Zimbabwe

Opposition Gloomy As Regional Leaders Discuss Harare Impasse
Southern African leaders attempt to end deadlock over Zimbabwe's power-sharing government

Emergency African Summit Postponed After Tsvangirai Boycott
Opposition Movement for Democratic Change says Robert Mugabe not ready to share power despite signing deal

Tsvangirai May Quit As Mugabe Grabs Top Posts
Zimbabwe's opposition leader threatens to pull out of power-sharing deal

Tsvangirai Threatens to Quit Zimbabwe Deal After Mugabe Seizes Cabinet Posts
Opposition leader says power-sharing plan is in jeopardy after Zanu-PF handed major ministerial jobs

Mbeki Urged to Save Zimbabwe Coalition Deal As Inflation Soars
WFP launches appeal to feed 5 million, some of whom it says are reduced to living on wild fruits

Zimbabwe's Inflation Rate Surges to 231,000,000%
Tsvangirai calls on Thabo Mbeki to return to the country to rescue last month's historic power-sharing deal

Zimbabwe on the Brink of New Crisis As Food Runs Out
Economic collapse and the destruction of farms mean that millions face starvation

The Beaten Dare to Hope for Change As Cautious Optimism Returns to Zimbabwe
A mix of relief and hope swept Zimbabwe this week after Mugabe signed a power-sharing deal with Tsvangirai

Zimbabwe Power-sharing Gets Off to False Start
First meeting of Robert Mugabe with opposition leaders who will become his partners in government ends in failure to carve up cabinet posts

Zimbabwe: 'there's an Inherent Suspicion of Mugabe. But He Must Understand That the Future is Not in the Hands of Robert Mugabe'
In an exclusive interview, Morgan Tsvangirai reveals how he intends to use his position as prime minister

Robert Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai Sign Zimbabwe Power-sharing Deal
Opposition leader to become prime minister under agreement designed to loosen president's grip on power

£1bn Aid in the Balance As West Waits to Gauge Change in Zimbabwe
Power sharing deal puts Morgan Tsvangirai in charge of daily government administration

Morgan Tsvangirai Profile
Mugabe's harassment tactics backfired enhancing the MDC leader's image as someone with the guts to stand up to a ruthless dictator

Zimbabwe Deal Gives Power to Tsvangirai
Robert Mugabe has agreed to surrender day-to-day control of the government to end Zimbabwe's long political crisis

Zimbabwe: Mugabe Aides Hold Secret Talks to Gain Immunity
Army and police chiefs demand protection from prosecution before backing change in Zimbabwe

Mugabe Clings to Power After Reaching Coalition Deal With Breakaway Mdc Faction
New administration will exclude Morgan Tsvangirai, who demanded constitutional reform and the transfer of power

Zimbabwe Talks Reach Deadlock As Mugabe Refuses to Cede Power
Two sides remain far apart as opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, continues to insist democracy be respected

Africa: Talks in Zimbabwe Falter As Tsvangirai Refuses to Concede Power to Mugabe
Opposition officials claim Mugabe rejected Tsvangirai's claim to be the country's legitimate leader

Petrol Coupons Traded As Cash in Zimbabwe
Counterfeiters produce the £20 coupons that can be exchanged for a precious 20 liters of fuel

Mugabe and Tsvangirai to Discuss Powersharing
MDC hesitant to endorse blanket amnesty for leaders of ruling Zanu-PF

Zimbabwe Brings in New Currency to Tackle Inflation Crisis
Central bank governor says he is no longer prepared to print notes of ever higher denominations

Zimbabwe's Zero Hour Has Been Tried Before
Revaluing the currency is not a new way of tackling out-of-control inflation. But has it worked in the past?

Zimbabwe Issues New Currency to Tackle Inflation
Zimbabwe's central bank will tomorrow introduce a new currency in a bid to halt the African country's runaway increase in the cost of living. Larry Elliott reports

Zimbabwe Knocks 10 Zeros Off Currency Amid World's Highest Inflation
Computers and automated teller machines cannot handle basic transactions in billions and trillions of dollars

Zimbabwe Power-sharing Talks Begin Amid High Hopes for Deal
Power-sharing talks between Zimbabwe's ruling party and opposition leaders began in earnest in South Africa today, with the two sides discussing terms for the formation of a unity government to end the country's political crisis

Soldiers Await Pay As Zimbabwe Runs Out of Paper to Print Money
The Zimbabwean government was today struggling to find enough cash to pay its workers, and more importantly the military, after it was forced to severely cut back on printing money because sanctions severed its supply of banknote paper from Europe

Zimbabwe Power-sharing Talks to Begin 'in Earnest'
Substantive talks between Robert Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai on unity government will begin tomorrow, says South African official

Army May Go Unpaid As Sanctions Dry Up Supply of Paper for Zimbabwe Banknotes
Hyperinflation worsens as software and licenses for printing cash withdrawn in boycott of regime

Threat of Mass Starvation Looms in Zimbabwe After Latest Harvest Fails
Five million will need help within months, warns UN, as many are reduced to one meal a day

Zimbabwe Government Puts Inflation Rate at Record 2.2m%
Loaf of bread now costs one-third of a teacher's monthly salary, but experts place true figure higher

Zimbabwe Inflation at 2.2m% and Rising
Soaring inflation drives cost of a loaf of bread to about one-third of a teacher's monthly salary

No Painkillers, No Visitors and No Way Out: Mugabe's Hospital Ward for Mdc Activists
Supporters of rival party with broken limbs and burns held prisoner in hospital and refused treatment

Refugees Defy Crocodiles to Cross Border
Huge surge in number of impoverished Zimbabweans fleeing their country

'I Was Being Loyal to a Government That Was Not Loyal to Its People'
Prison officer who refused to pander to Zanu-PF officials filmed life inside using Guardian's secret camera

Zimbabwe: How an Angry Prison Officer With a Secret Camera Shamed a Tyrant
We reveal how one brave prison officer risked his life to document from the inside the terror that has engulfed his country

Zimbabwean Prison Officer's Film Shows Mugabe Vote-rigging
Film believed to be first footage of how Robert Mugabe's supporters rigged the elections in Zimbabwe has been smuggled out of the country by a prison officer

Zimbabwe Soldiers Kidnap Opposition Mp Outside Court
Army colonel recognized as leader of abduction in what opposition say is part of campaign against their majority

Zimbabwe: Tsvangirai Rules Out African Union Call for Power-sharing Deal With Mugabe
Opposition leader criticizes African leaders at summit for failing to recognise 'illegitimacy' of run-off election

Zimbabwe: No Talks Until Violence Ends, Says Tsvangirai
Zimbabwean opposition leader says he will not enter power sharing talks with Robert Mugabe until Zanu-PF ends its campaign of violence

Asylum Seekers: Pressure Grows to Free Detained Zimbabwean Asylum Seekers
Court of appeal ruling delays deportation drive as political situation worsens in Harare

BP in Talks Over Tnk-bp Visa Row
Desperate bid to prevent chief executive and other senior managers being forced to leave Russia as internal war between shareholders escalates

Zimbabwe: Au Motion Calls for Unity Government
African leaders today adopted a resolution calling for talks in Zimbabwe between the ruling Zanu-PF party and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change to create a government of national unity

Zimbabwe's Opposition Denies Mugabe Deal
Tsvangirai's party denies claims that agreements have been made at the African Union summit

Kenyan Pm Wants Zimbabwe Suspended From African Union
Comments come as the US completes first draft of UN security council sanctions resolution following Mugabe's widely disputed re-election

UN Urges African Leaders to Negotiate Zimbabwe Settlement
'This is a moment of truth,' deputy secretary general tells summit

Deadly Ballot
Seven murdered bodies found outside Harare, where some of worst anti-MDC violence occurred

State-run Press Leads Propaganda Charge
Zimbabwean people have finally come to their senses to vote Mugabe, according to official media

Zimbabwe: Un High Commissioner Calls for Halt to Political Violence
Political violence has corrupted Zimbabwe's presidential election, creating a "perversion of democracy", the UN's leading human rights official said today

Tsvangirai: Vote Mugabe to Stay Alive
Zimbabweans warned their 'vote is their bullet' as Zanu-PF militia forces them to political meetings

Anglo American Defends Zimbabwe Project
Mining firm comes under criticism for investing in platinum project as political situation in Zimbabwe worsens

World Leaders Say They Will Reject Outcome of Zimbabwe Election, But Mugabe Stays Defiant
Tsvangirai says problems must be solved by negotiation as African nations call for postponement of run-off

Fear Grows in Zanu-pf As Officials Interrogate Top Mdc Man Over Amnesty Deals, Says Lawyer
Detained secretary general of the opposition party, Tendai Biti, reports mistrust and suspicion amongst Zanu-PF members

Zimbabwe: African Leaders to Hold Emergency Summit
Southern African leaders will hold an emergency summit on the deepening political crisis in Zimbabwe tomorrow, Tanzania's government said tonight

