NewsTrust - Zimbabwe - Most Recent Stories: News (Mainstream)

Zimbabwe and its diamonds: Forever dirty

Fri, 01 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Economist - Jul. 01 (News Analysis) - The Kimberley Process (KP) is in danger of collapse. Set up in 2003, the system is supposed to end the trade in “blood diamonds” which illicitly finance civil wars. But its Congolese chairman has unilaterally decided to let sales from Zimbabwe’s disputed Marange diamond fields resume. America, the European Union, Canada and Israel are hotly contesting the move. Rulings by the 49-member body, representing 75 diamond-producing and -trading countries, are supposed to be unanimous. Ever since diamonds were first discovered in a 60,000-hectare site in Marange in eastern Zimbabwe in 2006, reports of killings, torture, corruption, bribery, looting, smuggling and political skulduggery have been rife. The stakes are enormous. Tendai Biti, Zimbabwe’s finance minister, has described the field as “the biggest find of alluvial diamonds in the history of mankind”. Potential revenue has been estimated at $1 billion-2 billion a year. One mining expert involved in the area reckons it is “much, much more”. The IMF put Zimbabwe’s entire GDP last year at $7.5 billion.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.7 average - 3 Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

WikiLeaks' collateral damage in Zimbabwe

Tue, 04 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0800

The Guardian - By James Richardson - Jan. 04 (News Analysis) - If Morgan Tsvangirai is charged with treason, WikiLeaks will have earned the ignominy of Robert Mugabe's gratitude When WikiLeaks whistleblowers began circulating in April footage of a 2007 Iraq war incursion in which US military personnel unwittingly killed two war correspondents and several civilians, the international community was aghast at the apparent murder. With sobering questions on the material's full context largely falling on deaf ears, the group was free to editorialise the scene as it pleased: "collateral murder" . But now, with the recent release of sensitive diplomatic cables , WikiLeaks may have committed its own collateral murder, upending the precarious balance of power in a fragile African state and signing the death warrant of its pro-western premier. Zimbabwe's Morgan Tsvangirai's call to public service has been a tortured one, punctuated by death and indignity. His numerous arrests and brushes with death began in 1997, when he emerged as the unlikely face of ...

NewsTrust Rating: 3.9 average (not enough reviews) - See Review » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

The global political issues playing out at the World Cup.

Fri, 11 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0700

Foreign Policy - By Brian Fung - Jun. 11 (News Analysis) - Since attending the World Cup is out of the question for most North Koreans, Pyongyang has solved its on-site fan shortage by recruiting a thousand Chinese citizens to fly the old red, white, and blue on its behalf. Among the members of the

NewsTrust Rating: 3.8 average (not enough reviews) - See Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Forget The South Of France, Try Zimbabwe : NPR

Wed, 21 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0700

NPR - Apr. 21 (News) -

NewsTrust Rating: 3.8 average - 3 Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

The 2009 Failed States Index

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Foreign Policy - Jun. 23 (Special Report) - It is a sobering time for the world’s most fragile countries—virulent economic crisis, countless natural disasters, and government collapse. This year, we delve deeper than ever into just what went wrong—and who is to blame.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.4 average (not enough reviews) - See Review » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Mugabe Aides Said to Use Violence to Get Amnesty

Fri, 10 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0700

New York Times - By Celia W. Dugger - Apr. 10 (News Report) - President Robert Mugabe’s top lieutenants are trying to force the political opposition into granting them amnesty for their past crimes by abducting, detaining and torturing opposition officials and activists, according to senior members of Mr. Mugabe’s party.

