accused of tuning in on "illegal" foreign news bulletins broadcast through shortwave or AM.  Instead of batteries, which are almost unavailable in Zimbabwe, the low-priced gadgets are powered by human muscle.

VOA Expands Coverage Of Zimbabwe's Run-Off Election.  The Voice of America (VOA) has expanded coverage of Zimbabwe's presidential run-off election to provide up-to-the-minute, multi-media news and information to millions in the country, which has experienced a surge in political violence.

Heads roll at ZBC.  A total of eight senior journalists have been suspended at the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) amid accusations they are sympathetic to the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). … Their suspension follows that of former chief executive Henry Muradzikwa who was fired last month for allegedly failing to ensure a victory for President Robert Mugabe who was trounced by MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai.

Pressure Ramped Up on Zimbabwean Media.  As President Robert Mugabe intensifies his crackdown on political dissent in the run-up to the second round of the presidential election, the media have become prime targets.  Journalists have been arrested, articles rejected by the state press, and a shipment of newspapers set alight in the government's attempts to silence voices critical of Mugabe.

Daily Media Update No. 57:  Enjoying a monopoly on the local news market again today, the government dailies, The Herald and Chronicle took the opportunity to distort the critical verdicts of all three African observer missions and downplay almost universal condemnation of Friday's presidential run-off, particularly by regional leaders attending the African Union summit in Egypt.  Instead, the papers continued to pervert any truthful interpretation by focusing on the few selective statements endorsing Robert Mugabe's return to the presidency.

Weekly Media Update #2008-16:  MMPZ condemns in the strongest terms the frightening transformation of the public media into becoming the purveyors of appalling hate messages against critics of the ruling party and its political opposition, the MDC, and particularly its presidential candidate, Morgan Tsvangirai.

Hopes fade for deal in Zimbabwe election crisis.  African efforts to encourage a deal between Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe and his opponents showed no results Tuesday [7/1/2008], while Mugabe's spokesman defiantly said his boss has no plans to step down and told Western critics they can "go hang."

Canada condemns Zimbabwe polls, imposes sanctions.  Canada on Sunday condemned Zimbabwe's one-man election as "illegitimate" and announced a series of sanctions as President Robert Mugabe was sworn to a new term in Harare.

Mugabe sworn in as president for further five years (1st Lead).  Incumbent Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe was sworn as president for another five years Sunday [6/29/2008] at a ceremony in Harare after sweeping the polls in a go-it-alone presidential election run-off.  The BBC reported that Mugabe had been hastily sworn in after the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) released the results.

Defiant Mugabe sworn in as president, again.  Once feted as a champion of democracy, Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe has been denounced around the world after an election in which he is accused of using brutal violence to maintain his hold on power.

Tsvangirai rejects invitation to Mugabe inauguration.  Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai on Sunday rejected a government invitation to the inauguration of President Robert Mugabe for a new term and called on Africa not to recognize his re-election.

Zimbabweans stuck dealing with the devil.  The farcical presidential election run-off in Zimbabwe has come and gone.  Predictably Zanu-PF used all sorts of intimidation tactics to force people to the polls so Robert Mugabe — the only candidate after last Sunday's withdrawal by Movement for Democratic Change leader Morgan Tsvangirai — will win by a wide margin.

Zimbabwe's last white farmer forced to quit.  Zimbabwe's once proud white farming community is facing extinction, as President Robert Mugabe steps up his campaign of violence and intimidation on all fronts.

Mugabe's British Enablers:  "We've done enough damage.  All we can do is send food," writes Simon Jenkins in The Guardian, regarding the crisis in Zimbabwe.  The "we" is not Robert Mugabe or his ZANU-PF thugocracy, as you might suspect, but the British.

Leftists are to blame for Robert Mugabe's blood-letting.  A few years ago, when the tyrant of Zimbabwe was moving from being wicked to being downright evil, I wrote that we should invade Harare, depose him, and supervise free elections.  Invited to appear on a BBC programme to defend this stance, I was assailed by an "Africa expert" who told me that diplomatic pressure on Mugabe was bound to work, that the idea of sending the Parachute Regiment in to sort the monster out was offensively colonialist, and that I was wrong.  White liberals like him are as much to blame for the terror, starvation, brutality and genocide that now scar this once-rich and stable country.