Zimbabwe Election: Mugabe Opponent Tsvangirai to Leave Dutch Protection
Zimbabwe's opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, said he hopes to leave his refuge in the Dutch embassy imminently but warned that his safety could not be guaranteed by a regime that was 'acting irrationally'

Zimbabwe: Uk Minister Calls for Global Action Against Mugabe
A British minister today called for 'global action' to isolate Robert Mugabe's regime following the collapse of presidential elections

US and Britain: Mugabe's Zimbabwe 'not Legitimate'
US and Britain today led international condemnation of Zimbabwe by urging countries not to recognize Robert Mugabe's "criminal and discredited cabal"

Zimbabwe: More Beatings, More Abductions As the World Watches
Mugabe's forces keep up assault on the opposition as Morgan Tsvangirai seeks refuge in Dutch embassy

UN Leader Wants Election Scrapped
Ban Ki-moon says Morgan Tsvangirai was right to withdraw from Zimbabwe's presidential election

Voters Left With Little Choice As the Terror Goes on
Tsvangirai's exit from presidential poll disappoints, but for now MDC supporters focus on staying alive

Zanu-PF Vows to Go Ahead With Zimbabwe Election
Declaration comes despite withdrawal of opposition leader from run-off vote because of scale of state-sponsored violence and intimidation

Zimbabwe: Timeline of Events Since March 29 Elections
A chronology of the main developments since Zimbabwe's presidential, parliamentary and local elections on March 29

This is No Election. This is a Brutal War
Chris McGreal in Harare reports on a poll in which voting against the president means placing your life on the line

Zimbabwe's Neighbours Turn on Mugabe As Election Violence Spreads to New Areas
Tanzania, Angola and Swaziland declare there is every sign run-off elections 'will never be free nor fair'

Zimbabwe Elections: Four Activists Found Dead, Says Opposition
Movement for Democratic Change says victims were assaulted with iron bars, clubs and guns

Zimbabwe Elections: Four Activists Killed in Firebomb, Says Opposition
Activists burnt to death near Harare after attack on house they were in

UN Warns 5m Zimbabweans Will Face Hunger By Next Year
Zimbabweans face hunger with plummeting food production and extremely high inflation

Zimbabwe's Voters Told: Choose Mugabe or You Face a Bullet
Chris McGreal reports from the center of the country, where violence and intimidation are increasing ahead of the run-off elections

Zimbabwe Election: Mugabe Threatens to Arrest Opposition Leaders
President accuses Morgan Tsvangirai of supporting mounting election violence across the country

Zimbabwe Police Turn Up Heat Against Harassed Opposition
Mugabe's men resort to intimidating opponents and threatening Zimbabweans with starvation before June 27 vote

Opposition Lawyer Arrested in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwean police arrested a prominent opposition party lawyer today in a dawn raid at his home, a day after the Movement for Democratic Change leader Morgan Tsvangirai was himself detained for a second time and banned from holding any political rallies

Zimbabwe: Timeline of Events Since March 29 Elections
A chronology of the main developments since Zimbabwe's presidential, parliamentary and local elections on March 29

Key Dates in Zimbabwe's Recent History
Timeline: The main events in Zimbabwe's troubled recent history

Anger at British and American Diplomats Held in Zimbabwe
Relations take turn for the worse as security forces detain and harass UK and US diplomats

Tsvangirai Says Mbeki 'no Longer Fit' to Be Zimbabwe Mediator
Warning letter from MDC leader comes days after it emerged Mbeki requested Bush cease his criticism of Mugabe

Tsvangirai Flies Into Harare
Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai flies home after a six-week self-imposed exile

Tsvangirai Vows to Return to Zimbabwe
Opposition leader to return home despite alleged assassination threats from Mugabe regime

MDC Claims Plot to Kill Tsvangirai
Zimbabwe's opposition party accuses military of deploying 18 snipers to assassinate their leader and other top spokespersons

Zimbabwe Opposition Alleges Sniper Plot to Kill Leader
Movement for Democratic Change says Morgan Tsvangirai will return to contest presidential run-off, despite alleged assassination plot

Murdered: the War Veteran Who Stood Up to Mugabe
Weeks after being interviewed by The Observer, Gibson Nyandoro became Zimbabwe's latest victim of political 'cleansing'

Assassination Threat Delays Tsvangirai Return to Zimbabwe
Opposition leader postpones his return home after an assassination plot against him was uncovered, a spokesman says

Zimbabwe Sets Date for Runoff
Tsvangirai says he will participate in June 27 election but adds that violence has to cease for it to be legitimate

Returning for Round Two
Leader: Morgan Tsvangirai was right to decide to return to Zimbabwe to contest the second round runoff

Tsvangirai Plans Return to Zimbabwe for Runoff Vote
Opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai arrives in Harare to contest runoff election against Mugabe and makes 'victory tour'

Key Dates in Zimbabwe's Recent History
Timeline: The main events in Zimbabwe's troubled recent history

Reuters Photographer Held in Zimbabwe
A Reuters photographer in Zimbabwe has been arrested and detained for three days, the news organization has said. By Stephen Brook

Zimbabwe Run-off Vote May Face Year Delay
Catholic church in Zimbabwe calls on UN and African Union to supervise next ballot as intimidation of voters continues

Zimbabwe's Opposition Divided Over Boycott of Election Re-run
MDC members fail to make a decision as their leader Morgan Tsvangirai remains abroad amid fears for his safety

Zimbabwe Braced for Presidential Run-off
Senior government sources admit that Tsvangirai beat Mugabe, but without outright majority

US Backs Sanctions If Zimbabwe Poll Crisis Continues
US envoy increases diplomatic pressure on Robert Mugabe after a recount in Zimbabwe's parliamentary elections confirmed an opposition win

Speed Sent to Tend His Garden After Zimbabwe Row
ICC chief executive, Malcolm Speed, has been put on leave after an argument over Zimbabwe Cricket

Zimbabwe Police Raid Mdc Headquarters
Dozens of armed riot police today raided the headquarters of Zimbabwe's main opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change, detaining around 100 people

Zimbabwe Recount 'fatally Flawed', Says Monitor
Significant irregularities, including the illicit opening of ballot boxes, makes partial recount an exercise in 'futility'

Miliband Condemns Zimbabwe Poll 'charade'
Robert Mugabe is presiding over a "charade of democracy" as he intensifies his campaign to steal the recent Zimbabwean elections by "beating his own people to death" in a desperate attempt to cling to power, the foreign secretary, David Miliband, warned last night.

Zimbabwe Recount is Fixed, Says Opposition
Zanu-PF accused of torture as Mugabe clings on

The Long Charade
Chris McGreal: Zimbabwe's opposition have made tactical errors, but the onus is now on regional leaders

Tsvangirai Calls on Mbeki to Step Aside
Zimbabwe opposition leader calls for new initiative to tackle country's post-election deadlock

Zimbabwe Deports Times Reporter
The Africa correspondent of the Times has been deported from Zimbabwe after being held for eight nights and fined 20bn Zimbabwe dollars. By Jason Deans

Zimbabwe Police Arrest 33 As Pressure Grows to Release Poll Results
Police arrested more than 30 people during a strike called by the opposition to press for the release of results from Zimbabwe's presidential election

ANC Hits Out at 'dire' Zimbabwe Situation
Declaration breaks ranks with South African president's policy of quiet diplomacy towards Mugabe regime

MDC Calls Zimbabwean General Strike
Opposition will not discourage protests, as high court rejects attempt to get poll results released

First Sign of Hope at Zimbabwe Summit
Regional leaders see ex-Zanu-PF finance minister as likely unity candidate

There Are Many Villains to Blame for Zimbabwe's Decade of Horror
How British ministers, white farmers and the country's opposition have misunderstood the Mugabe regime

Zimbabwe Opposition Calls for General Strike
MDC urges industrial action until results of March 29 presidential vote are declared

African Leaders in Zimbabwe Crisis Summit
Harare seeks to play down significance of emergency talks to discuss post-election stalemate

'Vote Mugabe or You Die'. Inside Zimbabwe, the Backlash Begins
President's men launch campaign of violence and intimidation against MDC supporters

Emergency Summit Called on Zimbabwe
African neighbors to meet as fear of violence and concerns over refugee influx grows

Zimbabwe Court to Hear Election Results Request
Judge at country's highest court rules in favor of hearing opposition request for release of presidential election results

Journalists Released in Zimbabwe
A New York Times correspondent and a second man, reportedly a British journalist, have been released on bail after they were jailed for covering elections without permission. By John Plunkett

Courts Delay Decision on Zimbabwe Voting Dispute
Zimbabwe's opposition today said judges had postponed until tomorrow their decision on whether to force the release of results from the presidential election held more than a week ago

For War Veterans, Hopes of a Second Liberation
Members of former liberation movement turned against their leader as Zimbabwe descended into disaster