NewsTrust Rating: Not rated yet - See Info » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Why Zimbabwe opposition agreed to join Mugabe’s government

Sat, 31 Jan 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Christian Science Monitor - By Scott Baldauf - Jan. 31 (News Analysis) - It took 10 months of international mediation and arm-twisting, but Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai and his Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party agreed Friday to join in a power-sharing government with Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe

NewsTrust Rating: 3.8 average - 3 Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Frustration high in Zimbabwe's Army, a Mugabe power base

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 00:00:00 -0800

Christian Science Monitor - By Scott Baldauf - Dec. 04 (Special Report) - With rampant inflation, high unemployment, and villagers forced to eat rats and wild fruits to survive, Zimbabweans have become quite accustomed to hard times. But this week, even Zimbabweans feel that things have taken a turn for the worse.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.8 average (not enough reviews) - See Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Mob runs riot as Zimbabwe runs out of water

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 00:00:00 -0800

The Times - By Jan Raath - Dec. 02 (News Report) - The Zimbabwe National Water Authority turned off the pumps in the capital after it ran out of purifying chemicals. With cholera cases soaring above 11,000 across the country, and an anthrax outbreak ravaging the the countryside, David Parirenyatwa, the Health Minister, urged Zimbabweans to stop shaking hands to avoid spreading disease.

NewsTrust Rating: 4.0 average (not enough reviews) - See Review » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

3,000 dead from cholera in Zimbabwe

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0800

The Independent - By Basildon Peta - Nov. 26 (News Report) - A senior official in the health ministry told The Independent yesterday that more than 3,000 people have died from the water-borne disease in the past two weeks, 10 times the widely-reported death toll of just over 300. "But even this higher figure is still an understatement because very few bother to register the deaths of their relatives these days," said the official, who requested anonymity.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.9 average - 7 Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Food Crisis Expands In Tumultuous Zimbabwe

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0800

All Things Considered - By Ofeibea Quist-Arcton - Nov. 25 (Special Report) - While Zimbabwe's political leaders continue to bicker over key Cabinet posts in a power-sharing government, many people are going hungry.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.4 average (not enough reviews) - See Review » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Deal a humiliation, says Mugabe

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0700

BBC News - Sep. 18 (News Report) - "If only we had not blundered in the March... elections we wouldn't be facing this humiliation. "This is what we have to deal with."

NewsTrust Rating: 2.9 average (not enough reviews) - See Review » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Zimbabwe power sharing deal reached

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Financial Times - By Tony Hawkins - Sep. 12 (News Report) - Thabo Mbeki, South Africa's president, emerged from four days of negotiations in Harare on Thursday night saying he had won agreement from Zimbabwe's rival political forces to share power.

NewsTrust Rating: 4.3 average (not enough reviews) - See Review » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Mugabe takes generals' advice and abandons deal

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700

The Independent - By Basildon Peta - Aug. 22 (News Report) - The embattled President, 84, has set himself on a collision course with the opposition and international community after declaring he will open parliament next Tuesday despite his failure to agree a power-sharing deal. Zimbabwe's military chiefs, led by Constantine Chiwengwa, the head of the army, believe Mr Mugabe has already offered to cede "too much power" to the opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai in a deal now on the table, which Mr Tsvangirai has refused to sign.

NewsTrust Rating: 4.0 average (not enough reviews) - See Review » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Mandela: His 8 Lessons of Leadership

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Time - By Richard Stengel - Jul. 13 (Special Report) - the world has never needed Mandela's gifts -- as a tactician, as an activist and, yes, as a politician -- more, as he showed again in London on June 25, when he rose to condemn the savagery of Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe. As we enter the main stretch of a historic presidential campaign in America, there is much that he can teach the two candidates.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.4 average (not enough reviews) - See Review » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Zimbabwe hails sanctions failure

Sat, 12 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700

BBC News - Jul. 12 (News Report) - Russia and China vetoed the resolution, saying the situation in Zimbabwe posed no threat to international security. The UK said it was incomprehensible, while the US said the veto brought into question Russia's reliability as a G8 partner. But South Africa said sanctions would interfere with attempts to form a national unity government.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.4 average (not enough reviews) - See Review » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Inside Mugabe's Violent Crackdown

Sat, 05 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Washington Post - By Craig Timberg - Jul. 05 (News Report) - ...Mugabe told the gathering he planned to give up power in a televised speech to the nation the next day, according to the written notes of one participant that were corroborated by two other people with direct knowledge of the meeting. But Zimbabwe's military chief, Gen. Constantine Chiwenga, responded that the choice was not Mugabe's alone to make.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.8 average (not enough reviews) - See Review » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Secret film reveals how Mugabe stole an election

