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 today.
One last grab of the remaining wealth in the country ...
The southern African state is struggling with an economic crisis many blame on Mr 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.
Mr Mugabe's government blames the crisis on sabotage by enemies angry over his seizures of white-owned farms for blacks, and has followed up that policy with another controversial law seeking to transfer majority ownership of foreign-owned firms to locals.
The Sunday Mail said Zimbabwe had begun auditing the ownership of Western firms in the country as part of a black empowerment drive "and to counter the possible withdrawal of investment under sanctions imposed and proposed by Britain and the U.S."
Preliminary results of Zimbabwe's audit of foreign investments showed that 499 companies enjoyed British investments. Of these, 309 had majority shareholders in Britain and 97 were wholly owned by Britons. The audit also found 353 firms with shareholders from other European countries, the Sunday Mail said in a story largely attributed to unnamed government sources.
Morgan Tsvangirai has agreed to enter power sharing talks with Robert Mugabe, saying Zimbabweans have suffered enough and it is time for that country's crisis to come to an end. This was the upshot of Friday's decision by President Thabo Mbeki, who is mediating between the various Zimbabwean parties, to appoint a reference group to assist in negotiations. Independent Newspapers understands that power-sharing talks could begin as early as next week. The breakthrough comes as SADC foreign, defence and security ministers were warned in Durban on Friday, that the region's unity and peace, was being threatened by member states' differences over Zimbabwe. Reached for comment on Friday night, Tsvangirai, the leader of the majority faction in the Movement for Democratic Change, said: "I think we do have to co-operate with the group and expedite the second phase which is to start substantive negotiations."
"I am advised that the reference group with Mbeki is coming to Harare on Monday to sign the memorandum of understanding and we will obviously sign as well. It is a positive step and we look forward to finding the solution we were looking for. Zimbabweans had suffered enough and its time for this (the crisis) to come to an end." The three man group, comprising special representatives from the African Union, the United Nations, and SADC, was agreed upon on Friday at a meeting attended by Mbeki, AU Commisioner Dr Jean Ping, UN envoy Haile Menkerios and Angola's deputy foreign minister George Chikote, as well as the South African facilitators. Speaking on their behalf, Minister Sydney Mufumadi, described the group as a "support mechanism". He said Mbeki had "invited" the three men "to constitute a reference group which will interact with the mediator on an ongoing basis in order to ensure that we get through the mediator systematic support to continue with the process of executing the task given to him by the SADC".
Tsvangirai has previously resisted entering into power sharing talks, demanding that a second mediator be appointed to assist Mbeki, whom he believes is not impartial. Mufamadi said "we think it is important for the facilitators to have the benefit of such input". He said the group would be kept informed on an ongoing basis at a strategic level and he said they would appoint people on the ground in the country wherever the negotiations take place and that those appointees would get "briefings on a daily basis from the facilitation team". UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon had accepted the move. Speaking on his behalf, Menkerios said the UN security council had supported Mbeki and SADC's efforts and that this new reference group allowed this support "to find expression".
Zimbabwe is to introduce a bank-note worth Z$100bn in response to rampant inflation - but the note will barely cover the cost of a loaf of bread.
Some Zimbabweans are already calling for higher denominations in a country where the official annual inflation rate has exceeded 2,200,000%. Independent economists believe the real rate is many times higher. Zimbabwe's meltdown has left at least 80% of the population in poverty, facing mass shortages of basic goods.
The country's central bank has introduced several new notes already this year in response to the hyperinflation. In January, a Z$10 million note was issued, followed by a Z$50 million. By June the denominations had reached tens of billions.
In a notice in the state-controlled Herald newspaper, central bank governor Gideon Gono said the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe would introduce the new notes - known as special agro-cheques - to help consumers. "This new $100 billion special agro-cheque will go into circulation on Monday," the notice said.
But Zimbabwe residents say the latest note is already worthless, and does not even cover their daily lunch. "Nowadays, for my expenses a day, I need about Z$500 billion," one resident said. "So Z$100 billion can't do anything because for me to go home I need Z$250 billion, so this [note] is worthless."
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/20/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
They're up to 11 zeroes already? I guess lopping off 3 awhile back didn't work out as well as they hoped. They'll have to start using scientific notation soon.
#4
I see little humour in the PRINTING. The Zim solution is not unlike what we'll soon be seeing from our own government in support of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
#6
You see!
Get rid of white rule and you will all be millionaires!!!
If you ask real nice, maybe they will come back and "subjugate" you back to a healthy economy.
JEDDAH -- Preparations are being made for a nearly SR7 billion expansion of Holy Prophet's Muhammad's (peace be upon him) Mosque in the holy city of Madinah. Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz has issued instructions for the acquisition of property towards the east of the Holy Mosque where an expansion project was launched in 2006.
Habib Zain Al Abdeen, acting secretary-general of the High Authority to Develop Makkah and Madinah, said that the properties to be acquired extend from the eastern side of the Mosque to the first ring road (King Faisal) going up until the Al Safa district in the north. He has been quoted as saying by the Arabic daily Al Madinah that details of the project and the compensation that will be paid to the owners of property that come under the expansion will soon be announced, and will be in line with the established compensation system.
The new expansion will include the Bani Al Najjar Project area, the old maternity hospital and the Al Dikhail hotel. The new expansion of the Prophet's Mosque from the eastern side will cover an area of 37,000 sq-m. It will also provide parking for about 420 vehicles and 70 buses.
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Posted by: Steve White ||
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#1
A much better way to spend excess oil profits than those traditionally used. Perhaps they've learnt not to build apartment blocks that will stand empty, not to fund Al Qaeda units that only provide target practice for -- nowadays -- Iraqi police and army trainees.
Creates a vacuum. But since the Anglican hierarchy is interested in pretty much every possible cause other than Christian life and doctrine, it's predictable.
Gee, I wonder what will fill that vacuum over the next decade or so?
#1
Perhaps the tourism ministry can take them over, complete with actors dressed up as priests of the Church of England. Odds are more of the actors will believe in God than the real priests, anyway.
#2
Germany has the same problem with some of its 1500 castles. The solution is to privatize castles or churches in exchange for maintenance and restoration.
Importantly, while Medieval buildings are of great historical value and are often beautiful, they are not comfortable, in fact are downright uncomfortable, the reason clergy wore thick and layered robes. More modern buildings make far better churches for active congregations.
At the same time, private owners who restore such churches do far more than maintain. They go over every brick, and even excavate, to make it better, because they care about quality and historical accuracy, not utility.
The privatized castles of Germany are always in better condition than historical churches restored for use, that are very cold inside even on warm summer days, and look like they might fall down at any moment.
#5
The Church of England is rotten throughout - a terrible case of leftoid wood worm. The churches themselves are in a good state. A good treatment of moral fungicide and insecticide is needed.
#6
JFM, we don't have any medieval churches in the USA. It doesn't mean we're holier than thou, just not as old.
But some of us are concerned about declining moral values not only in Europe but in this country as well...taking it as an indication that our civilization is also in decline and fearing what will fill the vacuum...fearing that our children will go to hell. There is no guarantee that our civilization will survive...there never was...especially if we forget about God. A hundred years from now we could be forgotten.
If the Brits have lost faith in the Anglican church maybe they could try the Catholic, Methodist, Presbyterian, etc. It should be like so many radio stations where people can go up and down the dial. When they hear the Word they'll stop and listen.
Posted by: Abu Uluque6305 ||
07/20/2008 15:37 Comments ||
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#7
It's just a building. Dust to dust. Christian principles live on.
#9
An eccentric high school teacher built himself a castle in the next suburb over from mine, after returning from serving in France during one of the world wars. He formed each block from cement in milk cartons, lightening them by putting a light bulb in the center. It's on the river and absolutely charming. A foundation cares for the castle and garden now.
The verb "to shanghai" joined the lexicon with "crimping" and "sailor thieves" in 1850s.[15] The most widely accepted theory of the word's origin is that it comes from the Chinese city of Shanghai, a common destination of the ships with abducted crews.[1][15] The term has since expanded to mean "kidnapped" or "induced to do something by means of fraud."[16]
QUITO, Ecuador, July 18 -- The tip came to the old journalist at midnight about the decision at the presidential palace: The police were on their way.
Lolo EcheverrĂa in turn called his colleagues at Gamavision, one of Ecuador's prominent television stations, who drove to the studio through the deserted streets of Quito under the looming mass of an Andean volcano. They were in time to see police scale the white metal fence, break locks and force their way into the offices, the beginning of a swift government takeover of more than 190 businesses this month that has captivated this small and volatile nation.
Gamavision went blank briefly on the morning of the takeover, EcheverrĂa said. In one of his last acts as vice president of news, he ordered that the word "censored" appear on the screen. Within a few seconds, he said, the warning disappeared.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Steve White ||
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from the Messiah's mouth. Idjit. HT to AOSHQ
Today on CBS's Face the Nation, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., in Afghanistan, told the paparazzi-pursued correspondent Lara Logan that "the objective of this trip was to have substantive discussions with people like President Karzai or Prime Minister Maliki or President Sarkozy or others who I expect to be dealing with over the next eight to 10 years.
"And it's important for me to have a relationship with them early, that I start listening to them now, getting a sense of what their interests and concerns are."
The notion that Obama will be dealing with world leaders for eighjt-to-ten years, possibly up through July 2018, suggests that either (a) he believes that not only will he be elected and re-elected, but the 22nd amendment will be repealed and he will be elected for a third term, OR (b) he was speaking casually and just meant two terms.
(I'm guessing b.)
I'm thinking he's aglib idiot, unprepared for prime time, and can't operate without prepared speeches on teleprompters. Did you hear about the Bomb that hit Pearl Harbor?
Posted by: Frank G ||
07/20/2008 18:10 ||
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From my stomping grounds, in the heart of Central Texas, the Netroots converge
Liberal bloggers showed some reservation as Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi took a lot of heat for a fairly unpopular Congress, but Al Gore's surprise entrance drew awe, applause and respect. Glad I didn't go into town today. Might have hurt my eardurms
Pelosi and the former vice president and advocate for climate change addressed the Netroots Nation convention at the Austin Convention Center Saturday.
Gore used the podium to advocate his new campaign, www.wecansolveit.org, to get the nation to generate 100 percent of its electricity from renewable energy sources in 10 years. I know, I know, but I refuse to do a direct connect to that website. You will just have to copy and paste
Should Sen. Barack Obama win the presidency, Gore said he would probably decline an invitation to take a seat in his cabinet, stating that his purpose was to make climate change a number one issue in the public and in policy. The One Who Knows he is Messiah, stepping aside for the True Messiah
He criticized the administration's reluctance to deal directly with the issue of climate change, reviving the old antidote, "the hair of the dog that bit you," stating the Bush administration has attempted to resolve the nation's oil dependency "hangover" with the same old liquid medicine that created the problem.
Referring to the contentious political debate over drilling in one of Alaska's national protected areas, Gore argued that such a solution would only slightly improve the nation's dependence on foreign oil and only in the long-term. So what's wrong with planning for the long-term? Isn't that what leadership does?
"Defenders of status quo are the ones who got us in this mess," Gore said. "Ridiculous to open a few more areas for drilling to produce oil in 10 years that will be sold to China. Makes about as much sense as responding to an attack from Afghanistan by invading some other country." Betting he got a standing ovation on that line
Pelosi made it a point to address the war in Iraq, emphasizing her support for Obama's plan to work with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on a troop withdrawal and concentrate efforts in Afghanistan, where reports of violence have increased in frequency.
The speaker commented on her disappointment with the recent FISA bill passed in the House and Senate that gives immunity to companies involved in the administration's controversial eavesdropping program, overhauls some rules that would have obstructed the government's secret program and upholds the need for warrants and oversight.
"This is a day of taint for how you cooperated with the administration," Pelosi said in reference to the 17 senators, including Obama who voted in favor of the bill because of revisions he said removed his concerns.
Pelosi spent most of her time answering questions from the crowd on topics ranging from the potential for the impeachment of President Bush to a reported lack of essentials for troops in Iraq. Reported lack of essentials for troops in Iraq? This thing still alive?
When asked what she thought she envisioned from an ideal democratic government, And presenting the Democrats' Plan to Change America
Pelosi outlined the Democratic Party's platform, including climate change, universal health care, troop withdrawal from Iraq, improving education and technological innovation and building the nations' infrastructure.