Mandela joins chorus against Mugabe.  Former South African president Nelson Mandela has broken his silence on Zimbabwe, blaming the country's crisis on a "tragic failure of leadership".  At a celebrity fundraising dinner in London to mark his 90th birthday, Mr Mandela referred to Zimbabwe as he detailed a string of problems faced by the world.

No Sir!
 Mugabe criticized by Mandela, loses knighthood.  Queen Elizabeth II stripped Robert Mugabe of his ceremonial knighthood on Wednesday [6/25/2008], revoking the honor amid new attempts to rebuke the president of Zimbabwe and express revulsion over human rights abuses in his country.

Mugabe rival quits election race.  Zimbabwe's opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai says he is pulling out of Friday's presidential run-off, handing victory to President Robert Mugabe.  Mr Tsvangirai said there was no point running when elections would not be free and fair and "the outcome is determined by... Mugabe himself".

Tsvangirai calls for international intervention in Zimbabwe.  Zimbabwe's Presidential run-off poll is in tatters after the chief challenger to dictator Robert Mugabe pulled out of the race in a move to protect the people of Zimbabwe from escalating violence.

Zimbabwe opposition leader pulling out of election.  Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai pulled out of Zimbabwe's violence-wracked presidential runoff Sunday [6/22/2008], declaring that the election was no longer credible and the loss of life among his supporters was simply too high.

Zimbabwe's collapse is no longer question of if, but when.  For a man who has battled for nearly a decade to become President of Zimbabwe, Morgan Tsvangirai's decision to pull out of the race against Robert Mugabe only days before polling must have been the toughest of his career.  The former union boss has suffered arrest and beatings at the hands of his rival.  His supporters have been murdered, arrested and tortured.  Many wanted him to continue the fight until election day on Friday, but he reached the conclusion that staying in the presidential race would only lead to more bloodshed.

We're eating Zimbabwe's food... as its people starve.  Supermarkets have been condemned for selling produce from Zimbabwe at a time when many in the stricken country are going hungry.  Tesco, Morrisons, Waitrose and others are selling vegetables and fish exported amid the violence.  Foreign currency from such deals is understood to be propping up Robert Mugabe's regime.

Thabo Mbeki tries to stop Zimbabwe poll.  South African President Thabo Mbeki has sought to cancel Zimbabwe's presidential runoff next week in favour of talks on forming a unity government.  Mr Mbeki, appointed mediator for Zimbabwe's crisis by the 14-nation Southern African Development Community, visited the neighbouring country on Wednesday [6/18/2008], holding separate talks with President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai.

Africa turns up heat on Zimbabwe.  African states monitoring Zimbabwe's election campaign have added their voice to growing international pressure over the presidential run-off vote.  The head of a troika of observer states told the BBC violence could make a free vote impossible but his concerns were dismissed by the ruling Zanu-PF party.

'Only God' will oust Mugabe.  Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe said today [6/21/2008] "only God" could remove him from office, in comments ahead of next week's presidential runoff election.  "The MDC will never be allowed to rule this country — never ever," President Mugabe said in a meeting with local business people.

Zimbabwe's voters told: choose Mugabe or you face a bullet.  The soldiers and ruling party militiamen herded the people of Rusape to an open field at the back of the local sports club and made their point crystal clear.  "Your vote is your bullet," a soldier told the terrified crowd.  Everyone knew what he meant.

War crimes warning to Robert Mugabe as terror grows.  With just a week to go before Zimbabwe's run-off elections — and with the body count growing — President Mugabe has been warned that he could be hauled before the International Criminal Court in The Hague over the atrocities inflicted on his opponents.  A key Western diplomat, speaking yesterday on condition of anonymity, said:  "He needs to know he is moments away from an ICC indictment."

Robert Mugabe lashes out at aid agencies.  President Robert Mugabe has accused foreign aid agencies of using food as a weapon to try to remove him from power, state media has reported.  Mr Mugabe, whose government ordered aid agencies to stop work on June 4, has himself been accused by Western countries and human rights groups of using food as a political tool ahead a June 27 presidential election re-run.

Mugabe rules out change of power in his lifetime.  With less than two weeks to go before an election run-off for the highest office in the land, Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe on Saturday [6/14/2008] ruled out a change of power in his lifetime.  Mugabe dismissed the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party, saying:  "These pathetic puppets taking over this country?  Let's see.  That is not going to happen."

Mugabe says war vets ready to fight.  Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe said on Friday liberation war veterans would take up arms if he loses a June 27 presidential run-off vote.  Mugabe told youth members of his ruling ZANU-PF party in Harare that the veterans had told him they would launch a new bush war if the election was won by opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, whom he accuses of being a puppet of the West.

Mugabe Readies For War Against His Own People.  With only a fortnight until the runoff election, Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe is vowing to go to war if his countrymen vote him out of office.  In an interview with a government newspaper, Mugabe said, "It will never happen that this land which we fought for should be taken by the MDC so that they can give it back to our former oppressors, the whites."

Thabo Mbeki blocks UN Zimbabwe agenda.  The horrors of Zimbabwe's political violence will not feature on the agenda of the UN Security Council meeting overnight after South African President Thabo Mbeki blocked an attempt to put the crisis on the program.  The Security Council will now discuss only the humanitarian situation in Zimbabwe, separating it from the ongoing political violence in the lead-up to the presidential runoff.

Treason charge for Zimbabwe opposition No. 2.  President Robert Mugabe's regime struck at his rivals Thursday only two weeks before Zimbabwe's presidential runoff, twice detaining his challenger and jailing the No. 2 opposition leader to face treason charges.  The U.S. ambassador, meanwhile, said 20 tons of American food aid heading to impoverished Zimbabwean children had been seized by authorities last week and given to Mugabe supporters at a rally.

Mugabe stripped of US degree.  The University of Massachusetts Board of Trustees has revoked an honorary degree awarded two decades ago to Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe. … The university has never before rescinded an honorary degree.

Where's the outcry over Mugabe's murderous turn in Zimbabwe?  Zimbabwe … has spiraled downward into disaster.  Thirty years ago, the nation was stable and productive, a net exporter of food blessed with a small class of educated black professionals ready to form its governmental bureaucracy.  Now Zimbabwe is beset by a thuggish regime that has ushered in starvation, hyperinflation, rampant unemployment, political oppression and corruption.  Yet the tyranny of Zimbabwe's black president, Robert Mugabe, has met with little reaction from America's black elite.

Barclays accused of giving Robert Mugabe 'financial lifeline'.  Barclays Bank is being accused of giving Robert Mugabe's government a "financial lifeline" in the run-up to Zimbabwe's presidential election, it emerged yesterday [6/13/2008].  Barclays' Zimbabwean subsidiary lent the Mugabe regime $46.4 million (£23 million) last year through its purchase of government and municipal bonds and is one of the main contributors to a government-run loan scheme for farm improvements, the Agricultural Sector Productivity Enhancement Facility.

Zimbabwe Police Raid Christian Offices.  Police raided Zimbabwe Christian Alliance offices on Monday [6/9/2008] and arrested five staff members for interrogation, the group reported. ... The raid was performed by Zimbabwe's riot police, which are well-known loyalist to President Robert Mugabe.  ZCA claims that at least one of its staffs was assaulted before its workers were taken to the Harare Central Police station for questioning.

Opposition councillor's son burnt alive by Mugabe militia.  For a wad of worthless Zimbabwean banknotes, President Robert Mugabe's militias burnt six-year-old Nyasha Mashoko to death.  The target of the ZANU-PF thugs had been the boy's father, Brian Mamhova.

Mugabe officials 'steal' Tsvangirai's armoured BMW.  Zimbabwe's ruling party has been accused of car theft after an armoured BMW, confiscated by police last week from the opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, was spotted being driven by its officials.  A spokesman for the Movement for Democratic Change, Nqobizitha Mlilo, said the BMW X5 was impounded by police on 6 June when Mr Tsvangirai was detained for several hours at Esigodini police station in south-western Zimbabwe.

Robert Mugabe's militia burn opponent's wife alive.  The men who pulled up in three white pickup trucks were looking for Patson Chipiro, head of the Zimbabwean opposition party in Mhondoro district.  His wife, Dadirai, told them he was in Harare but would be back later in the day, and the men departed.  An hour later they were back.  They grabbed Mrs Chipiro and chopped off one of her hands and both her feet.  Then they threw her into her hut, locked the door and threw a petrol bomb through the window.

Mugabe no longer in charge.  The campaign of terror sweeping Zimbabwe is being run by a junta who took over the country after Robert Mugabe's shock election defeat in March.  Details of the organised violence are contained in a report released yesterday by Human Rights Watch and corroborated by senior Western diplomats, who describe the situation in Zimbabwe as a "military coup by stealth", The Australian reports.

State-sponsored explosion of violence in Zimbabwe to stop a fair vote.  Human Rights Watch allege the militia struck a deal to help Mugabe win the next election through violence and intimidation.  The violence which has been sweeping Zimbabwe since the controversial election win for Robert Mugabe in March is the result of an organised military coup, according to a human rights group.

Has Robert Mugabe effectively been replaced in a military coup?  The Zimbabwean government's campaign of terror against opponents is being run by a military junta that seized power in a secret coup, according to new claims today.  So if Robert Mugabe is not in control, exactly who is?  There has been a military coup by stealth, according to the Times today, and the Telegraph and the Independent on Friday [6/6/2008].

Zimbabwe's Stark Choice:  Vote for Mugabe or Starve.  [U.S. Ambassador James] McGee told reporters during a videoconference from the capital, Harare, this morning [6/6/2008] that his embassy has solid evidence that in order to receive food aid from the government, Zimbabweans must first show their party registration cards.  If they have a card from Mugabe's ruling party they can have access to food, but if they only have opposition cards they must turn over their national identification cards in order to receive the food they need.

Zimbabwe bans rallies by political opponents.  The opposition said today that its rallies had been banned indefinitely three weeks before the presidential runoff, while the U.S. ambassador accused President Robert Mugabe's regime of using food as a weapon to stay in power.  U.S. Ambassador James McGee said the regime is distributing food mostly to its supporters and that opposition supporters are offered food only if they hand in identification that would allow them to vote.

Cops slash tyres on visiting diplomats' cars.  Zimbabwean police detained US and British diplomats for several hours today, slashing the tyres of their cars after they visited victims of political violence ahead of a presidential vote, the US embassy said.  The US ambassador blamed the attack on President Robert Mugabe's government, which it accuses of trying to intimidate opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai's supporters ahead of the June 27 run-off election.

Mugabe, Ahmadinejad excluded from UN dinner.  The Italian and UN hosts of a UN crisis summit on rising food prices excluded the leaders of Zimbabwe and Iran from the opening dinner today [6/3/2008].  Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe is able to attend the meeting only because an EU travel ban on him does not apply to UN forums.

Zimbabwean Police Detain Tsvangirai for the Second Time This Week.  Zimbabwean police have detained opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai for the second time this week, after blocking him from reaching a campaign rally.  Officials for the Movement for Democratic Change party say Mr. Tsvangirai was taken to a police station Friday in the village of Esigodini, in southern Zimbabwe.

Opposition Leaders Gloomy on Run-off Election.  Zimbabwean opposition leaders have expressed deep pessimism over the potential of the June 27 presidential election run-off to end the country's political crisis.  Speaking at a session of the World Economic Forum on Africa, they differed, however, on suggestions that the elections should be postponed and a government of national unity formed.

White farming couple beaten and kicked off land.  William Rogers and his wife, Annette, were threatened by three Robert Mugabe supporters, who told them:  "We are like hungry lions."  Dozens of Zimbabwe's last white farmers have suffered similar ordeals since Mr Mugabe lost the presidential election's first round in March.  Scores of black opposition supporters have been murdered and thousands beaten, abducted or tortured.

Report:  Zimbabwe releases opposition leader.  Zimbabwe's opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai has been released after a short police detention as he campaigned, his spokesman said Wednesday [6/4/2008].  Tsvangirai and a group of about 14 officials with his Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) had been held at a police station in Lupane.

No action on Mugabe knighthood.  British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said on Wednesday he was against "immediate action" to strip Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe of an honorary knighthood awarded in the early 1990s.  He was "less interested in the symbols than the substance," Brown said in parliament, in response to a call by Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg to rescind the title.

Mugabe's presence 'obscene'.  The presence of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe at a United Nations summit on food security in Rome is "obscene", Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said on Monday [6/2/2008].  Mugabe, who has presided over the collapse of his country's agriculture, arrived in Rome on Sunday for a summit of the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation.

Mugabe the Obscene.  Yes, a dictator who uses starvation to scatter and kill his own people making an appearance at an international conference devoted to raising food and feeding the hungry is an obscenity — though I add, without cynicism, that the situa