Police Raid Opposition Offices in Zimbabwe
Government has raided the offices of the opposition party and rounded up foreign journalists, according to reports

Britain Prepares £1bn-a-year Package to Aid Zimbabwe
IMF, World Bank, EU and UN to coordinate international emergency aid and development package to rescue the ruined Zimbabwean economy

Zimbabwe Opposition in Contact With Military
Robert Mugabe is under growing pressure to recognize defeat in Zimbabwe's presidential election

Zimbabwe Opposition Fears Vote-rigging
Election commission begins releasing trickle of results from Saturday's elections as the opposition voices fears count is being manipulated in favour of Mugabe

Delays Fuel Fears of Electoral Fraud in Zimbabwe
Delay in official results is fueling international fears that Robert Mugabe is resorting to electoral fraud to hang on to power

Desperate Zimbabweans Find Their Voice
Zimbabweans didn't so much speak in Saturday's presidential election as shout so loudly that Robert Mugabe and the Zanu-PF party elite who came to believe in their unchallenged right to rule have been stunned into silence

Zimbabwe Opposition Claims Huge Poll Win
MDC says Mugabe party has been 'massacred' and defies government's ban on releasing results, in order 'to stop fraud attempt'

Dreams of Life After Mugabe As Zimbabwe Goes to Polls
A new dawn beckons for voters, but many remain unconvinced it will ever come to pass

Inside Zimbabwe: Opposition Threatens Post-election Uprising
Kenya-style mass protests promised if Robert Mugabe carries through extensive plans to rig Saturday's presidential and parliamentary elections

The True Cost of Living in Zimbabwe - No Food, No Job and No Hope
As Mugabe heads into a presidential election, a mother's desperation sums up the reality of 100,000% inflation

Zimbabwe Bans Western Observers From Ballot
Britain, the EU and the United States are among those excluded from monitoring this month's presidential election

Zimbabwe Delays Bill to Curb Press
The Zimbabwean government unexpectedly postponed the passage of repressive press and labor bills yesterday, writes Andrew Meldrum.

The Lion's Roar
Leader: Zimbabweans know from cruel experience that elections can bring hope but not change

Zimbabwe Accused As Briton Sent to Equatorial Guinea Jail
The Zimbabwean authorities were yesterday accused of a criminal conspiracy to kidnap and deport the British mercenary Simon Mann after it emerged he was held incommunicado for a day and then secretly flown out of the country before his appeal process was finished

Zimbabwe Orders Van Hoogstraten's Release
Zimbabwean high court orders release of the notorious British property tycoon Nicholas van Hoogstraten because he has been in police custody longer than legally allowed, according to Reuters news agency

Zimbabwe Court Orders Van Hoogstraten's Release
Zimbabwean high court orders release of the notorious British property tycoon Nicholas van Hoogstraten because he has been in police custody longer than legally allowed, according to Reuters news agency

Tycoon Van Hoogstraten Arrested in Zimbabwe
Mugabe apologist is accused of flouting currency exchange laws and possessing pornography

Tsvangirai Arrested Ahead of Zimbabwe Rally
Police detain opposition leader and cancel permission for protest march

Mandy Retzlaff’s Letters from Africa – Africa My Home, Interview
I have learnt one thing, what you really need in life is absolutely free, excerpts from interview.

Zimbabwe Runs Out of Bread
Harare admits land reform has failed as the deadline passes for the last white farmers to leave their land

Bakeries Close Their Doors As Collapse in Wheat Production Adds to Crisis
· State cannot pay for grain and electricity imports · Seizure of white farms has been followed by chaos

Archbishop Hits Out at Policy on Zimbabwe
The archbishop of York has launched a sustained attack on the government's policy towards Zimbabwe, demanding that Gordon Brown end Britain's 'colonial guilt' and spearhead a campaign of sanctions against the 'racist' dictatorship of Robert Mugabe.

Zimbabwe's Delivery From Tyranny is Far From Certain
Chris McGreal: Some believe that Robert Mugabe is committing regime change on himself with his mad economics. It cannot get any worse, they say, but it can.

Zimbabwe Rejects Calls for Change at Summit
The Zimbabwean government dismissed growing disquiet at the impact of its economic collapse on its neighbours today, telling a summit in Zambia of regional leaders that there was no need for political reform or talks with its opponents.

Mr Njini Lived to 45. He Was an Old Man
Women in Zimbabwe live an average of 34 years and men manage just three years more, half of the life expectancy of little more than a decade ago.

Zimbabwe's Archbishop Accused of Adultery
Zimbabwe's Roman Catholic archbishop, Pius Ncube, a strident critic of Robert Mugabe's rule, was accused yesterday of a two-year adulterous affair with a secretary at his church in a lawsuit that his lawyers described as politically motivated.

Shops Emptied As Panic Grips Zimbabwe
Mugabe orders cuts of 50% to battle inflation - Few basic goods left as firms face bankruptcy

Refugees Flood From Zimbabwe
Flow of desperate migrants into South Africa intensifies as inflation and shortages worsen.

Zimbabwe Inflation 'to Hit 1.5m%'
Zimbabwe's inflation will rocket to 1.5m% before the end of the year, the US ambassador to Harare predicted today, forecasting massive disruption and instability that will drive President Robert Mugabe from office.

US Predicts Regime Change in Zimbabwe As Hyperinflation Destroys the Economy
Rate to reach 1.5m% by year end, says ambassador - Money becomes worthless as people turn to bartering

Fury at Zimbabwe Un Role
West outraged as African nations help elect key minister to head environmental body.

UN in Rift Over Zimbabwe
West outraged as African nations help elect Mugabe minister to head environmental body.

Coup Plotter Faces Extradition to Equatorial Guinea
A former SAS officer should be extradited to Equatorial Guinea despite the prospect of a death sentence for plotting to overthrow the government, a Zimbabwean judge ruled today.

Zimbabweans Face Power Cuts for Up to 20 Hours a Day
Householders hit as crop irrigation gets priority - Water shortages add to misery in Harare

Simon Mann, Ex-eton, Ex-sas. Now the Nightmare of Black Beach Prison
Equatorial Guinea pursues Briton over coup attempt - Zimbabwe magistrate orders extradition

Now Zimbabwe Can See End of the Road for Its 'brutal Old Man'
Mugabe's regime is ratcheting up the pressure but the cracks are starting to show and the opposition is gaining confidence.

Second Day of Zimbabwe's Strike Lacks Impact
The second day of a general strike called by Zimbabwe's main trade union body again had minimal impact today as most workers, wary of a heavy police presence and the risk of losing their jobs, went to work as normal.

Most Zimbabweans Ignore Call for General Strike
Thousands of troops and police were deployed across Zimbabwe's cities and townships today to discourage demonstrations as trade unions failed in their attempt to bring the country to a halt with a general strike.

Zimbabwe General Strike Fails in Face of Police Action
Confidence wanes in ability to oust Mugabe - Discontent rises in armed forces as families suffer

UK Journalist Freed in Zimbabwe
A British journalist has been freed after allegations that he was operating in Zimbabwe without accreditation. By Stephen Brook.

Zimbabwe on Alert As Two-day Strike Starts Slowly
Thousands of troops and police were deployed across Zimbabwe's cities and townships today to discourage demonstrations as trade unions failed in their attempt to bring the country to a halt with a general strike that is seen as a test of the opposition's ability to mobilise ordinary people against Robert Mugabe's rule.

Journalist Arrested in Zimbabwe
A British journalist working for Time magazine has been arrested in Zimbabwe, according to local reports. By Stephen Brook.

Zimbabwe Opposition Leader Arrested
Zimbabwean police have arrested Morgan Tsvangirai ahead of a major summit to discuss the country's political crisis

Zimbabwean Archbishop Calls for Mass Protests
The Zimbabwean archbishop Pius Ncube has called his countrymen 'cowards' for failing to stand up to the strong-arm tactics of their ageing president, Robert Mugabe.

Zimbabwean Opposition Leader Morgan Tsvangirai Sent to Hospital.
The Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai was today sent to hospital for medical check-ups after arriving for a court hearing.

Battered Zimbabwe Protesters Sent From Court to Hospital
Activists to be charged with inciting violence - Outrage at attacks on Mugabe opponents

UK Demands Release of Zimbabwe Activists
The Foreign Office minister Lord Triesman today said the Zimbabwean president, Robert Mugabe, should be held personally responsible for the welfare of prisoners arrested at an opposition prayer meeting yesterday.

Zimbabwe is Broke and Hungry, Admits Bank Chief
Normally upbeat governor warns of drastic slump - No cash for electricity or police as protests grow

Three Cholera Deaths Confirmed As Unrest Grows in Zimbabwe
Water cannon used to break up legal rally - Lavish party planned to mark Mugabe's birthday

Zimbabwe Heads for Economic Meltdown
Zimbabwe's economic collapse is rapidly accelerating and is being blamed for an outbreak of cholera, strikes by doctors and nurses, and electricity blackouts.

Zimbabwe Hospitals Hit By Doctors' Strike
Patients are being turned away from Zimbabwe's overflowing hospitals as striking junior doctors continue to pursue demands for pay rises of almost 9,000%.

Zimbabwe's Hairdressers Join Hiv Fight
Zimbabwean hairdressers will offer counselling and condoms to their clients as part of an innovative programme to reduce HIV infection, backed by a £20m grant from the British government.

Zimbabwe Union Chiefs Tell of Police Beatings
· Rights groups condemn 'rampant' state violence · Government fears revolt over economic crisis

Zimbabwe Condemned on Housing Crisis
The Zimbabwean government has built only 3,300 houses for the estimated 700,000 people made homeless by its forced housing demolitions over a year ago, an Amnesty International report said today.

Where a Basketful of Groceries Costs a Bucketful of Cash
Zimbabwe removes zeros from banknotes - but inflation keeps rising.

Zimbabweans 'attacked By Mdc Rivals'
A founder member of the Movement for Democratic Change and four other politicians were attacked by a mob wielding iron bars and machetes, whom they identified as supporters of a rival faction loyal to the party's leader, Morgan Tsvangirai.

Mob Attack on Zimbabwe Mp
A founder member of the Movement for Democratic Change and four other politicians were attacked by a mob wielding iron bars and machetes whom they identified as supporters of a rival faction loyal to the party's leader, Morgan Tsvangirai.

China Deal Gives Zimbabwe £700m Boost
China today threw Zimbabwe's disintegrating economy a lifeline with energy and mining deals worth £700m.

China Gives Zimbabwe Economic Lifeline
· Energy and mining deals are worth £700m · Asian summit underlines Beijing's global role

UN Warns of New Wave of Evictions and Demolition
The UN yesterday expressed "extreme concern" that Zimbabwe might launch a fresh wave of evictions and housing demolitions that would swell the ranks of its homeless and hungry.

Satellite Images Reveal Evidence of Zimbabwe Demolitions
The human rights group Amnesty International today released satellite images apparently showing the complete destruction of a settlement that once housed 10,000 people in Zimbabwe.

Behind a Facade of Normality, Zimbabwe is Visibly Falling Apart
In a rare dispatch from Robert Mugabe's tightly controlled country, the Guardian has found a land heading towards collapse.

Zimbabwean Lawyer Honoured
A media lawyer who has defended Telegraph and Guardian journalists in Zimbabwe has been honoured with an Index on Censorship freedom of expression award. By Julia Day.

Bad Luck Continues to Stalk Zambia's White Farmers, Hounded From Zimbabwe
Currency's success spells ruin for exporters who are paid in US dollars.

Dramatic Fall in Zimbabwe Hiv Infections
· About 49% fewer young women test positive · Reduction attributed to sex education programs

60 Migrants Feared Drowned Fleeing From Zimbabwe
Zimbabwean and South African police called off the search yesterday for as many as 60 Zimbabweans feared drowned when they tried to cross the Limpopo river to enter South Africa illegally.

Crocodiles Kill 13 in Zimbabwe
Hunger and repression make life tough enough for most Zimbabweans, but in the rural areas the wildlife is making life tricky too.

Publisher in Legal Challenge to Zimbabwean Travel Ban
Zimbabwe's last independent newspaper publisher, Trevor Ncube, goes to court today to challenge a state-imposed travel ban, part of a new wave of repression by President Robert Mugabe against the press and civic organisations.

Zimbabwe's Last Independent Publisher Has Passport Seized
Zimbabwean officials seized the passport of newspaper publisher Trevor Ncube yesterday, informing him that he was one of more than 60 government critics who would be prevented from travelling outside the country.

Zimbabwe Surrounded By Sound and Fury, But Little Action
World Briefing: Christopher Dell, the US ambassador to Zimbabwe, did not mince words. President Robert Mugabe's government was guilty of gross mismanagement and corruption, Mr Dell said in a speech last week.

Zimbabwe Opposition Damaged By Row
Divisions within Zimbabwe's opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change, have deepened over a planned boycott of senate elections.

Zimbabwe Farm Seizures Led to Crop Failures
A senior minister in Robert Mugabe's government admitted for the first time yesterday that Zimbabwe's bungled farm seizures are to blame for repeated crop failures.

Clarke Chastised Over Zimbabwe Deportation Policy
Charles Clarke's policy on deportation to Zimbabwe was severely criticised today in a court ruling which found that a failed asylum seeker had a "well-founded fear of persecution" if he was sent home. The asylum and immigration tribunal said the lack of interest of the home secretary in...

Government Loses Zimbabwe Deportation Case
The government's policy on deportation to Zimbabwe was thrown into serious doubt today after a failed asylum seeker won his appeal against the home secretary, Charles Clarke.

Zimbabwe's Economic Crisis Drives It Back Into Steam Age
Zimbabwe announced it was moving back into the steam age yesterday by recommissioning 10 coal-fired locomotives to cope with the country's economic crisis.

Farmers Injured As More White-owned Land Seized
Zimbabwean government supporters who are trying to force remaining white farmers off their land have seized five more white-owned farms.

Minister Vows to Rid Zimbabwe of 'filth'
A leading Zimbabwean cabinet minister vowed at the weekend to rid the country of the "filth" of white farmers.

Unicef Calls for Help to Keep Zimbabwean Children in School
The United Nation's children fund, Unicef, has called on the international community to support efforts to get Zimbabwean pupils back to school in September. Despite the country's unstable domestic situation, school enrolment rates have actually risen over the past five years, and Unicef...

Camp Life in Zimbabwe Exposed
Thousands of Zimbabweans made homeless by the government's slum clearance are living in 'desperate' conditions, according to a clandestine video smuggled out and released by Amnesty International.

Zimbabwe Dollar Hits New Low
The Zimbabwe dollar tumbled to an all-time low yesterday as it became apparent that President Robert Mugabe had failed to get the billion dollars he sought from China to relieve the country's shortages of fuel, food and power.

UN Condemns Zimbabwe Demolitions
The United Nations today condemned the Zimbabwean government's campaign of destroying urban slums as a "disastrous venture", and demanded that those responsible are punished

Homeless and Hopeless: Bulldozers Carve Out a Bleak New Reality for Poor Zimbabweans
In a special report from Harare, Duncan Campbell witnesses Mugabe's drive to clear the makeshift homes of hundreds of thousands of people.

Zimbabwe is Being Hypocritically Vilified By the West
Zimbabwe is being hypocritically vilified by the west for forced slum clearances that are routine throughout the developing world. John Vidal

Zimbabweans
Leader: Within the last four weeks more than 250,000 Zimbabwean citizens have been made homeless by President Robert Mugabe's ruthless bulldozing of entire neighbourhoods.

Zimbabwean Detainees on Hunger Strike
A number of Zimbabwean detainees are believed to have begun a 72-hour hunger strike in protest at the continuing removal of failed asylum seekers to that country.

Thousands Homeless As Zimbabwe Police Raze Shanty Communities
Zimbabwean police yesterday bulldozed thousands of shanty towns in Harare and cities across the country, making thousands of people homeless.

Police in Zimbabwe Arrest 9,000 Traders
Zimbabwean police have prompted angry protests by arresting more than 9,600 street vendors and flea-market traders.

UN to Check on Zimbabwe Food Crisis
A special United Nations envoy is to visit Zimbabwe this week to assess the country's critical food situation.

As Country Heads for Disaster, Zimbabwe Calls for Return of White Farmers
White farmers may be allowed back on their land in Zimbabwe as part of a plan by the government of Robert Mugabe to solve the country's deepening economic crisis.

Zimbabwe Fuel and Food Crisis Deepens
Petrol queues stretched more than two miles through Harare yesterday as President Robert Mugabe's government effectively admitted that Zimbabwe faced shortages of vital supplies including its staple food, maize.

Zimbabwe Expels British Journalists After 14 Days in Jail
Two British journalists were deported from Zimbabwe yesterday after being acquitted of working without accreditation and overstaying their visas.

Journalists Cleared By Zimbabwe Court
The two Sunday Telegraph journalists being held in Zimbabwe have been cleared of breaking the country's strict media laws. By Claire Cozens.

Zimbabwe Blocks British Journalists' Release
The two Sunday Telegraph journalists arrested in Zimbabwe remained in jail today after officials denied a judge's order to release them on bail. By Claire Cozens.

Reporters 'face Jail' in Zimbabwe
Two British journalists arrested for working without accreditation in Zimbabwe are bracing for jail terms of up to two years if found guilty at a trial expected to conclude next week.

British Journalists Appear in Court in Zimbabwe
Two Sunday Telegraph journalists detained in Zimbabwe have pleaded not guilty to charges of breaking immigration and press laws. By Dominic Timms.

Journalists' Bail Blocked in Zimbabwe
Two Sunday Telegraph journalists arrested in Zimbabwe have spent a fifth night in jail in Harare despite being granted bail. By Stephen Brook.

Uneasy Calm As Zimbabwe Goes to the Polls
While the world watched, Zimbabwe's people cast their votes in peace yesterday. The queues were orderly and there was calm at the polling booths.

Negotiating the Election Maize
Food shortages in the former 'breadbasket of southern Africa' have become the burning issue of Zimbabwe elections, writes Andrew Meldrum.

Crocodiles Move in As the Tourists Move on
The deserted Kingdom Hotel at Zimbabwe's most spectacular attraction symbolises the crisis gripping the country.

Opposition Fears Zimbabwe Vote is Already Lost
Zimbabwe's opposition is steeling itself for defeat in this week's parliamentary elections as new allegations emerge of plans to rig the ballot.

Zimbabwean Election 'cannot Be Free and Fair'
Human Rights Watch condemns intimidation.

Zimbabwe Bars 3 Million Voters
More than 3 million Zimbabwean expatriates have been barred from voting in the imminent parliamentary elections by a supreme court ruling that will deprive the opposition of a large chunk of its support.

Zimbabwe Child Death Rate Highest in the World
One in eight children in Zimbabwe will die before the age of five, the highest mortality rate in the world, according to figures published yesterday by the United Nations Children's Fund.

Fair Poll in Zimbabwe 'impossible'
State torture and violence in Zimbabwe makes it impossible to have free and fair elections on March 31, says a report released today.

Another Independent Paper Shut Down in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe's government has shut down the independent Weekly Times newspaper just two months after its launch, ahead of parliamentary elections at the end of the month. By Stephen Brook.

Critical Reporting
Ongoing media intimidation is a sure sign of Zimbabwean government insecurity, writes Andrew Meldrum.

Zimbabwe Journalists Flee Threats
Three prominent Zimbabwean journalists who wrote for the international press have left the country after several days of police questioning and threats of prosecution.

Paper for Zimbabwe Expats
A weekly newspaper for expatriate Zimbabweans, edited by journalists expelled from the country, was launched in South African and Britain yesterday.

Prison for Zimbabwe Spies
Three prominent Zimbabweans with close ties to President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF party have been jailed after being convicted of spying for South Africa.

Date Set for Zimbabwe Elections
Zimbabwe's president, Robert Mugabe, today called parliamentary elections for March 31.

Zimbabwe Breaks Up South Africa Spy Ring
A South African spymaster has been arrested in Zimbabwe in a sting operation and is accused of running an espionage ring inside the country involving a number of prominent officials.

Zimbabwe: the Terror and Abuse Goes on
Guardian given file of new allegations of violence against opposition in run-up to parliamentary elections.

Zimbabwe Lifts Media Ban
11am: Zimbabwe has reversed its decision to ban 13 foreign sports journalists from entering the country in a bid to save England's troubled cricket tour. By Owen Gibson.

Zimbabwe Bans Seven Newspapers and Bbc From Cricket Tour
England's ill-starred cricket tour of Zimbabwe was mired in fresh controversy last night after Robert Mugabe's government banned nine media organisations including the BBC from covering the five scheduled matches, due to begin on Friday.

Zimbabwe Refugees May Be Sent Back
Deportation to Mugabe regime reintroduced after system abused.

Three Arrested Over Zimbabwe Murders
Zimbabwean police have arrested three men wanted in connection with the murders of two British men whose bodies were found dumped in a well, a police official said today. The two Britons, Kenny James Froud, 39, and 40-year-old Simon Buckley, were believed to have been killed during a...

Police Raze War Veterans' Farms As Fresh Land Evictions Rock Zimbabwe
President Mugabe's Zanu-PF party accused of cronyism after invasion of settlements.

Women Protesters Held in Zimbabwe
Police in Zimbabwe arrested 48 women on a protest march against new legislation yesterday which they say will be used to restrict human rights organisations. The members of Women of Zimbabwe Arise (Woza) had walked 250 miles from Bulawayo, the country's second-largest city, and were...

Families Wait in Dire Poverty for Angolans Jailed in Zimbabwe
Some call it South Africa's Siberia, a dumping ground for the unwanted, but those condemned to live in Pomfret lament that some of them were wanted - as warriors.

Zimbabwe Opposition to Boycott Elections Until System Changes
Zimbabwe's opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) announced yesterday that it will boycott all future elections until President Robert Mugabe's government changes its electoral system, ends state violence and repeals repressive media laws. The decision comes ahead of...

Ex-SAS Officer in 'coup Plot' Admits Arms Charges
A former SAS officer on trial in Zimbabwe for allegedly plotting a coup in Equatorial Guinea pleaded guilty yesterday to charges which carry a 10-year sentence but denied more serious charges on which he could be jailed for life. Simon Mann admitted trying to buy weapons from Zimbabwe's...

70 Go on Trial in Zimbabwe Over Alleged Coup Plot
Accused men fearful of extradition to Guinea.

Thugs Attack Zimbabwean Opposition Rally With Axes
Thugs suspected of being loyal to the Zimbabwean president, Robert Mugabe, yesterday attacked an opposition party rally with clubs, axes and stones, in an attempt to assassinate the party's leader. Morgan Tsvangirai was addressing supporters of the Movement for Democratic Change at Mvurwi...

Zimbabwe Factions Fight Over Farms
Jonathan Moyo, Zimbabwe's information minister, denied yesterday that Robert Mugabe intended to nationalise all farmland, saying the policy only applied to plots seized from whites. His statement contradicted that of John Nkomo, the land reform and resettlement minister, who last week...

Weary Zimbabweans Seek Better Life
A year ago this week, Guardian reporter Andrew Meldrum was expelled from Zimbabwe after being seized by security agents and held captive for 11 hours, despite a court order declaring the action illegal. From the Ramokgwebana border post in northern Botswana, he reports on the country he called home for 20 years.

Barren Fields Belie Zimbabwe's Announcement of Bumper Crop
Farmers contradict government claim that country is ready to export again and food aid can cease.

Zimbabwe Ejects Un Crop Survey Team
The Zimbabwean government ordered a United Nations crop assessment team to leave the country over the weekend, days after it went into the fields to begin to calculate the annual food harvest. The order effectively blocks UN and EU preparations to provide food aid reckoned to be needed...

Zimbabwe Deports Sky Tv Crew and Extradites Uk Coup Suspect
A British TV crew was ordered out of Zimbabwe last night after government officials claimed it had entered illegally. By Andrew Meldrum and Matthew Taylor.

Zimbabwe Deports Sky Crew As Suspects Are Extradited
A British TV crew was ordered out of Zimbabwe last night after government officials claimed it had entered illegally. Foreign journalists are strictly controlled by Zimbabwe, and officials said the two-man crew from Sky television had "arrogantly" flown in without government authority or...

UK Accused of Mercenaries Plot
Zimbabwe yesterday said 64 suspected mercenaries aboard a plane seized in Harare could be executed for what it claimed was a western plot to overthrow the government of Equatorial Guinea. The home affairs minister, Kembo Mohadi, accused Britain, the US and Spain of conspiring to take over...

Zimbabwe Paper Stops Publishing
Zimbabwe's only independent daily newspaper, the Daily News, stopped publication yesterday after the country's supreme court stated that it was a crime to publish a newspaper or work as a journalist without a government-issued licence. Further repression against the independent press is...

Two-thirds of Zimbabweans in Need of Food Aid
The number of Zimbabweans needing food aid has increased to 7.5m, nearly two-thirds of its population, according to a joint assessment by UN experts and Zimbabwean officials published yesterday.

Police in Zimbabwe Halt Opposition Policy Launch
Zimbabwean police yesterday banned Morgan Tsvangirai's opposition party from launching its long-awaited and detailed proposals to rebuild the country's crumbling economy. Using security laws, officers prevented the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) from meeting international diplomats...

10,000 'died of Hunger' in Zimbabwe
Catholic archbishop warns of famine as journalists are held over report that Mugabe was taking a winter break.

Doctors Fear Ebola May Have Reached Zimbabwe
The death of a feverish patient in the resort town of Victoria Falls on Christmas Day has triggered concern that the Ebola virus has reached Zimbabwe for the first time. Scientists in neighbouring South Africa were yesterday examining samples from the patient, who had shown symptoms of...

Crucial Year for Man Cradling Zimbabwe's Hopes
Ahead of a crucial 12 months, the opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai is upbeat about replacing Mugabe, as he tells Rory Carroll in Harare.

Human Rights Award for Zimbabwe Lawyer
Beatrice Mtetwa, a fearless Zimbabwean lawyer who has defended those arrested by President Robert Mugabe's government, including a Guardian journalist, was named Human Rights Lawyer of the Year last night. Judges at the Human Rights Awards in London paid tribute to her courage in fighting...

Zimbabwe Threatens to Cut Uk Ties
Robert Mugabe's government indicated yesterday that it was considering severing diplomatic ties with Britain and Australia in response to their tough Commonwealth stand over Zimbabwe. "The time has now come for Zimbabwe to fully engage Britain head-on by cutting all diplomatic ties with...

Zimbabwe Unions Call for Strike
Zimbabwe's main labour movement has called a two-day strike from tomorrow to demand the release of union leaders and rights activists arrested this week during protests against the government's economic policies. The start of the strike will coincide with tomorrow's budget speech to...

Zimbabwe Seizes Foreign Currency
Zimbabwean police have thrown up roadblocks across the country in a desperate bid to seize foreign currency, whether legally held or not. "It's terrible. Police stand by as youth militia give body searches to everybody," one Zimbabwean motorist told the Guardian. "They take all the...

Zimbabwe Armed Rebel Group 'thousands Strong'
The existence of a new Zimbabwean underground movement prepared to adopt violent tactics to remove the president, Robert Mugabe, was claimed yesterday by the British human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell. He said the Zimbabwe Freedom Movement had a network of cells throughout the country...

Canaan Banana, President Jailed in Sex Scandal, Dies
Zimbabwe's first post-independence president, Canaan Banana, who was jailed for sodomy, died yesterday of an undisclosed illness. Banana, 67, a former Methodist minister, was found guilty in 1999 of 11 counts of sodomy and abusing his power to sexually assault and carry out "unnatural...

Zimbabwe Fuel Firm on Empty
Zimbabwe's state fuel company has run dry, paralysing virtually all government departments and stopping many trains, buses and cars across the country.

Zimbabwe arrests 'banned' journalists
The Zimbabwean police were yesterday hunting 36 journalists from the banned newspaper the Daily News to charge them with working illegally.

Zimbabwe Paper Shut Despite Court Order
Police in Zimbabwe flouted a court order yesterday by occupying the offices of the Daily News in an effort to keep the paper, one of the fiercest critics of Robert Mugabe's government, off the streets. Dozens of armed policemen blocked staff from entering the Harare headquarters of the...

Zimbabwe calls Powell 'Uncle Tom'
Zimbabwe hurled racial epithets at the US secretary of state, Colin Powell, yesterday, including branding him an "Uncle Tom" after his attack on President Robert Mugabe in the New York Times last week.

Expelled Journalist's Wife Forced to Flee Zimbabwe
Dolores Cortes Meldrum, the wife of the Guardian journalist Andrew Meldrum, who was illegally expelled from Zimbabwe last month, fled the country yesterday fearing she would face the same fate as her husband. She is due to arrive in London today. The Zimbabwe immigration service this week...

Zimbabwe slips deeper into chaos as cracks in regime show
She said her name was Dora and she had come for the revolution. Jaw clenched, staring straight ahead, she gripped her handbag and sat on the bench in downtown Harare, willing herself to stay.

Hundreds Held in Zimbabwe Strike
Zimbabwe's anti-government strike kept the country at a standstill for the second day yesterday with fewer reports of public demonstrations in the face of a massive show of force by army and police. The strike and protests against President Mugabe are expected effectively to shut down the...

Zimbabwe opposition calls out the people
The Zimbabwean opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, is increasing the pressure on President Robert Mugabe by calling for a five-day national strike and urging the people to take to the streets.

Meldrum ordered out of Zimbabwe
Andrew Meldrum, the Guardian's veteran correspondent in Zimbabwe, is being deported from the country after 23 years.

Guardian Reporter's Zimbabwe Lawyer Threatened With Jail
The lawyer representing the Guardian's correspondent in Zimbabwe, Andrew Meldrum, was threatened with detention herself yesterday after she went on his behalf to the headquarters of the immigration service in Harare. Beatrice Mtetwa, a prominent local lawyer, was there to hand in a letter...

Zimbabwe Confiscates Guardian Reporter's Residence Permit
The Guardian's Zimbabwe correspondent, Andrew Meldrum, was yesterday accused of breaking the terms of his residence permit by writing about the country's political situation.

Harare Officials Give Guardian Executives 24 Hours to Get Out
Two Guardian executives, who had flown to Harare to make representations on behalf of the newspaper's Zimbabwe correspondent, Andrew Meldrum, were yesterday ordered to leave within 24 hours. Shaun Williams, director of corporate affairs, and Siobhain Butterworth, head of legal affairs,...

Zimbabwe shut down by strike
Zimbabwe was largely brought to a halt yesterday by a three-day strike called by the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions in protest at the government's decision last week to triple the price of fuel.

Zimbabwean Activist 'dies After Torture'
A member of Zimbabwe's opposition has died as a result of police torture, according to the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).

Report Slams Fresh Abuses in Zimbabwe
A hard-hitting report by the Commonwealth Secretariat stating conclusively that the Zimbabwe government has maintained state-sponsored human rights abuses is to be delivered to all member heads of government this week, The Observer has learned.

'Hundreds Beaten' After Strike in Zimbabwe
Opposition groups and human rights organisations said today that government security forces loyal to the president, Robert Mugabe, have arrested and beaten hundreds of people in response to last week's general strike. Meanwhile, two opposition MPs were arrested and, according to Amnesty...

Zimbabwe Soldiers Attack Farmworkers
A Zimbabwean farmworker was killed and scores of others were seriously injured by army troops who invaded a farm leased by an opposition MP, his party alleged yesterday. Steven Tonera, a security guard, was "murdered by state agents" at a farm near the town of Ruwa, about 10 miles east of...

Opposition strike halts Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe's Movement for Democratic Change yesterday led a national strike that closed nearly all factories, shops and banks, and is expected to continue today.

Zimbabwe Sanctions Elude Eu
The European Union last night failed again to agree to renew its sanctions against Zimbabwe. With time running out before the measures expire, EU ambassadors were unable to finalise a deal under which the "smart" sanctions will be extended for a year from next month but still allow...

Zimbabwe treason trial begins
The treason trial of the Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai is to open today, but it is President Robert Mugabe's government and the country's legal system that is expected to come under international scrutiny.

Leader's Plea to Halt Zimbabwe Torture
On the eve of his treason trial, Morgan Tsvangirai, the head of Zimbabwe's opposition, tells Andrew Meldrum that the world must now intervene to save his country.

No 10 Calls for Fresh Zimbabwe Sanctions
Downing Street today expressed the government's determination to see sanctions continue against Zimbabwe, including a travel ban on President Robert Mugabe. It follows the failure of the EU yesterday to renew its sanction regime, and comes ahead of Mr Mugabe's planned attendance at a...

ICC Gives Zimbabwe Matches the Go-ahead
The International Cricket Council has decided there are 'no reasons on the grounds of safety or security' to move the six World Cup matches from Zimbabwe.

Richard Williams: The High Price of a Moral Vacuum
So now it's official. The right of children to play cricket in Surrey is more important than the right of children in Zimbabwe to stay alive.

Family baffled after couple disappear in Zimbabwe
Police in Zimbabwe are investigating the disappearance in mysterious circumstances of a British woman and her South African husband.

Cricket Defies Call for Zimbabwe Boycott
Victims of Mugabe regime protest as ECB claims that abandoning World Cup match would be financially crippling, empty gesture.

Pay-out Impasse in Zimbabwe Cricket Row
English cricket was facing its biggest crisis in 30 years last night after a meeting between ministers and England and Wales Cricket Board officials failed to resolve the impasse over a World Cup match with Zimbabwe.

ECB Hits Out Over Zimbabwe Row
An "extremely disappointed" ECB has criticised the Government for refusing to offer any financial help should England boycott their upcoming Cricket World Cup fixture in Zimbabwe. The Government resolutely refused to dip into the public purse to compensate the ECB for the fall in income...

Hain Backs Cricket Ban As Tourist Killed in Zimbabwe
The England and Wales Cricket Board came under renewed pressure to pull out of England's World Cup match in Zimbabwe yesterday when Peter Hain, the Welsh minister, added his voice to those calling for a boycott. Mr Hain, who led the campaign for a sporting boycott of South Africa in the...

New Muzzle on Zimbabwe Press
The last vestiges of the independent media in Zimbabwe face new pressure as the government prepares for next week's launch of a repressive new licensing system which will give it the power to close any newspaper and to stop any journalist working. It comes days after the latest incident...

Zimbabwe: Praying for rain and democracy
The Seke communal area is just two hours' drive from the metropolitan buzz of Zimbabwe's capital, but it is at the heart of the famine that is sweeping across southern Africa.

Cricket Puts Price on Zimbabwe Boycott
The prospect of England boycotting their match in Zimbabwe grew last night as the government agreed to meet the ECB to discuss the implications of withdrawing from the fixture.

Zimbabwe in Grip of New Hunger Crisis
Inflation spirals as land seizures cut food supplies. Zimbabwe's economy has declined precipitously in recent weeks, bringing severe shortages of food and fuel and dramatically increasing the desperation of the already beleaguered population.

Profiteering Rife in Zimbabwe
Profiteers and government officials are worsening Zimbabwe's food shortage by hoarding supplies to raise prices and punish political opponents, driving hungry people deeper into the bush in search of wild berries and roots, relief agencies said. Households had either run out or were about...

US Embassy Worker Beaten in Zimbabwe
The diplomatic dispute between the United States and Zimbabwe has deepened after an employee of the American embassy in Harare was beaten by war veterans.

US May Intervene to Save Zimbabweans
The US government warned yesterday that it might take "intrusive, interventionist measures" to deliver food aid directly to millions of famine-hit Zimbabweans if President Robert Mugabe continues to starve his political opponents. Washington is considering measures that would challenge...

Harare to Speed Up Land Seizures
Zimbabwe's parliament last night pushed through a controversial bill that will speed up the seizures of white-owned farms. The amendment to the Land Acquisition Act will permit the government to evict farmers in seven days, as opposed to the 90 days that farmers were given in existing...

The Real Victims of Land Seizures in Zimbabwe
The worst victims of Robert Mugabe's land seizures are not the few thousand white farming families being evicted from their farms. Those suffering the most are the hundreds of thousands of black farm workers who are losing their jobs, being thrown out of their homes, often violently, and...

Zimbabwe Expels Foreign Journalist
President Robert Mugabe's government intensified its campaign against the independent media at the weekend, expelling one of the last foreign correspondents remaining in the country. Griffin Shea of Agence France-Presse, was forced to leave Zimbabwe on Saturday when the government refused...

Zimbabwe Police Victim Speaks
Andrew Meldrum talks to one of countless victims of police torture and beatings under Mugabe's reign of terror and state-sponsored violence.

Discord threatens to mar Earth Summit
Rows over Zimbabwe and protests are casting a shadow over the most critical talks for a decade, reports Mark Townsend in Johannesburg.

All the news the government likes to read
Bill Saidi reports on how independent journalists face a draconian new law which redefines 'falsehood'. In its version of What the Papers Say, the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation's television service focuses on the Herald of Harare, the capital, and the Chronicle, of Bulawayo, the second city. Both are government owned.

'I want the world to know we are living in Hell in Zimbabwe'
Andrew Meldrum talks to one of countless victims of police torture and beatings under Mugabe's reign of terror and state-sponsored violence.

British Lecturer Axed to Death in Zimbabwe
A British lecturer has been axed to death and buried in a shallow grave in Zimbabwe, the Foreign Office confirmed last night. Zimbabwean police said Jerzy Toloczko, 51, from Leicester, was attacked by his gardener and an accomplice at his home in Ilanda, near Bulawayo. He was...

Scores of Zimbabwean Farmers Arrested for Defying Eviction
Zimbabwean police officers detained more than 140 white farmers at the weekend for defying a government deadline to vacate their land and homes.

Alexandra Fuller: The bitter harvest
White farmers, like my parents, sowed the seeds of Zimbabwe's current land crisis. Twenty-two years ago, when I was 11 years old, I watched as my mother, pregnant with her fifth child, ran her horse through the freshly planted maize of some African squatters who had settled on a patch of land on our farm in Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwean Reporter Escapes Mob After Farm Siege
A family of Zimbabwean white farmers on the brink of eviction were forced to protect a black opposition journalist from a lynch mob of militant supporters of President Robert Mugabe yesterday. By Chris McGreal.

The scramble for Africa
Land and who owns it has been a controversial issue in Zimbabwe for at least a century. The original white, mostly British, colonists seized the best land at the end of the 19th century - often through violent means.

EU Unveils Zimbabwe Aid Package
The EU unveiled a £23m emergency food aid package for Zimbabwe yesterday, despite its deep political differences with the president, Robert Mugabe. Despite the fact that the EU is deeply unhappy about Mr Mugabe's land reform programme and his government's heavy-handed treatment of...

Zanu-PF targets UK for visa ban
Zimbabwe's ruling Zanu-PF party warned yesterday that it was considering a tit-for-tat ban on senior British Ministers and officials visiting the African country after a disabled Zimbabwean politician was refused entry at Gatwick airport.

Straw: Zimbabwe sanctions are working
The foreign secretary, Jack Straw, said today that sanctions against Zimbabwe's president, Robert Mugabe, and his regime were working to isolate them internationally.

MP kills wife in Harare home
A prominent Zimbabwe opposition MP was charged with murder yesterday after he admitted stabbing his wife.

Zimbabwe Courts v Government
An extraordinary showdown looms between President Robert Mugabe's government and the country's judicial system.

Court Halts Expulsion of Guardian Journalist From Zimbabwe
The Guardian's correspondent in Zimbabwe, Andrew Meldrum, struck a significant blow for press freedom yesterday when he unexpectedly won a courtroom victory postponing his expulsion from the country. The high court in Harare rejected a move by the home affairs minister, John Nkomo, to...

Zimbabwe Expulsion Delayed
The Guardian's Zimbabwe correspondent, Andrew Meldrum, won an extra day to continue his fight against deportation yesterday. The government, which has been cracking down hard on the independent press since March, initially ordered him to leave by yesterday but the home affairs minister,...

Guardian reporter's trial resumes in Zimbabwe
The trial of Guardian journalist Andrew Meldrum has resumed in Zimbabwe today after a judge refused to dismiss the charges in what is a test case for President Robert Mugabe's harsh new media laws.

White Farmers Ordered to Down Tools
Up to 3,000 white farmers in Zimbabwe will be told to stop farming at midnight tonight as Harare steps up its land seizure and redistribution programme. But the deadline has come in the middle of the winter wheat growing season - and threatens much of that crop on productive commercial...

Zimbabwe demands fees from media
The Zimbabwean government announced yesterday that all media organisations and journalists must pay a fee to be registered and accredited under its new media law.

Guardian Journalist Goes on Trial in Harare
The Guardian's correspondent in Zimbabwe, Andrew Meldrum, was put on trial in Harare yesterday accused of publishing a false story in a test case for the state's restrictive media laws. If convicted he could face up to two years in prison. Mr Meldrum, 50, a US citizen who has lived in...

Starving Zimbabwe Shuns Offer of Gm Maize
Gripped by severe food shortages, with a potentially vast famine looming, the Zimbabwean authorities have rejected a US government donation of 10,000 tonnes of maize, worth $6m, because it has not been certified as free from genetic modification. But the decision was not yet another...

Report extract: the politics of hunger in Zimbabwe
Extracts from the report by the Danish group Physicians for Human Rights, which documents the politicisation of Zimbabwe's growing food crisis.

Opposition Plans Zimbabwe Rallies
The Zimbabwean opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, said yesterday that his party would lead thousands of people in protest against President Robert Mugabe's government within weeks, following the collapse of its talks with the governing party, Zanu-PF. "Mass action is inevitable and...

Three Zimbabwe Journalists Held
4.15pm: Three more independent journalists were arrested and charged in Zimbabwe today, writes Julia Day.

Zimbabwe Sanctions Fruitless, Uk Admits
International sanctions against Robert Mugabe's regime have failed to improve human rights in Zimbabwe, a "deeply frustrated" Foreign Office minister was forced to admit yesterday.

Reporter Challenges Zimbabwe Law
3pm: Andrew Meldrum is among a group of journalists asking the country's supreme court to declare the new law unconstitutional. By Julia Day.

Zimbabwe Judge Releases Guardian Correspondent
A Zimbabwean judge today released the Guardian's Zimbabwe correspondent, Andrew Meldrum, and two other journalists charged with violating the country's draconian new media laws. Harare magistrate Lilian Kudya ordered police to release Mr Meldrum, 50, and two reporters from Zimbabwe's...

Guardian Journalist Arrested in Zimbabwe
11am: Police in Zimbabwe have arrested Guardian correspondent Andrew Meldrum on a charge of abuse of journalistic privilege, which carries a maximum penalty of two years in jail, writes Julia Day.

Zimbabwe Opposition to Challenge Poll Win in Court
Zimbabwe's opposition will argue in court today that Robert Mugabe won the presidential election last month by massive fraud and violence. Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of the Movement for Democratic Change, said: "Our lawyers have uncovered mountains of hardcore and powerful evidence of...

Zimbabwe Journalist in Danger of Jail Term
Lawyers for the Daily Telegraph correspondent detained in Zimbabwe, Peta Thornycroft, expect her to be charged today with publishing.

Zimbabwe Struck By New Reign of Terror
The latest wave of terror by Mr Mugabe's forces resembles the abuses of a conquering army against a much hated foe. In parts of northern and central Zimbabwe, soldiers of various stripes are sweeping through isolated villages, taking whatever it is they want, including women.

Commonwealth Suspends Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe was today suspended from the councils of the Commonwealth for one year, after international observers condemned this month's disputed presidential election as unfairly tilted toward Robert Mugabe. The South African president, Thabo Mbeki, the Nigerian president, Olusegun Obasanjo...

Commonwealth Debates Zimbabwe Sanctions
The leaders of three Commonwealth nations met today in London to decide what, if any, sanctions to levy against Zimbabwe after this month's disputed presidential election. Australia, Nigeria, and South Africa form the troika responsible for deciding Zimbabwe's fate, leading Zimbabwe's...

Zimbabwe Farmer Falls Victim to Terror
Latest death increases fears in countryside as Mugabe vows to speed up land redistribution.

White Farmer Killed in Zimbabwe
A white farmer was killed today in an escalation of post-election violence in Zimbabwe, as President Robert Mugabe prepared to meet the leaders of South Africa and Nigeria to discuss last week's disputed presidential elections. Terry Ford became the 10th white farmer killed during a...

Unions Warn of Zimbabwe Unrest
Challenge to Mugabe as observers condemn poll.

Condemnation and congratulations
For months the government of Zimbabwe has conducted a systematic campaign of violence and intimidation designed to achieve one outcome, power at all costs. It is no surprise this outcome has now been achieved.

Violence and election rigging will not kill our nation's passion for change
Driving along Jason Moyo Avenue on Monday I came face to face with Zimbabwe's tyrannical minority of bullies. Rarely have I felt so frightened and vulnerable as I did when more than 5,000 Zanu-PF thugs rushed in my direction, leaving destruction in their wake.

Count Begins in Zimbabwe Elections
Counting finally began after three chaotic days of polling in Zimbabwe's bitterly fought election today, amid mounting claims of government vote-rigging. Meanwhile, the secretary-general of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), told reporters that he had been formally...

Hugo Young: The people of Zimbabwe have put us all to shame
The Commonwealth should be wound up if it betrays this commitment. In one way, the Zimbabwe election sets an example to all democrats.

Four Us Diplomats Held in Zimbabwe
Four US diplomats were detained in Zimbabwe today as the country's chaotic presidential elections resumed for an unscheduled third day. The US embassy said that the detention of the four diplomats in Chinhoyi, northwest of Harare, was a clear breach of diplomatic convention. Two...

More Poll Chaos in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe's chaotic presidential elections resumed for an unscheduled third day today but polling stations opened five hours late, heightening claims that Robert Mugabe's regime is stymieing opposition voters. The Movement for Democratic Change, which is pushing Mr Mugabe into his toughest...

Seumas Milne: Colonialism and the new world order
British interference will only make Zimbabwe's crisis worse. Tony Blair is not a man renowned for his humility. But after failing to get his way over Zimbabwe at the Commonwealth summit last weekend, his arrogance could hardly be contained.

Zimbabwe media lists British 'plots'
You may not have heard of Britain's masterplan to "do a Milosevic" on Robert Mugabe, but Zimbabwe's state press claims it is all part of the plot.

Blair Dismayed By Zimbabwe Compromise
Commonwealth credibility sinks after African members block tough action against Mugabe regime.

Sunder Katwala: The Commonwealth's Credibility Crisis
The modern Commonwealth has sought to be a champion of democracy. The Zimbabwe crisis has derailed that agenda, says Sunder Katwala

Zimbabwe Police Fire at Opposition Leader's Convoy
Zimbabwean police yesterday fired at the convoy of the opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, but did not injure anyone, according to the Movement for Democratic Change. Elsewhere in the country, South African observers monitoring the presidential elections set for March 9-10 were...

US to Match Eu Sanctions on Zimbabwe
The United States backed EU sanctions on Zimbabwe yesterday and said it was "moving rapidly" to impose sanctions of its own against Robert Mugabe's government.

Zimbabwe Divides Up Foreign Press Corps Over Election Coverage
12.30pm: Only a handful of British journalists will be allowed to cover the Zimbabwean election as Robert Mugabe divides the foreign press corps into favoured and unfavoured camps, writes Owen Gibson.

Zimbabwe Defiant Over Eu Sanctions
Zimbabwe today reacted angrily to sanctions imposed by Europe and vowed to defend vigorously its independence in the face of mounting hostilities with the outside world. The country's information minister, Jonathan Moyo, said: "There is no price that is going to be [too] high in...

EU Imposes Sanctions on Zimbabwe
European Union foreign ministers today agreed to impose "smart" sanctions against Zimbabwe and to withdraw the EU election monitors still in the south African country after the head of the monitoring team was expelled from the country at the weekend. Officials said the EU would cut off...

Vilified Journalist Flees Harare
The head of the Zimbabwean Union of Journalists, Basildon Peta, fled to South Africa on Thursday night, saying he feared for his life as a result of a sustained campaign against him in the state-controlled media. Peta, 30, is the correspondent in Harare for the Independent as well as the...

Zimbabwe Plot Video 'a Smear'
The man behind claims that the Zimbabwe opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, was involved in a plot to kill President Robert Mugabe has a reputation as a notorious fantasist, it emerged last night. Ari Ben-Menashe, who was once employed as a junior officer in Israeli intelligence,...

Zimbabwe Mps Tortured in New Wave of Terror
Three Zimbabwean opposition MPs campaigning for next month's elections have been abducted, beaten and tortured for two days by supporters of President Robert Mugabe in a remote town, according to the Movement for Democratic Change. The three were paraded, injured and bleeding, wearing...

Zimbabwe Frees Independent Journalist
Zimbabwean police released the journalist Basildon Peta yesterday after the attorney general's office refused to prosecute him for planning a protest against the government's harsh new press law. The incident comes just five weeks before the presidential election in which President Robert...

Zimbabwe Reporter Held Under Tough New Press Law
Zimbabwean journalist Basildon Peta, correspondent for the Independent in London, was arrested and charged yesterday under the government's draconian new Public Order and Security Act, according to press reports. Mr Peta, secretary-general of the Zimbabwe Union of Journalists, was being...

Zimbabwe Opposition Leader Stands Up to Coup Threats From Military
The Zimbabwean opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, has faced down senior military officers who have threatened a coup if he wins next month's presidential election, by saying that he will sack them. Last month, the army high command said it would not recognise any government that did...

Zimbabwe Relents on Media Curbs
Repressive press laws may not be enforced after Mugabe faces fierce opposition from his own party.

Zimbabwe Passes Repressive Media Bill
Zimbabwe's parliament yesterday pressed ahead with the passage of a highly restrictive press bill in preparation for the March presidential election in which President Robert Mugabe faces an uphill battle. The access to information bill, passed last night, gives the government the right...

Commonwealth Rejects Zimbabwe Ban
Mugabe is condemned but UK fails to win suspension.

Commonwealth Fails to Back Zimbabwe Suspension
The foreign secretary, Jack Straw, was today unsuccessful in an attempt to win Commonwealth support for suspending Zimbabwe from the organisation over spiralling human rights abuses. At a meeting in London, Mr Straw had urged colleagues on the Commonwealth ministerial action group to back...

US funds penetrate Zimbabwe airwaves
The United States is secretly funding a radio station in London which has infuriated Robert Mugabe with its nightly broadcasts to Zimbabwe and led his government in Harare to blame the BBC. SW Radio Africa, which broadcasts three hours a night on short wave from clandestine studios in...

Zimbabwe trapped in a cycle of starvation
The weary Zimbabwean farmer had been accused of a lot of things in the past couple of years, but this one was new. After armed government men burst through his gates and hauled off the last of the maize he used to feed his livestock, one of them accused him of trying to starve the country's black...

EU sanctions loom for Zimbabwe
European Union sanctions against Zimbabwe moved closer yesterday after President Robert Mugabe failed to meet a deadline to agree conditions for allowing international observers at the presidential election in March. As lawlessness and intimidation spread across the country, the current...

Zimbabwe moves us mainly because whites are suffering
It was a disgraceful election which European Union observers and local monitors severely censured. The media were controlled. Criticising the president risked criminal charges. The police regularly moved in to prevent opposition candidates campaigning and the vote-count was marked by...

Zimbabwe delays bill to curb press
The Zimbabwean government unexpectedly postponed the passage of repressive press and labour bills yesterday, prompting speculation that President Robert Mugabe may be backing down in the face of international pressure. It may also be a sign of internal dissent in the government party,...

BA halts Zimbabwe deportation
British Airways has refused outright to accept a Home Office directive to fly a deportee from Gatwick to Zimbabwe, it was disclosed yesterday, as ministers gave their first hint that they are preparing to halt the expulsion of that country's failed asylum seekers. The hint comes amid...

Zimbabwe accepts poll observers
Under mounting international pressure, Zimbabwe last night said it would accept observers at its presidential election in March - but on its own terms. It rejected demands for an end to violence against political opponents, claiming that President Robert Mugabe was the target of a British...

Faces of defeat spur resolve to tell the truth
As Zimbabwe's parliament voted to suspend its standing rules to allow three highly repressive bills to be rammed through in one sitting yesterday, I saw frustration and bitterness on the faces of opposition MPs from the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). They braved substantial...