A recent Rasmussen poll showed that only 9 percent of the public considers Congress' performance "excellent." Pelosi defined the public's spiraling regard for the effectiveness of Congress as a result of President Bush's control of the White House.
Pelosi said, "107 days until the election and things will be different."
The Director for New Media at the Center for Civic Action, Tracy Dingmann, said she found the keynote address to be more encouraging than inspiring, and said she believes the outcome of the presidential election will play a big role on policy and politics in Washington.
"You gotta have hope," she said. "It'll make a huge difference who the president is." And just what differences will this hope bring? Words not to be spoken
Activist for Swing Semester Natasha Chart agrees, but said the problem goes much deeper with the democratic caucus. What and Who in the *&^*% is Swing Semester?
"It's a very divided caucus," she said. "We have a lot of Democrats that are more afraid of the media, Republicans and George W., than the people that elected them." Could there be a more dumb comment quoted?
On the other hand, Chart praised Gore who she said has stood his ground and effectively advocated for environmental responsibilty and climate change, and in a way that makes it easy to talk about. All hail the Chief
#1
Leaving Iraq and concentrating on Afghanistan would be an unmitigated disaster. Afghanistan is an ethic civil war. These kinds of wars end either in a horrible slaughter of one side, or after many years both sides decide they have lost too much and agree to stop. Generally the former.
Everything the Left advocates is based on moronic memes and a complete lack of facts, understanding or analysis.
Iraq war bad!
Afghan war good!
Sherry, I agree it's a dumb quote, but you have to view it from the perspective of Left activist's who think that they elected these people therefore they should do what we want. And BTW, it decodes to 'They should be afraid of us, the activists and not the electorate'.
#5
phil_b, thanks for the clarification and the translation! 'Cause I didn't have the vaguest idea what she was talking about, much less, what it was suppose to mean!
Former Georgia Sen. Max Cleland was an icon of Sen. John Kerry's 2004 campaign, a badly wounded war hero who lost his seat, Kerry deplored, after a television advertising campaign questioned his commitment to national security.
But to the Obama campaign, Cleland has another qualification: Registered lobbyist.
So Cleland -- despite his iconic status -- was abruptly disinvited from appearing with Obama in Atlanta July 8, three sources familiar with the incident said.
This will go over well with veterans belonging to both parties ...
"This was a hard decision regarding Senator Cleland," said Obama's deputy campaign manager, Steve Hildebrand, in an email. He cited Obama's policy of banning lobbyists from participating in fundraising or giving money. "If we make exceptions, we will open ourselves to criticism," he said.
Cleland has told associates he was asked to appear at an Obama fundraising event in Atlanta on July 8, only to be told at the last minute that he wouldn't be welcome.
The policy has been a key symbol of Obama's outsider status, but many Democrats have also quietly questioned whether it goes too far when prominent party figures like Cleland, who an associate said has never actually lobbied in Washington, are left out in the cold on a technicality.
Cleland is registered to lobby for a company whose products are aimed at helping soldiers recover more quickly from battlefield injuries, Tissue Regeneration Technologies. "Sen. Cleland is definitely not doing lobbying work. He gives speeches and campaigns for a few friends, but mostly he's spending his time taking care of his father," said Cleland advisor John Marshall, who said that Tissue Regeneration Technologies was the only company on whose behalf he lobbies. He declined to comment on the incident in Atlanta.
In a brief telephone interview, Cleland also declined to comment on his treatment by the campaign. "I'm pretty much retired from politics," he said. "I don't really want to get into that at all."
But Cleland told others he was unpleasantly surprised when, after an invitation to the event for Obama -- whom he supports -- he was told at the last minute by an Obama aide that he wouldn't be welcome.
Obama spokesman Bill Burton also declined to comment on Cleland's exclusion from the Atlanta fundraiser. "Sen. Obama has nothing but respect for Sen. Cleland's service to our country and appreciates his support," he said.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/20/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
With all due respect to Senator Cleland, he was not wounded in combat. Somebody (maybe even Cleland himself) dropped a grenade while he was on a beer run. While his wounds are tragic, I wouldn't call them heroic.
Posted by: Rambler in California ||
07/20/2008 0:32 Comments ||
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#2
Grenades and beer - now *there* is a recipe for fun!
#4
When do we start calling it "The Black Hole of Obama?"
Dude, guess you didn't get the memo. The term "black hole" is now officially racist.
Mostly off-topic -- once a colleague of mine was writing a popular article on black holes and asked me to vet it (for clarity, not for scientific accuracy, I hasten to add). For no good reason he brought up the Black Hole of Calcutta, describing it as an English prison! I scolded him for that, and his excuse was that he'd gotten that information from a French book.
#5
Angie, they can take that memo and shove it in another black hole "where the sun don't shine." For some time I've been PROUD to be considered a racist, given that "racist" is now defined as "a person winning an argument with a liberal."
BTW, the French didn't inflict Bama on us; our own libs did. That's just one more thing to remember when it's payback time.
#7
I've seen him speak at several IMF conferences (he was placed on the board) and... well, it's hard to be unpleasant when everyone wants to like you and you have prepared remarks, but, he managed to do it.
#8
For no good reason he brought up the Black Hole of Calcutta, describing it as an English prison! I scolded him for that, and his excuse was that he'd gotten that information from a French book.
Really? Either it was ssome paralle reality book or or he had had so many alcohol and his French was so poor he misundestood teh sentence.
BTW: When I try to learn something over a problem either I read a book in my mother language or one in the language of the people concerned. I wouldn't read a German book when trying to learn about British India.
Nepal's lawmakers will elect the country's first president today, with the Maoist-backed candidate Ram Raja Prasad Singh likely to be the first and only head of state of the world's newest republic. Nepal abolished its monarchy in May.
All of the three largest political parties in the newly elected Constituent Assembly have fielded candidates from the Madhesi, the southern ethnic group that has been the source of unrest since the Maoists laid down their arms two years ago. Mr Singh, 73, an ardent republican, said he would work at "institutionalising the republic" in the Himalayan nation. He is the likely winner, as the Maoists hold 226 seats in the 601-member assembly.
The Nepali Congress, the second largest party, has fielded Dr Ram Baran Yadav, 61. UML, the Communist Party of Nepal, has fielded Ram Preet Paswan, 55.
The selection means that a Madhesi will become the first head of the state after the end of 240-year old Shah dynasty in May. The Madhesis have been demanding equal rights in bureaucracy and all other aspects of governance since January 2007, when the country scrapped the old constitution and introduced a new interim constitution. They delayed the election of the president and formation of the new government by more than two weeks, by disrupting the proceedings of the Constituent Assembly.
The efforts of the political party to placate the Madhesis, who make up 31 per cent of the population, have been largely accepted by the people.
"It is a welcome move but the Madhesi leader should also champion the Madhesi cause; not all the candidates are real pro-Madhesis," said Ram Rijhan Yadav, editor of the weekly publication Purva Saptahik .
The Maoist party has fielded its leader, Shanta Shrestha, as its candidate for the vice presidency.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/20/2008 00:00 ||
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The Palestinian Authority's official news agency Wafa says Israel is using rats to drive Arab families out of their homes in the Old City of Jerusalem.
In the past the news agency, which is controlled and funded by PA President Mahmoud Abbas's office, has accused Israel of using wild pigs to drive Palestinians out of their homes and fields in the West Bank. In the reports, Palestinians were quoted by the agency as saying that they had seen Israelis release herds of wild pigs, which later attacked them. "they turned me into a newt!"
But this is the first time that Palestinians have spoken of rats being used against them. "I got better"
"Rats have become an Israeli weapon to displace and expel Arab residents of the occupied Old City of Jerusalem," Wafa reported under the title, "Settlers flood the Old City of Jerusalem with rats." The report continued: "Over the past two months, dozens of settlers come to the alleyways and streets of the Old City carrying iron cages full of rats. They release the rats, which find shelter in open sewage systems." hmmmm....open sewage system, an Arab tradition, has absolutely nothing to do with the presence of rats...
Wafa quoted unnamed Arab residents as saying that they had tried to eliminate the rats with various poisons, but to no avail. "we need a lot of poison....for the rats"
Israel's goal was to "increase the suffering of the [Arabs] in Jerusalem by turning their lives into a real tragedy and forcing them to evict their homes and leave the city," Hasan Khater, secretary-general of the Islamic-Christian Front in Jerusalem, was quoted as saying. wonder how many Christians are in the Islamic-Christian Front
Jerusalem Municipality spokesman Gidi Schmerling said that the report was "pure fiction," and had no connection to reality.
Posted by: Frank G ||
07/20/2008 11:57 ||
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#1
Are they sure they aren't relatives that stopped by? Hard to tell.
#3
I Thought "The Profit" liked cats?
There's your Rat solution right there.
Give it a month and see all the fat cats, bellies dragging the ground, and not a rat to be found.
I recommend "Maine coon Cats"
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
07/20/2008 17:18 Comments ||
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(Xinhua) -- The House of Representatives (DPR)of Indonesia is to give the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK)all the liberty it needs to investigate legislators involved in corruption, House Speaker Agung Laksono said on Saturday. "We will give the KPK our full cooperation, and will not protect House members from being investigated by the KPK," Antara news agency quoted the House leader as saying in Bali.
Can they come to Chicago when they're done?
Laksono said he had met with the leaders of the House factions and asked them to let the KPK investigate any of their members suspected of corruption. "We have met with each of the House factions and asked them to be willing to let KPK go ahead with its investigations with due observance of the principle of presumption of innocence," he said.
The arrests of a number of legislators as suspects in bribery and corruption cases over the past few months should serve as a lesson to the rest of the House members, he said.
But Laksono also expressed the hope that the KPK would fight corruption indiscriminately and not only target legislative bodies while ignoring corruption in other state institutions.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/20/2008 01:14 ||
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AT least eight women and one man have been sentenced to be stoned to death in Iran and may be executed at any time, the lawyers defending several of those sentenced said today.
The eight women, ranging in age from 27 to 43, had convictions including prostitution, incest and adultery. The man, a 50-year-old music teacher, was convicted of illegal sex with a student.
The last officially reported stoning in the Islamic Republic was carried out on a man a year ago which drew criticism from rights groups, the European Union and a top U.N. official. Iran's judiciary chief Ayatollah Mohmoud Hashemi-Shahroudi ordered a moratorium on stoning in 2002.
"Our specific and clear demand is to have the stoning sentence stopped by Ayatollah Shahroudi since the defendants are liable to be stoned at any moment," defence lawyer Mariam Kian-Arsi said.
Judiciary officials were not immediately available for comment. But the Iranian authorities routinely dismiss charges of rights abuses, saying they are acting on Islamic sharia law.
The lawyers issued a list of those facing stoning, saying it numbered at least nine people and urged parliament to remove stoning and other corporal punishments from law books. "We are trying to have such punishments removed and replaced by different ones so that it would be compatible with the dignity of humanity," lawyer Mohammad Mostafaie said.
According to Iran's Islamic penal code, men convicted of adultery should be buried up to their waists and women up to their chests for stoning. Stones used should not be large enough to kill the person immediately.
Shadi Sadr, another defence lawyer, called on the international community and rights groups to back their efforts. "We are in close touch with human rights organisations and many of them have supported our campaign," Sadr said.
Amnesty International earlier this year called on Iran to immediately abolish "this grotesque punishment" and said many of those awaiting execution by stoning were sentenced after grossly unfair trials. Iran responds to Western criticism of its rights record by pointing to what it says are abuses in the West, such as detainees held by the United States in Guantanamo Bay.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
Morgan Tsvangirai has agreed to enter power sharing talks with Robert Mugabe, saying Zimbabweans have suffered enough and it is time for that country's crisis to come to an end. This was the upshot of Friday's decision by President Thabo Mbeki, who is mediating between the various Zimbabwean parties, to appoint a reference group to assist in negotiations. Independent Newspapers understands that power-sharing talks could begin as early as next week. The breakthrough comes as SADC foreign, defence and security ministers were warned in Durban on Friday, that the region's unity and peace, was being threatened by member states' differences over Zimbabwe. Reached for comment on Friday night, Tsvangirai, the leader of the majority faction in the Movement for Democratic Change, said: "I think we do have to co-operate with the group and expedite the second phase which is to start substantive negotiations."
Obama disinvited 'lobbyist' Cleland