Sat, 05 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700

The Guardian - By Duncan Campbell, Paul Lewis - Jul. 05 (News Report) - A film that graphically shows how Robert Mugabe's supporters rigged Zimbabwe's election has been smuggled out of the country by a prison officer. It is believed to be the first footage of actual ballot-rigging and comes as Zimbabwe's president faces growing international pressure. Shepherd Yuda, 36, fled the country this week with his wife and children. He said that he hoped the film, which was made for the Guardian, would help draw further attention to the violence and corruption in Zimbabwe. Much of the footage was shot inside the country's notorious jail system

NewsTrust Rating: 3.3 average (not enough reviews) - See Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Zimbabwe 'vote fraud proof' emerges

Sat, 05 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Aljazeera - Jul. 05 (News Report) - Video footage which appears to show ballot-rigging taking place in Zimbabwe's recent presidential run-off election has been posted on the website of a British newspaper.

NewsTrust Rating: 4.0 average (not enough reviews) - See Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Blood money: the MPs cashing in on Zimbabwe's misery

Sun, 29 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0700

The Independent - By Jane Merrick, Archie Bland - Jun. 29 (News Report) - Shadow Home Secretary Dominic Grieve heads a list of Tory MPs with sizeable shareholdings in companies accused of propping up Robert Mugabe's regime, The Independent on Sunday can reveal today. Three of David Cameron's frontbenchers are among six Conservatives - and one Liberal Democrat - with investments together worth more than £1m in firms trading in Zimbabwe. The revelations will embarrass the Tory leader, who has sought to take the moral high ground over the crisis in Zimbabwe.

NewsTrust Rating: 2.9 average (not enough reviews) - See Review » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

In Zimbabwe, Voters' Fear Joins Mugabe on Ballot

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0700

New York Times - By Barry Bearak - Jun. 28 (News Report) - The opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai...,told supporters that if possible, they should stay away from the polls, and many people were able to do so. ... in an open letter, he also offered advice to those who were being forced to vote for Mr. Mugabe by gangs of ruling-party enforcers: "If you need to do this to save your life, be not afraid. Do it."

NewsTrust Rating: 3.8 average (not enough reviews) - See Review » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Prodded by Fear and Duress, Zimbabweans Go to the Polls

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Washington Post - By Washington Post Foreign Service - Jun. 28 (News Report) - President Robert Mugabe's militias drove a frightened electorate to the polls Friday, checking off names of voters and threatening vengeance on those who failed to cast ballots for the only man ever to rule Zimbabwe.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.8 average (not enough reviews) - See Review » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Complex Ties Lead Ally Not to Condemn Mugabe

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0700

New York Times - By Celia W. Dugger, Barry Bearak - Jun. 27 (News Report) - The complex relationship between these men, stretching back almost 30 years, is crucial to fathoming why Mr. Mbeki, picked last year by regional leaders to officially mediate Zimbabwe's conflict, does not publicly criticize Mr. Mugabe, nor use South Africa's unique economic leverage as the dominant nation in the region to curb his ruthless methods despite years of rigged elections.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.6 average (not enough reviews) - See Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Zimbabwe Opposition Candidate Drops Out

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Washington Post - Jun. 23 (News Report) - Tsvangirai's decision ends an electrifying challenge to Mugabe, who over 28 years has led his once-bountiful country into economic ruin, then unleashed an onslaught of state-sponsored torture, beatings and killings after he lost the first round of voting in March. Election officials deemed a runoff necessary because neither candidate got a majority of votes, and they set the date for Friday.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.6 average - 3 Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Day of drama in Harare

Sun, 22 Jun 2008 07:51:05 -0700

BBC News - By Farai Sevenzo - Jun. 22 (News Report) - The electoral playing field had become so one-sided, the incidents of violence and murder against his supporters so widespread, that Morgan Tsvangirai had to do something. On Sunday afternoon he called a press conference in his Strathaven home in Harare's central suburbs and announced that his party, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), was pulling out of the presidential run-off scheduled for Friday, 27 June. In the week preceding this announcement, the city had become numbed by the ongoing violence and ruling party Zanu-PF's brand of aggressive campaigning.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.3 average (not enough reviews) - See Review » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer