Monday, March 31, 2008

US CHARGES EMBASSY BOMB SUSPECT !


The US has charged a Guantanamo Bay detainee with war crimes for the 1998 al-Qaeda attack on the US embassy in Tanzania, which left 11 people dead.
Charges against Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani - who was captured in 2004 - include murder and attacking civilians.
The Pentagon claims Mr Ghailani worked for al-Qaeda after the bombing as a forger, trainer and as a bodyguard for Osama Bin Laden.
The Pentagon said Mr Ghailani could receive the death penalty if convicted.
Mr Ghailani, a Tanzanian, is the 15th person to be charged at Guantanamo, where trials are expected to start later this year.
He goes by dozens of aliases, including "Foopie" and "Ahmed the Tanzanian".
Al-Qaeda 'trainer'
The US defence department says Mr Ghailani's involvement included:
- buying explosives, detonators and transporting bomb components to Dar es Salaam
- helping buy the lorry used in the attack
- escorting the bomb engineer between Dar es Salaam and Mombassa, Kenya, after the bomb had been made
- scouting the US embassy with the suicide bomb driver
The defence department says that after the bombing, Mr Ghailani "continued in his service to al-Qaeda as a document forger, physical trainer at an al-Qaeda training camp, and as a bodyguard for Osama Bin Laden".
According to the transcript of a closed-door hearing in March 2007, Mr Ghailani admitted delivering explosives used to blow up the embassy.
But he said he did not know about the attack beforehand and apologised to the US government and the victims' families.
The charges must be approved by a Pentagon official who oversees the court at Guantanamo before trial proceedings can begin.
BBC NEWS REPORT.

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Cathy Buckle's Weekly Letter From Zimbabwe !

Unchartered water

Sunday 30th March 2008

Dear Family and Friends,

We finally arrived at the March 29th elections in typical Zimbabwean splendour. It was a glorious day with a clear, bright blue sky, a warm sun and everywhere an overwhelmingly positive feeling. The mood was one of anticipation and relief that at last this momentous day had arrived and it would surely mark the turning point and define the future of Zimbabwe.
Voting started with long queues at a few polling stations in my home area but nothing even remotely similar to the elections of 2002 and 2005 when we had waited for ten or more hours to vote. This time people waited for short periods and by mid day the queues had reduced considerably. The actual voting process was efficient and streamlined and many polling stations were completely deserted by early afternoon - hours before the close of the election.
At 7am on the 30th March, 12 hours after polling stations had closed and counting had been underway, there was still no official information or any election results.
By 11 am, 16 hours into the counting process numerous phone calls had come in from excited, exhausted people telling of major opposition wins but still no official announcements were forthcoming. On the government controlled ZBC television there were no analysts, commentators or even news stories of Zimbabwe's most crucial election. Finally at midday a short announcement was made by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission. They said results were being collated and verified and would be announced in "due course."
As I write this letter the polls have been closed and counting has been underway for over 27 hours and still not a single official result from even one constituency has been announced. Tallying results publicly displayed at individual polling stations, the MDC have declared that they have a strong advantage. British Foreign Secretary Lord Malloch Brown has said that it is "quite likely that Mr Mugabe has lost the election" and Pan African Election Observers are expressing growing concern at the lack of official results.
As each hour passes without any official results, anxiety and suspicions are growing. We are in uncharted water. Never before has there been a complete media blackout after an election. We can do nothing but hope and pray that somehow we will emerge from this with a true and honest reflection of the will of the people. Perhaps by the time you read this letter the facts will be known, I hope so.
Until next time,
love cathy.

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ZIMBABWE STANDS 'ON A PRECIPICE' !

Draft results were posted outside polling stations.
Zimbabwe is standing on a "precipice" as official results from Saturday's general election start to trickle in, the opposition has said.
Leading Movement for Democratic Change official Tendai Biti says party leader Morgan Tsvangirai has won 60% of the vote, against 30% for Robert Mugabe.
Official results show both sides have 12 parliamentary seats so far. Mr Biti says the results are being rigged.
Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa has lost his seat, east of Harare.
Local results have been posted outside most polling stations since Sunday morning.
Mr Biti says the MDC has won 96 of the 128 parliamentary seats, where it has calculated results. There are 210 constituencies.
But he said the ZEC was planning to announce that Mr Mugabe had won 52% of the vote - enough to avoid a run-off. Mr Mugabe has denied repeated MDC claims that he would rig the polls.
Bright Matonga from the ruling Zanu-PF party told the BBC he was confident that Mr Mugabe would be re-elected and Zanu-PF would retain its majority in parliament.
Riot police have been patrolling the capital, Harare, and other urban areas and residents have been told to stay indoors.
BBC contributors have been reporting from around the country.
In Harare, Zanu-PF security officials have met to decide who should tell Mr Mugabe he has lost, according to a senior party source.
People in Harare are worried that the results are being rigged.
In the southern town of Masvingo, MDC supporters have stopped celebrating since reports came in that Zanu-PF had won in areas initially believed to have gone to the opposition.
In the north-western town of Hwange, people are anxiously listening to their radios for results, with those unable to afford their own radio gathering around other people's sets; the groups disperse as soon as they see any police officers because of the law banning public gatherings of more than four people.
In the south-western city of Bulawayo, many people have stayed at home in fear of violence when the results are announced.
'Meticulous'
Presidential, House of Assembly, Senate and local elections were all held on Saturday, and election officials say that this is why results have been slow to come.

ELECTION RESULTS SO FAR
Parliamentary constituencies
MDC: 12
Zanu-PF: 12
Yet to declare: 186
Presidential results
None so far
Winner needs more than 50% to avoid run-off

"It's an absolute necessity that all results be meticulously analysed at this stage," George Chiweshe, the chairman of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, said earlier.
But Noel Kututwa, the head of the Zimbabwe Election Support Network, said: "The delay in announcing these results is fuelling speculation that there could be something going on."
Poll monitors from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) said the elections had been "peaceful and credible".
But two SADC members from South Africa refused to sign a generally positive preliminary report of the mission, with one of them calling the polls "deeply flawed".
Western observers were banned from the election but a European Union spokesman urged the ZEC to announce the results to "avoid unnecessary speculation".
UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband says the after millions of Zimbabweans had voted "their voice must now be heard without delay".
A new monitoring group, the Independent Results Centre, backs up the MDC's claims of victory, saying Mr Tsvangirai has won 55% of the vote in the presidential race, against 37% for Mr Mugabe and 5% for independent candidate Simba Makoni.
'Coup d'etat'
Of the 24 seats declared so far, both parties have done well in their traditional strongholds - Zanu-PF in rural areas and the MDC in towns and cities.
But Zanu-PF has won one seat in Harare, while the MDC has gained four rural seats, including that of Mr Chinamasa.

HAVE YOUR SAY
This delay is getting people agitated, we are all wondering what is going on
Blessing, Harare
Send us your comments

The BBC's Grant Ferrett in Johannesburg says Mr Chinamasa has been an energetic and loyal supporter of Mr Mugabe, pushing through his land redistribution progamme in defiance of court rulings.
No results were posted outside polling stations in Mr Mugabe's home town of Zvimba, southwest of Harare - prompting speculation that Zanu-PF might have lost at least one parliamentary seat there, reports the AP news agency.
Government spokesman George Charamba has warned the MDC against claiming victory before official results are announced.
"It is called a coup d'etat and we all know how coups are handled."
After voting in Harare, Mr Mugabe, 84, who has been in power since 1980, said: "We don't rig elections. I cannot sleep with my conscience if I have rigged."
The MDC says it is fighting to save Zimbabwe's economy.
The country has the world's highest inflation rate, at more than 100,000%, and just one adult in five is believed to have a regular job.

Are you in Zimbabwe? Did you vote in Saturday's election? What happened in your constituency? Send us your comments and experiences using the form below or by text on +44 7786 20 50 85 - and let us know if you do not want your full name to be published.
BBC NEWS REPORT.

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Sunday, March 30, 2008

"SAYINGS" !

"PROBLEMS ARE NOT THE PROBLEM,
COPING IS THE PROBLEM" !

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IRAQI CLERIC CALLS OFF MILITIAS !

The fighting began with operations against militias in Basra.
Iraqi Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr has ordered his fighters off the streets of Basra and other cities in an effort to end clashes with security forces.
He said in a statement that his movement wanted the Iraqi people to stop the bloodshed and maintain the nation's independence and stability.
The government, which had set a deadline to hand over weapons in return for cash, called the move "positive".
The fighting has claimed more than 240 lives across the country since Tuesday.
In Baghdad, the city's military command has extended a round-the-clock curfew for an indefinite period. The curfew had been due to end on Sunday morning.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki has given militias until 8 April to surrender their weapons in return for cash.

Moqtada Sadr's statement said: "Because of the religious responsibility, and to stop Iraqi blood being shed, and to maintain the unity of Iraq and to put an end to this sedition that the occupiers and their followers want to spread among the Iraqi people, we call for an end to armed appearances in Basra and all other provinces.
"Anyone carrying a weapon and targeting government institutions will not be one of us."
The cleric also demanded that the government apply the general amnesty law, release detainees and stop what he called illegal raids.
Moqtada Sadr also told his followers to "work with Iraqi government offices to achieve security and to file charges against those who have committed crimes".
A spokesman for Mr Maliki, Ali al-Dabbagh, told Iraq television the statement was positive.
"As the government of Iraq we welcome this statement. We believe this will support the government of Iraq's efforts to impose security."
Officials had extended the Baghdad curfew after a day of skirmishes between security forces and Shia militiamen in the capital and Basra.

Moqtada Sadr told followers to "work with Iraqi government offices".
Coalition forces had become more involved with US air raids in the two cities in recent days.
Estimates vary of the number of deaths since the fighting broke out.
Fighting in Baghdad has left 117 people dead over the past three days, Iraqi police told the BBC.
In Basra, the British military has given a death toll of 50 but local medical sources report as many as 290 dead and the Iraqi army has reported killing 120 "enemy" fighters there.
Scores of people are believed to have been killed in other southern cities, according to Iraqi police or medical reports.
At least 44 people were killed in and around Kut, 15 in Nasiriya, 12 in Karbala and six in Hilla.
BBC NEWS REPORT.

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MARK THATCHER 'WEDS IN GIBRALTAR' !

Sir Mark said he and his new wife were "absolutely delighted".
Sir Mark Thatcher, the son of former Prime Minister Lady Thatcher, is reported to have remarried.
His bride was Sarah Russell, 42, the sister of Viscountess Rothermere.
Sir Mark, 54, told the Sunday Telegraph that the marriage ceremony took place in Gibraltar on 27 March, and was attended only by three friends.
Equatorial Guinea has issued an international arrest warrant over Sir Mark's alleged role in a failed coup. He denies direct involvement.

Sir Mark told the Sunday Telegraph: "Sarah and I knew from a very early stage that this was special and marriage had always seemed the inevitable outcome.
"We are both absolutely delighted that it's now official."
He was previously married for 18 years.
The couple will honeymoon in the Middle East and Indian Ocean, the newspaper reported.
On 29 March, Equatorial Guinea issued an arrest warrant for Sir Mark over his alleged role in a failed 2004 coup for which the country's attorney general said he provided money and transport.
Sir Mark was given a fine and a suspended sentence in South Africa in 2005 after pleading guilty to unknowingly helping to finance the plot.
He has always denied any direct involvement.
BBC NEWS REPORT.

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PENTAGON ORDERS NUCLEAR INVENTORY !

Mr Gates said the report should be submitted within two months US Defence Secretary Robert Gates has ordered a full inventory of US nuclear arms after parts of ballistic missiles were mistakenly sent to Taiwan.
He said a report, that would also include checks of related materials, should be completed within 60 days.
The US sent nuclear fuse triggers to Taiwan instead of helicopter batteries in 2006. The mistake was only discovered last week.
The arms issue is sensitive as China regards Taiwan as a renegade province.
Beijing vehemently opposes US arms sales to Taiwan and has threatened to attack the island if it declares independence.
On Thursday, Mr Gates also directed a senior navy officer to carry out an investigation into the mistaken delivery of the fuses.
Earlier this week, the Pentagon said no nuclear materials had been shipped and the parts had been returned to the US.
Taiwan had pointed out the error, but owing to a two-year miscommunication the US administration remained unaware of it until last week.
The shipment had been sent from a US airbase in Wyoming.
It has caused a major embarrassment to the Pentagon, says the BBC's Jonathan Beale in Washington.
China has expressed its "strong displeasure".
Detail of the mistaken shipment is the second blunder to emerge in recent months.
Last August, a B-52 bomber flew across several US states mistakenly armed with nuclear-tipped cruise missiles.

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WARNING ON ZIMBABWE VICTORY CLAIM !

Results have been posted outside polling stations
Counting the votes

Zimbabwe's government and electoral chiefs have warned the main opposition MDC it should not declare an early victory in the presidential poll.
The MDC, which has repeatedly expressed fears of rigging, has started to quote unofficial returns, saying it has 67% of the vote so far and "has won".
The electoral commission said it was "concerned" at the "purported" results.
The information minister accused the MDC of "speculation and lies" and "causing unnecessary havoc".
Incumbent President Robert Mugabe was facing a challenge from the MDC's Morgan Tsvangirai and the independent Simba Makoni.
House of Assembly, Senate and local elections were held on the same day. Officials say the final results may not be known for a few days.
Commission's plea
The secretary general of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), Tendai Biti, says it has returns from one-third of polling stations.
He [Mugabe] is going to get the shock of his life because they are not voting for him. Mugabe will be out by Monday night -Bomba Zimbo, Harare
Mr Biti says they show a 67% vote for the MDC in the presidential vote, with the party also winning most parliamentary seats in Harare and Bulawayo.
Mr Biti said the MDC was also ahead in some rural areas, including Mr Mugabe's home province of Mashonaland West.
"We have won this election," said Mr Biti. "This trend is irreversible."

Mr Mugabe blames Zimbabwe's problems on a Western plot.
Robert Mugabe

He questioned why it was taking so long for the results to be announced, as returns have been posted outside polling stations.
BBC contributors say opposition activists have been celebrating in the towns of Bulawayo and Mutare in the east.
A spokesman for Mr Makoni told the BBC News website that the MDC had "swept the board" in the parliamentary election, with several ministers losing their seats.
But the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission said the country must wait for official results and appealed for patience, as four elections were held at the same time.
Chief elections officer Lovemore Sekeramayi said in a statement: "The commission notes with concern that some stakeholders have gone on to announce purported results of the poll when in fact the results are being verified and collated.
"Those results are not official results of the poll."
The MDC says the commission was appointed by Mr Mugabe and is not to be trusted.
The government went further in its condemnation of the MDC.

Morgan Tsvangirai said he was confident of victory.
Morgan Tsvangirai

Information Minister Sikhanyiso Ndlovu said: "We have warned against speculation, against self-declared winners.
"Biti and the MDC are famous for speculation and lies peddling in the country and causing unnecessary havoc here."
The state-run Sunday Mail quoted the ministry's secretary, George Charamba, as saying that if Mr Tsvangirai declared himself president "it is called a coup d'etat and we all know how coups are handled".
Mr Biti said the MDC was just "protecting its vote" and would not make the "mistake" of the 2002 and 2005 elections when it did not claim victory.
He warned the MDC would not accept a "stolen election".
Rigging fears
BBC Southern Africa correspondent Peter Biles says the MDC's claims are based on partial, unofficial results.
The more slowly-counted votes from the rural areas, where President Mugabe has always had majority support, may decide the final outcome.

ZIMBABWE POLLS - KEY FACTS
Some 5.9m eligible voters
They elect president, parliament and local government
Nearly 9,000 polling stations
Winner needs more than 50% to avoid presidential run-off

Before the election, state-run media predicted Mr Mugabe would win 57%.
A candidate needs more than 50% in the presidential vote to avoid a run-off in three weeks' time.
Across the country on Saturday, there were reports of voters not being allowed to cast ballots - either because their names were not on the voters' roll or because they were trying to vote in the wrong ward.
The opposition feared many voters would be intimidated and stay at home.

HAVE YOUR SAY
The elections will no doubt be free and fair. The allegations being peddled are unfounded
Sosten Musiniwa, Harare
Send us your comments
But many voters told the BBC the system had worked efficiently and the atmosphere was good.
After voting in Harare, Mr Mugabe, in power since 1980 and seeking a sixth term, dismissed opposition concerns, saying: "We don't rig elections. I cannot sleep with my conscience if I have rigged."
The MDC says it is fighting to save Zimbabwe's economy.
The country has the world's highest inflation rate, at more than 100,000%, and just one adult in five is believed to have a regular job.
The chiefs of Zimbabwe's police, army, prison service and intelligence services warned on Friday that violence after the polls would not be tolerated.

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THE MAN MAKING 'WIND BAGS' !

By Brady Haran - BBC News

Wind power - use it or lose it?Seamus Garvey wants to "store the wind".
He believes the future of energy is storing it as compressed air in giant bags under the sea.
And a major power company has invested in the scheme.
Professor Garvey, a long-time proponent of compressed air, feels vindicated by the research grant.
He said: "As the country and the whole world moves toward using more renewable energy, we're going to need energy storage."
His idea would utilise familiar renewable sources - wind, waves and tidal power.

THE BIG IDEA
Wind and waves used to compress air
Air stored in bags on seabed

Later released to produce electricty via turbinesBut Professor Garvey does not believe we should be forced to "use it or lose it" when conditions are best.
Energy would instead be used to compress and pump air into underwater bags, anchored to the seabed.
When energy demand is highest, the air would be released through a turbine, converting it to electricty.
Professor Garvey, from the University of Nottingham, said: "The demand for electricity's not constant.
"In the middle of the day we want a lot of it, at night almost nobody wants electricity.
"Also, the wind does not blow at the same speed all the time.

Seamus Garvey will build prototypes"We will have times (as wind power becomes more common) when the amount of electricity generated by the wind is more than the total demand for the whole country... then you have to store it or waste it."
Power company E.ON has granted 300,000 euros (£236,000) towards building two prototypes - the first on land, then an underwater version powered by waves.
Using compressed air to store energy is not new - for example, it has previously been done in disused mines.
But Professor Garvey will do it under the sea, in flexible containers he has dubbed "energy bags".
He said: "We have to overcome the instinct that (this idea) is too simple to be good.
"And then to show that the economics stack up."
Professor Garvey anticipates his prototypes will be operating within 18 months.

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Saturday, March 29, 2008

ZIMBABWE VOTES : AT A GLANCE !

Zimbabweans are going to the polls to choose a president, members of parliament and local councillors.
Contributors across the country are sending the BBC their observations of the day.
If you are voting, send us your experiences by text on +44 7786 20 50 85 or use the form below - and let us know if you do not want your full name to be published.

Quiet determination to vote
1642 GMT, Victoria Falls: An anonymous voter who has travelled around the polling stations in the district emails with this report: "I'm impressed with the maturity shown by the Zimbabwean electorate. The voting process has been transparent throughout the day and I haven't seen or heard any cases of violence since 0713 [local time] when I went to exercise my democratic right to vote."
1623 GMT, Masvingo: Owen Chikari in Masvingo says 10 people have been arrested in connection with clashes between opposition Movement for Democratic Change and ruling party Zanu-PF supporters in the rural constituency of Bikita West. Our contributor says in Masvingo town, voting, which has been peaceful, is all but over with polling officers sitting around waiting to start the count in just over half an hour.
1622 GMT, Harare: Mrs B wrote in an email: "Went to the polling station at Eastridge school, (eastern part of Harare) at about 3pm (local time). How sad. There were two voting halls and no voters to be seen. It was very peaceful. The people in the school area said there may have been about 400 people voting throughout the day, when in fact this venue should have seen thousands.
This is the second report of terrible voter apathy I've heard today. I've spoken to several folk who could have voted, but said they haven't because: 'What's the point? The outcome is predetermined'. If there is no presidential change, then once again, Zimbabweans may never know. However, I do feel voters should have turned out en masse."
1551 GMT, Bulawayo: If polls close as planned then many people will not get to vote in Zimbabwe's second city, says contributor Themba Nkosi. He says that at Cowdray Park polling station there are still long queues. People hope that the electoral commission will extend the voting to allow them to cast their vote.
1533 GMT, Harare: Zimbabwe Electoral Commission Chairman George Chiweshe tells the BBC that turnout seems to be high in and around the capital.
He says he has not heard reports of problems outside Karoi, where farm workers claim they have been forced by their employer to vote for the ruling Zanu-PF party. "As far as I'm concerned we afforded everyone who wished to vote the opportunity to do so freely and secretly," he says. "If it does happen, it is an offence and people can be reported to the police."
He says after polls close, counting will be done at polling stations to be closely scrutinised by "the contestants or their agents in the presence of observers". Results are to be posted outside the polling stations and sent on to collation centres.
1526 GMT, Bulawayo: An anonymous voter says: "It seems our deceased relatives' names are still on the voters' roll. When they were checking my name, I peeped at the list and I saw the names of relatives of mine who died some time ago. I could not ask them about it because right in front of the voting station there was a heavy police presence."

Mr Mugabe blames Zimbabwe's problems on a Western plot
Robert Mugabe

1512 GMT, Harare: It is still quiet and calm all over the north and the east of the city, says contributor Festus. There are no queues at all. It is a public holiday so no restaurants or shops are open and most people are off the streets - which are almost deserted, he says.
1430 GMT Radcliffe, near Kwekwe: Georgina says: "I went to four different polling stations in the area and my name was not on any of the voters' rolls, even though I checked two weeks ago to make sure, and my name was on the voters' register then.
My grandmother's name was on the roll but she was told she could not vote this time, even though she has voted in all previous elections - she is 78. However, seven members of my family who have all passed away were on the list, including my uncle, who died a week ago and was an MDC member of parliament.
This is very disturbing for us. But we are not the only ones. Out of the four polling stations I went to, I would say half of all the people who turned up were turned away. They still took everyone's names however, including my neighbours.
I was hoping to vote for Morgan Tsvangirai and I am afraid they will attribute my vote to Zanu-PF. The same thing must be happening across the country and it will probably mean another Zanu-PF victory. It's very sad."
1402 GMT, Victoria Falls: Harrison Muronga emails: "Got to the polling station in Ward 10 at 0730 (0530 GMT) and voting was peaceful, stretching to over 300 metres. Please Zimbabweans let's keep up the discipline. Let's show the whole world we are a peaceful nation despite the difficulties we are facing as they shall all come to pass."
1400 GMT, Harare: Tinashe wrote in an email: "I voted in Mabelreign at 1100 (0900 GMT) having been in the queue for two hours. On passing the polling station two hours later it was virtually empty with about five people waiting to cast their votes. With 29 polling stations in a constituency of about 27,000 registered voters it could mean people have managed to vote without the long queues. In the township of Highfield, where Mugabe cast his vote, the queues had disappeared when I went there and I was told they were long in the morning. It seems the electoral officers will be able to close their stations at the designated time of 1900."
1330 GMT, Luveve, Bulawayo: Sporo in the UK texts: "I just spoke to my brother who is voting in Luveve. He is in a queue and it's piling up with people. He thinks latecomers will not able to vote."
1325 GMT, Hornung Park, Bulawayo: An anonymous voter texts: "Just finished casting my vote.I am disturbed by the number of people being turned away because their names don't appear on the voters' roll."
1305 GMT, Bulawayo: Colin Chigiyegiye texts: "I have voted and the system is quite easy and transparent, in my view. I do not expect any rigging. There is total peace."

Morgan Tsvangirai said he was confident of victory
Morgan Tsvangirai
1304 GMT, Hatcliffe, north of Harare: Laura Lynch, a reporter from the Canadian Broadcasting Company, tells the BBC about allegations of voting irregularities after visiting a polling station based in the middle of a field: "There were a number of people lined up to vote. The candidate of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change tell me this is an example of vote rigging, because she says all of these people can't possibly be living in the field, but that is what they're saying their address are. I did speak to one of the people there. He believes that he is able to vote there because President Robert Mugabe gave him a people of that land last November, so he believes it's legitimate."
1246 GMT, Mutare: Contributor David Farira says voting has remained peaceful although the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) has complained there were attempts by some soldiers to intimidate people at a polling station in Chikanga high-density suburb.
Some MDC candidates said they were also "shocked" by the high number of people who have been turned away at polling stations either because their names do not appear on the voters' roll or they were in the wrong ward.
Misheck Kagurabadza, the MDC candidate for Mutasa South, said at one polling station about 20 people were turned away in just two hours. Zanu-PF election agents said there were satisfied with the voting process.
At most polling stations in the city, our contributor says there were more polling agents and police than the number of people queuing to vote.
But there are reports of a high voter turnout in constituencies in Chipinge, 190km south of Mutare, our contributor says.
1231 GMT, Harare: Tia emails: "I was disenfranchised by a faulty voters' roll. I was distressed and disappointed to be turned away after hours of queuing, having voted in all polls since 2000, and having confirmed my name on the voters' roll last month. The roll is seriously flawed - many legitimate voters have been turned away."
1214 GMT, Bulawayo: Contributor Themba Nkosi says voting is continuing peacefully, but the thousands of people who have braved the heat to vote are complaining that there are too few polling stations in the townships.
I have waited for this day since last year and I will make sure I cast my vote
Dumisani Ncube
He spoke to some voters who had been standing in the queue for two hours and those going into the booths take too long to finish. Inside the polling booths, officers say they have a problem because many people do not seem to understand the voting procedures and they fear there will be many spoilt ballots.
Many people have also been turned away because they had turned up at wrong polling stations, our contributor says.
Dumisani Ncube who was queuing to vote outside Luveve Hall said the queues were frustrating but said he would wait until he voted. "I have waited for this day since last year and I will make sure I cast my vote," he said.
Our contributor has received reports from the border with South Africa that scores of other would-be voters are still trying to get cleared by immigration officers at Beitbridge to get to Bulawayo on time before voting closes.

ZIMBABWE POLLS - KEY FACTS
Some 5.9m eligible voters
They elect president, parliament and local government
Nearly 9,000 polling stations
Polls opened at 0500 GMT and close at 1700 GMT
Winner needs more than 50% to avoid presidential run-off

Moment of truth
Campaign in pictures
Q&A: Zimbabwe elections

He says South African immigration officers are also reported to be giving those who want to vote first preference in the immigration queues. But there are unconfirmed reports of Zimbabwean police detaining a bus carrying Zimbabweans from South Africa. Police and soldiers are patrolling the volatile townships where they expect youths to cause trouble after the results are announced, our contributor says.
1208 GMT, Masvingo: Contributor Owen Chikari says the long and snaking queues which characterised early voting in Masvingo have disappeared. He says a total of about 2,000 people have been turned away in different constituencies by 1000 local time (0800 GMT).
To be honest our voters' roll is in shambles
Mashoko Manjengwa in Masvingo
"I have walked about 15km and I am now trying to find out where my name is," Mashoko Manjengwa told our contributor. "I am surprised that my name is not appearing on the roll when I have been voting in previous elections. To be honest our voters' roll is in shambles."
In rural areas around Masvingo, our contributor says voting was very peaceful and by midday polling officers were basking in the sun after the long queues had disappeared.
He says so far no incidents of political violence have been reported with the police saying they were in control of the situation.
1150 GMT, Harare: O Mapiye writes in an email: "Voted early at 0715 (0515 GMT). The atmosphere was good and there was a large turnout. I visited three polling stations in the Warren Park area and there were no observers anywhere."
1147 GMT, Gweru: Gora Valentine Elifas emails: "I voted at Senga Primary School in Gweru city at 1000 (0800 GMT). There were only two of us voting at the time. The voting process was easy and the officers were all friendly. I encourage all those who have not yet voted to visit this underused station. Confronted with four ballot papers the old and illiterate may seek assistance especially in rural areas and this is where possible rigging may take place. I congratulate Zimbabweans for conducting themselves so maturely so far."
1130 GMT, Hwange: Contributor Joel Gore says queues at polling centres have reduced this afternoon, unlike in the morning when voters rushed to cast their votes. He says no incidents of violence or intimidation have been reported and the streets continue to remain silent as residents prefer to remain indoors.
It saddening to note that there is voter apathy
MDC supporter Lizwe Mathe
But some complained that they had been turned away because they produced drivers' licences as proof of identity. "I came yesterday from Bulawayo for the elections and carried with me a driver's licence," Jabulani Khumalo told our contributor. "However, I did not vote because I had no registration identity card or a passport. This happened to most voters who had carried drivers' licences because they don't indicate citizenship."
On Friday, opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) supporters moved around Hwange Central in a vehicle mounted with a hailer encouraging people to go and vote, but our contributor says, their call seems to have fallen on deaf ears as this afternoon some polling stations are empty. "It saddening to note that there is voter apathy. I do not know what the respective authorities and political parties can do to encourage people to go and vote. This is the only day and it will not be extended," MDC supporter Lizwe Mathe said.
Our contributor says last night returning and presiding electoral officers were seen in beer halls wearing MDC T-shirts.
1130 GMT, Radcliffe: John in the UK texts to say: "My grandmother and my sister were both turned away from their polling station in Radcliffe, near Kwekwe. My grandmother was told she could not vote because she was an alien, even though she was born in Zimbabwe and has lived there all her life. She is married to a Malawian, has a Malawian passport but holds a Zimbabwean ID. My sister was told she was not on the electoral role, even though when she checked a couple of weeks ago she was on it. They had to leave the polling station, obviously disappointed and distressed. "
1059 GMT, Karoi: Gandawa emails: "I came to the polling station at 0720 (0520 GMT). The queue is moving fast with approximately 1,000 people behind me. The voting is peaceful. The mood in the queue is good and people are joking. The wind of change is blowing."
It was a command that we all vote for Zanu-PF even though we are suffering here
Farm labourer near Karoi1050 GMT, Karoi: Contributor Naume Muza says few residents in the farming town 204km north-west of Harare have so far turned up to vote - some polling stations only recording about 100 voters by mid-morning. Karoi is within incumbent President Robert Mugabe's home province.
On Thursday, the electoral commission fired more than 100 polling officers around Karoi and Hurungwe rural. There has been no official reason given, but our contributor says people suspect it is because they were felt to be opposition sympathisers.
"We are being fooled by Mugabe who can easily manipulate the votes into his favour," a school teacher in Chikangwe high-density suburb said.
"Our chance to bring about change is being denied by those who he is using in the secret service, the Central Intelligence Organisation, who have blacklisted us as polling officers saying we are a security risk."
Our contributor says in the farming resettlement areas, labourers were forced by the black bosses to queue for elections as early as 0500 local time (0300 GMT), two hours before voting commenced. At Dicks farm run by Zanu-PF councillor and war veteran Ben Chikanda, farm labours said they were forced to the polling station to vote for the ruling party.
''It was a command that we all vote for Zanu-PF even though we are suffering here,'' one voter told our contributor.
1045 GMT, Victoria Falls: An anonymous voter texts: "I arrived at my polling station in Ward Three in Victoria Falls only to be told that there were no ballot papers. This was at 1000 local time (0800 GMT). There were still no papers at 1235 local time (1035 GMT)."
1044 GMT, Bulawayo: Contributor Themba Nkosi says that a petrol bomb exploded at the home of Zanu-PF councillor Mary Nsingo at 0200 local time (midnight GMT) in Emakhandeni constituency. She was hurt, but has not been seen since, so there are no details of her injuries. Other people were in the house with her - everyone was sleeping at the time. It is not known who is responsible; however, our contributor says she lives in an opposition area. Ms Nsingo is standing for re-election as a ruling party local councillor.
1030 GMT, Gweru: A male voter, 32, who works in the industrial sector told the BBC that there was confusion at his polling station at 1030 (0830 GMT) when he went to vote as ballot papers for president, senator and MP are all on white paper. He says the ballots should be blue for the president, green for the senator, white for the MP and yellow for councillors. The councillors' ballot was yellow, he says. There were about three police officers around, the atmosphere was ok and there were lots of people in lining up to vote, he says. After voting his finger was marked with indelible pink ink.
1029 GMT, Chipinge: Lackson Nyemba writes in an email: "I was first in the queue at 0400 (0200 GMT) and managed to vote by 0715 (0515 GMT) at Matione Primary School, Chipinge Central constituency. By the time I left, the queue was about 200m long. The atmosphere was quite peaceful with people chatting."
1024 GMT, Zvishavane: Francis Masere emails: "The situation in Zvishavene is calm. People went to polling station as early as 0400 GMT. I waited for about two hours to cast my vote. My name wasn't on the voters' roll but I was allowed to vote on the condition that I brought in a receipt which reported that I had registered as a voter before the deadline of 14 February, 2008."
1001 GMT, Harare: Rose texts: "Have voted in the northern suburbs. Very peaceful. Friendly and helpful officers. Whole process took approximately 35 minutes."
1000 GMT, Zesa in the UK texts: "I have just received a text from my sister-in-law in Chegutu. Voting has stopped in her area due to a shortage of ballot papers."
0938 GMT, Harare: Opposition Movement of Democratic Change (MDC) candidate Morgan Tsvangirai casts his vote, saying: "The people's victory is assured."
0921 GMT, Harare: Nicky told the BBC by phone: "I went to one station but the queue was too long. The people there told me they had been waiting since 0100 local time (2300 GMT). I only got there at 0600 (0400 GMT) and waited till now but it's too slow so I'm driving around to find a shorter queue within my ward - there are four stations that I can vote at so I'm going to try the others."
I have already voted. It was OK - unlike the confusion we anticipated. I got to my polling station early.
Farai in Harare
0912 GMT, Harare: Farai, 24, a student in Borrowdale spoke to the BBC via telephone: "I have already voted. It was OK - unlike the confusion we anticipated. I got to my polling station early. I was there from about 0600 and was among the first people to cast their ballots. I didn't stay long and came right back home."
There are not that many police around. I can't see any observers - maybe they are only inside
Clarence, voter in Mutare
0907 GMT, Mutare: S Moyo texts to say that voting has been peaceful so far: "No acts of violence, intimidation. People are free to choose their candidates."
0906 GMT, Kadoma: Olla in Kadoma, north-west of the capital, says voting is going on very well except for some cases where suspected Zanu-PF supporters are being forced to vote while being observed because the ruling party suspects that some of its supporters will vote for opposition candidates. "They are forced to declare to polling officers, as illiterate and they need assistance," Olla emails.

Voting has been peaceful so far
0905 GMT, Bulawayo:Hlo emails: "At about 0600 I was up to go to the polling station. I arrived before it opened only to find a long queue, when I was thinking I would be the first one. After about two hours, I was happy to get in and vote for my preferred candidate for the president and others. This was the first exciting vote for me."
0859 GMT, Harare: AFP news agency reports that President Robert Mugabe has cast his vote. "We are not in the habit of rigging... We don't rig elections," the 84-year-old said. "I cannot sleep with my conscience if I have rigged."
0837 GMT, Marondera: Cleopas, 38, in Marondera - a town about 70km east of the capital, Harare, emails: "Voting is going on. People started going to the polls as early as 0530 local time (0330 GMT). Everyone is in high spirits and texts like these are doing the rounds among friends: 'Make sure the old man leaves the keys for state house - if he is shy, tell him to drop them at the robots [traffic lights] on the corner of 7 ave and samora machel ave.'"
ZIMBABWE'S REGIONS

1: Mashonaland West
2: Mashonaland Central
3: Mashonaland East
4: Manicaland
5: Masvingo
6: Midlands
7: Matabeleland South
8: Matabeleland North
Zimbabwe - on the verge of change?

0833 GMT, Mutare: David Farira says voting kicked off peacefully in the city east of the capital, Harare, but with far fewer voters than expected queuing to cast their ballots. The pre-election hype that characterised the campaign period has not yet matched the number of people going to the polling stations, he says.
In Sakubva, the most populous high-density suburb, there were very short queues. In Dangamvura, the second most populous high-density suburb, and the city centre, the situation was the same, with about 40 people counted at one station. Our contributor says that only in the new high-density suburb of Hobhouse were there long queues. "I made sure my vote is counted," Obvious Zengeya said after casting his ballot in Hobhouse.
"My vote will contribute towards change to a better Zimbabwe." An official manning a polling booth in Sakubva said that voters were expected to flood voting stations in the afternoon. There are no incidents of violence reported anywhere in Manicaland Province, our contributor says.
0830 GMT, Harare: Our contributor Festus at Glen Lorne polling station says the queue is building. Some people have brought deckchairs and umbrellas and there is a hot food stall set up.
He says the atmosphere is good, but people are starting to talk about the numbers of voters who are being turned away, their names not on the voter's list.
Two young white Zimbabweans offer to take a group of black voters up to Chisipite or Gletwin Farm, a further 15km away, to see if they are on the voters' list there.
Our contributor says there is indignation as word starts to go around.
0826 GMT, Mutare: Clarence, 27, at a polling station in the eastern city of Mutare, says: "I got here about 20 minutes ago and am in the middle of the queue. People are just being cool - everyone is relaxed. Then as soon as they have voted, they leave straight away and return to their homes. There are not that many police around. I can't see any observers - maybe they are only inside."
0824 GMT, Mazowe: Stephen told the BBC that people have been voting peacefully in Mashonaland Central, but turnout is still low as most miners in the area have gone to work despite it being a public holiday. As he went to cast his ballot at 0630 GMT in a mining compound, he says he noticed that there was "a minor hiccup" with the ballot box labels. The written label and colour coding lid on the boxes for the presidential vote and senatorial vote did not tally. The president's box had a green lid instead of a blue one. Stephen says he notified the poll officials and the error was rectified.
0820 GMT, Bulawayo: A voter in Bellevue texts: "Been in the queue since three hours ago. A slow process - I guess it's because of the four ballots. The mood is optimistic, everyone is eager to cast their vote. Everybody is voicing their thoughts out loud, fear is gone, there is hope. Despite the delays everyone is in good spirits."
0820 GMT, Masvingo: Long and winding queues are characterising the elections in Masvingo, south of Harare, says Owen Chikari. Voting was delayed for almost an hour at some urban polling stations. Desperate voters some who been queuing since midnight threatened to destroy Kubatana polling station. But tempers cooled down following the arrival of the ballot papers around an hour after the polls were expected to begin.
"We know that ballot papers did not arrive on time in some areas but the situation is now under control," Ignatius Mushangwe, an official with Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, said.
Our contributor says that in rural parts of Masvingo there was a high voter turnout. "We had to sleep in the voting queue because what we need this time as Zimbabweans is a complete change that will make life easy," said Nyasha Mhosva who was in the voting queue at Nemazuwa School polling station. Voting continues, our contributor says, and troops have been deployed in all areas.
0800 GMT, Harare: Our contributor Festus says problems are starting to surface at St Joseph's School polling station in Harare East as huge numbers of people are finding their names are not on the electoral roll.
I made her look again, then for all my family. My father and mother aren't on the list. Only my one of my brothers is on the list
Ben in Harare
One voter, Ben, says he has walked three kilometres to vote and after an hour in the queue found his name was missing. "I showed my ID card and the polling officer started to check the list but said I wasn't on it. I made her look again, then for all my family," he says.
"My father and mother aren't on the list. My other brother Ian isn't on the list. Only my one of my brothers is on the list for this polling station where we have always, always voted in the past."
0809 GMT, Bulawayo: Sandra, 23, told the BBC over the phone from a polling station in Bulawayo: "I'm in the queue - there's seven people in front of me. I only got here an hour ago and so it's all going very efficiently. There is a long queue behind me but it is moving. People around me are quiet and are waiting patiently to cast their vote. People are just waiting for their turn."
0748 GMT, Harare: A voter in Mbare texts: "The situation is calm and peaceful and voting is going on smoothly."
I did not want to miss this opportunity
Mlungisi Mabhena, Zimbabwean teaching in South Africa
0736 GMT, Harare: Sandra says she is standing in line waiting to vote and the atmosphere is peaceful "though tinged with a kind of scepticism". "We don't know whether our votes will count or rigging will occur as in 2002," she texts. "I think the opposition should have done more to mobilise people to register. While most of my friends are very vocal about their desire for change, most failed to meet the registration deadline."
0723 GMT, Mutare: Stuart Valintine emails from Mutare that voting has been peaceful and efficient with large numbers turning out, although it started 10 minutes late. "An old man over 70 who has always voted was turned away because his ID document says he is an 'Alien'," he writes. "He was born in Mozambique, but has live and worked all his life in Zimbabwe."
0715 GMT, Hwange: The usual voter apathy in Hwange, in the north-west, is not in evidence, says Joel Gore. Many people have come out to vote and even Zimbabweans living from South Africa are in the area in large numbers to cast their ballot. He says campaigners can be seen removing election posters to save them as many people are anticipating a presidential run-off .
0714 GMT: A texter from Harare, who has just voted quietly and peacefully, emails, "Some registered voters turned away because name not on voters roll. I saw the name of someone I know who emmigrated years ago was on."
0710 GMT, Bulawayo: Themba Nkosi says at polling stations he has visited in the townships, there were thousands of people, both the young and the old queuing to vote. Those in the queues were in jubilant mood, chatting to one another regardless of which political background or affiliation they came from. At Cowdray Park township, voters started queuing as early as 0300 (0500 GMT) - most of them Zimbabweans working and living in South Africa who started arriving on Friday. "I did not want to miss this opportunity," Mlungisi Mabhena, who works as a teacher in Johannesburg, told our contributor. Mr Mabhena has never voted in Zimbabwe but this year he made sure he came to register to vote because he wants change, he says. Our contributor says no violence has been reported so far and police and soldiers are patrolling the townships where the majority of the city's 1.6m residents live.
0640 GMT: Presidential contender Simba Makoni votes at a Mandara shopping centre in Mashonaland East. "I feel good, I voted for the best candidate," he told AFP news agency.

Some people arrived as early as midnight to book their place in the queue
Owen Chikari, Masvingo
0620 GMT, Harare: Ben texts to say he has cast his vote: "The atmosphere is peaceful and the polling officers seem keen to make the process efficient."
0619 GMT, Kwekwe: A 30-year-old male voter in Kwekwe, south-west of Harare, texts: "I have just voted after an hour but the lines are now moving faster. The people are just relaxed and making jokes in the queues."
0610 GMT, Harare: A male voter in Highfields says the queue he is in is moving. People are chatting, it is peaceful and police can be seen monitoring the situation. But people are worried about tomorrow, he says, and on Friday the shops were packed with people trying to stock up in case of trouble.
0540 GMT, Karoi: Naume Muza in Karoi, north-west of Harare, says: "It took me almost 10 minutes to cast my vote. They had to check my name in the voters roll and then I was given four ballot papers: presidential, senatorial, member of parliament and councillor." He says so far voter turnout has been low. At the 10 polling stations he has visited, there have only been a handful of people waiting to vote.
So if you won't take note of electors' complaints why are you here at all?
Disabled voter in Umwinsidale, Harare
0539 GMT, Masvingo: Voting started 30 minutes late in many polling stations in Masvingo as ballot papers arrived late, says Owen Chikari in Masvingo. But the long and winding voting lines are now beginning to move. Somepeople arrived as early as midnight to book their place in the queue, he says.
0530 GMT, Harare: From a polling station in a large marquee between a petrol station and police outpost in Umwinsidale, Festus says voting has been progressing peacefully and the whole process of voting takes just under five minutes. There are no uniformed policeman inside and the one patrolling outside did not enter when a disabled lady entered, he says. However, although she had on previous elections been on the electoral roll for this ward, she was told her name was not on the roll and she must go elsewhere. She tried to complain to the observers both inside and outside the tent, but no-one paid any attention or took any note of her complaint. She told a chap wearing a yellow jerkin which read Regional Faith Observer: "So if you won't take note of electors' complaints why are you here at all?"
0525 GMT, Bulawayo: Themba Nkosi says polls have opened with many people queuing, eager to vote. Zimbabweans from South Africa are still pouring into the city, arriving by minibuses, coaches and private cars, he says.
0518 GMT, Harare: A voter at a polling station in Roosevelt School says there is a queue of about 50 people, where the atmosphere is "party like", with police around but standing away from the queues. "Everyone is in a very positive mood," the texter says.
0516 GMT, Harare: Freelance journalist Brian Hungwe says the doors to the polling station at Alfred Beit Primary School have just opened - about 15 minutes late. People had been getting a bit agitated, but now the atmosphere is cheerful. There is a long queue of about 3,000 people.
0511 GMT, Harare: Noel Kututwa, spokesman for the Zimbabwe Election Support Network that more than 8,000 election monitors, tells the BBC there are concerns about the presence of police officers in polling stations and the state of the voters roll. "We know that there are a lot of duplications," he says. "We also know there are a number of voters who are on that roll whose age is over 100 whom we believe are no longer alive. We know that the voters roll has not been adequately tested."
0503 GMT: Farai, a voter in Harare, says the queue at his polling station in Borrowdale is short, with about 100 people, and he is about to go in and vote.
0311 GMT, Harare: A male voter, 25, texts to say the queue at a polling station is already 30-plus deep, nearly two hours ahead of the polls opening.
The BBC has not been allowed to send reporters into Zimbabwe. Some names have been changed to protect their identities.
BBC NEWS REPORT.

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WINDS OF CHANGE BLOW ON CAPE TOWN !

The end of South Africa's apartheid regime and the arrival of an African National Congress government seemed to promise undreamt-of opportunities for the country's black majority.
Yet on a recent visit to his native Cape Town, Martin Plaut found that some of the euphoria South Africans felt over the last decade has evaporated.

Skilled emigration is once more on the rise as talented young men and women look overseas rather than stake their futures on their own country
The wind whips across the city, sending shoppers to seek sanctuary in doorways and driving tourists from the beaches as the sand bites at their legs.
And over the top of Table Mountain comes the cloud known affectionately as the tablecloth. Spilling down from the flat granite face of the mountain that towers over the city, it comes like some giant waterfall.
Yet the cloud never actually arrives, evaporating and dispersing as it falls.
Cape Town is - just as I left it - mostly a carefree, happy-go-lucky sort of place.
It is as if there is some opiate in this wind, persuading all who breathe it that really tomorrow would be a much better day to get down to work, so why not relax and take it easy?
As they used to say when I was a boy, "You worry, you die. You don't worry, you die. So why worry?"
And with that usually went a slug of wine or a drop of brandy.

Some things are very different.
The streets now ring to the sounds of drummers and singers from across the continent, entertaining the visitors and earning a meagre living.
Cape Town now has much more of Africa about it and, extraordinarily, something lost for generations has returned in a modest way.
A winery has started up right in the centre of the town. With micro-vineyards scattered on plots around the city, it has begun making really first-rate wines, reviving a tradition going back to the earliest days of settlement when Jan van Riebeek brought his ships into the bay to found a refreshment station on the way to the East Indies back in 1652.
But the biggest change has been in my friends from the days when we fought the apartheid system.
While I left, they remained and joined the African National Congress - first underground and then, joyously, in the open.
Their mood now has turned to one of almost unrelieved gloom.

Thabo Mbeki succeeded Nelson Mandela as president in 1999.
The in-fighting within South Africa's ruling party has taken a terrible toll.
One friend - as loyal a supporter of President Thabo Mbeki as any leader could possibly wish for - was positively vitriolic about his former leader.
Over dinner he outlined in detail the machinations and dirty tricks unleashed by the presidency in order to hang on to power.
The anger in his words was hard to credit, a pent-up frustration at what he saw as the betrayal of so many hopes.
But perhaps the saddest experience was meeting two educationalists I have known for more than three decades. About to retire, they are in utter despair.
Their life's work, they told me, had been futile.

A tiny fraction of children qualifying for university have African names. State schools across the country are in a crisis so deep they can see no end in sight.
The picture they painted was one of teachers lured away from the profession by better salaries in business, of schools without discipline where pupils run riot, and of standards that have fallen through the floor.
My friend leaned across and told me of a visit to East London just up the coast.
The matriculation results had just come out. Of 10,000 pupils who took the exams, only 80 had got passes good enough to go into university. And of these, only five had African names.
That is five students out of 10,000.
"What do you think their parents say about what we have done for their kids," he asked, "when they've scraped a living for years, only to find their hopes left unfulfilled?"
Energy crisis
It is this anger and stories like these that led to Mr Mbeki's defeat at the hands of his own party in December. And this, in turn, led the ANC to elect Jacob Zuma, despite the allegations of corruption hanging over him.

As ANC leader, Jacob Zuma is well-placed to become president in 2009"He can't be worse than Mbeki," my friends said to me.
Well, we shall see. The president is accused by his party members of living in a bubble, of being out of touch and unwilling to heed warnings.
It has been the energy crisis that really brought home the problem.
As the lights went out in suburb after suburb and as bakeries had to discard half-baked loaves and when even the gold and platinum mines - South Africa's normally pulsating economic heart - shut down, the arguments were well and truly over.
Skilled emigration is once more on the rise, as talented young men and women look overseas rather than stake their futures on their own country.
Another friend said she went to a leaving party almost every weekend.
None of this suggests that South Africa is really on the skids, or that the situation is irretrievable. But the fear is there, and pessimism whispering in dark corners.
It is rather like the empty cement sack against the fence torn by Cape Town's South Easter wind - flap, flap, flapping in the wind.

From Our Own Correspondent was broadcast on Saturday 29 March, 2008 at 1130 BST on BBC Radio 4. Please check the programme schedules for World Service transmission times.
BBC NEWS REPORT.

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HOPE FOR END TO RUSSIA CAVE SIEGE !

Fresh talks are under way to persuade 28 doomsday cult members in Russia to end a five-month cave siege after seven sect women came to the surface.
The women were allowed to leave with cult leader Pyotr Kuznetsov after he was brought to the scene to negotiate.
The True Russian Orthodox Church members barricaded themselves into the cave in the Penza region, about 650km (400 miles) south-east of Moscow.
They are waiting for doomsday, which they believe will occur in May.
The members entered the cave in October and have refused to come out.
They threatened to detonate gas canisters if attempts were made to remove them and this week reportedly shot at police to drive them off.
However, there are reports of a split in the cult after a number of cave-ins due to prolonged rainfall. There are fears the cave could collapse completely.

Mr Kuznetsov, who is undergoing court-ordered psychiatric treatment, was brought to the scene and after negotiations was allowed to take the seven women to his home in a nearby village to await the May doomsday date there.
The vice governor of the Penza region, Oleg Melnichenko, said the women were in good health and did not need medical help.
"The women who have come out will continue their isolation until May, when supposedly the end of the world will happen. That was their condition, which we promised to respect," Mr Melnichenko said.
The governor's office said it hoped the remaining members would come out soon, possibly as early as Saturday.
Four children are among those still in the cave.
Mr Kuznetsov, who calls himself Father Pyotr, declared himself a prophet a number of years ago and has attracted followers in Russia and Belarus.
He is thought to have ordered his followers into the cave but did not join them.
BBC NEWS REPORT.

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ZIMBABWE VOTES : AT A GLANCE !

Zimbabweans are going to the polls to choose a president, members of parliament and local councillors.
Contributors across the country are sending the BBC their observations of the day.
If you are voting, send us your experiences by text on +44 7786 20 50 85 or use the form below - and let us know if you do not want your full name to be published.
0837 GMT: Cleopas, 38, in Marondera - a town about 70km east of the capital Harare, emails: "Voting is going on. People started going to the polls as early as 0530 local time (0330 GMT). Everyone is in high spirits and texts like these are doing the rounds among friends: 'Make sure the old man leaves the keys for state house - if he is shy, tell him to drop them at the robots [traffic lights] on the corner of 7 ave and samora machel ave.'"
0826 GMT: Clarence, 27, at a polling station in the eastern city of Mutare, says: "I got here about 20 minutes ago and am in the middle of the queue. People are just being cool - everyone is relaxed. Then as soon as they have voted, they leave straight away and return to their homes. There are not that many police around. I can't see any observers - maybe they are only inside."
0824 GMT: From Mazowe in Mashonaland Central, Stephen told the BBC that people have been voting peacefully but turnout is still low as most miners in the area have gone to work despite it being a public holiday. As he went to cast his ballot at 0630 GMT in a mining compound, he says he noticed that there was "a minor hiccup" with the ballot box labels. The written label and colour coding lid on the boxes for the presidential vote and senatorial vote did not tally. The president's box had a green lid instead of a blue one. Stephen says he notified the poll officials and the error was rectified.
0809 GMT: Sandra, 23, told the BBC over the phone from a polling station in Bulawayo: "I'm in the queue - there's seven people in front of me. I only got here an hour ago and so it's all going very efficiently. There is a long queue behind me but it is moving. People around me are quiet and are waiting patiently to cast their vote. People are just waiting for their turn."
0748 GMT: A voter in Mbare, Harare, texts: "The situation is calm and peaceful and voting is going on smoothly."
I did not want to miss this opportunity - Mlungisi Mabhena, Zimbabwean teaching in South Africa
0736 GMT: Sandra in Harare says she is standing in line waiting to vote and the atmosphere is peaceful "though tinged with a kind of scepticism". "We don't know whether our votes will count or rigging will occur as in 2002," she texts. "I think the opposition should have done more to mobilise people to register. While most of my friends are very vocal about their desire for change, most failed to meet the registration deadline."
0723 GMT: Stuart Valintine emails from Mutare that voting has been peaceful and efficient with large numbers turning out, although it started 10 minutes late. "An old man over 70 who has always voted was turned away because his ID document says he is an 'Alien'," he writes. "He was born in Mozambique, but has live and worked all his life in Zimbabwe."
0715 GMT: The usual voter apathy in Hwange, in the north-west, is not in evidence, says Joel Gore. Many people have come out to vote and even Zimbabweans living from South Africa are in the area in large numbers to cast their ballot. He says campaigners can be seen removing election posters to save them as many people are anticipating a presidential run-off .
0714 GMT: A texter from Harare, who has just voted quietly and peacefully, emails, "Some registered voters turned away because name not on voters roll. I saw the name of someone I know who emmigrated years ago was on."
0710 GMT: Themba Nkosi in Bulawayo says at polling stations he has visited in the townships, there were thousands of people, both the young and the old queuing to vote. Those in the queues were in jubilant mood, chatting to one another regardless of which political background or affiliation they came from. At Cowdray Park township, voters started queuing as early as 0300 (0500 GMT) - most of them Zimbabweans working and living in South Africa who started arriving on Friday. "I did not want to miss this opportunity," Mlungisi Mabhena, who works as a teacher in Johannesburg, told our contributor. Mr Mabhena has never voted in Zimbabwe but this year he made sure he came to register to vote because he wants change, he says. Our contributor says no violence has been reported so far and police and soldiers are patrolling the townships where the majority of the city's 1.6m residents live.
0640 GMT: Presidential contender Simba Makoni votes at a Mandara shopping centre in Mashonaland East. "I feel good, I voted for the best candidate," he told AFP news agency.

Some people arrived as early as midnight to book their place in the queue -Owen Chikari, Masvingo.
0620 GMT: Ben, a voter in Harare, texts to say he has cast his vote: "The atmosphere is peaceful and the polling officers seem keen to make the process efficient."
0619 GMT: A 30-year-old male voter in Kwekwe, south-west of Harare, texts: "I have just voted after an hour but the lines are now moving faster. The people are just relaxed and making jokes in the queues."
0610 GMT: A male voter at Highfields, a Harare suburb, says the queue he is in is moving. People are chatting, it is peaceful and police can be seen monitoring the situation. But people are worried about tomorrow, he says, and on Friday the shops were packed with people trying to stock up in case of trouble.
0540 GMT: Naume Muza in Karoi, north-west of Harare, says: "It took me almost 10 minutes to cast my vote. They had to check my name in the voters roll and then I was given four ballot papers: presidential, senatorial, member of parliament and councillor." He says so far voter turnout has been low. At the 10 polling stations he has visited, there have only been a handful of people waiting to vote.
So if you won't take note of electors' complaints why are you here at all?
Disabled voter in Umwinsidale, Harare
0539 GMT: Voting started 30 minutes late in many polling stations in Masvingo as ballot papers arrived late, says Owen Chikari in Masvingo. But the long and winding voting lines are now beginning to move. Some people arrived as early as midnight to book their place in the queue, he says.
0530 GMT: From a Harare polling station in a large marquee between a petrol station and police outpost in Umwinsidale, Festus says voting has been progressing peacefully and the whole process of voting takes just under five minutes. There are no uniformed policeman inside and the one patrolling outside did not enter when a disabled lady entered, he says. However, although she had on previous elections been on the electoral roll for this ward, she was told her name was not on the roll and she must go elsewhere. She tried to complain to the observers both inside and outside the tent, but no-one paid any attention or took any note of her complaint. She told a chap wearing a yellow jerkin which read Regional Faith Observer: "So if you won't take note of electors' complaints why are you here at all?"
0525 GMT: Themba Nkosi in Bulawayo says polls have opened with many people queuing, eager to vote. Zimbabweans from South Africa are still pouring into the city, arriving by minibuses, coaches and private cars, he says.
0518 GMT: A voter in Harare at a polling station in Roosevelt School says there is a queue of about 50 people, where the atmosphere is "party like", with police around but standing away from the queues. "Everyone is in a very positive mood," the texter says.
0516 GMT: Freelance journalist Brian Hungwe in Harare says the doors to the polling station at Alfred Beit Primary School have just opened - about 15 minutes late. People had been getting a bit agitated, but now the atmosphere is cheerful. There is a long queue of about 3,000 people.
0503 GMT: Farai, a voter in Harare, says the queue at his polling station in Borrowdale is short, with about 100 people, and he is about to go in and vote.
0311 GMT: A male voter, 25, from Harare, texts to say the queue at a polling station is already 30-plus deep, nearly two hours ahead of the polls opening.

The BBC has not been allowed to send reporters into Zimbabwe. Some names have been changed to protect their identities.
BBC NEWS REPORT.

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"SAYINGS" !

"TIME HAS MORE VALUE THAN MONEY.
YOU CAN GET MORE MONEY,
BUT YOU CANNOT GET MORE TIME" !
----

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Friday, March 28, 2008

CHINA ALLOWS DIPLOMATS INTO TIBET !

Journalists described Lhasa as a divided city.
China is taking a handful of foreign diplomats to Tibet, following widespread criticism of Beijing's crackdown on Tibetan protests.
The UK, France and the US are among the countries invited on a two-day trip to the Tibetan capital Lhasa - the first since anti-China riots broke out there.
The US welcomed the move, but said diplomats and observers should be allowed to see areas surrounding Lhasa.
The visit follows a short trip to the city by a group of foreign journalists.
Meanwhile, European Union foreign ministers meeting in Slovenia have rejected a proposed boycott of the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Beijing.
European leaders have been among the most vocal in criticising China's reaction to the protests in Tibetan communities.
Tibet's government-in-exile, based in India, says about 140 people were killed in a crackdown by Chinese security forces. Beijing disputes this, saying 19 people were killed by rioters.
Tightly controlled
A group of 17 diplomats from countries including Japan and Australia have left for Tibet from Beijing and are expected to return to the Chinese capital on Saturday.
US state department spokesman Sean McCormack said the trip was a "step in the right direction".

"But it's not a substitute for the ability of our diplomats, as well as others, to travel not only to Lhasa, but into the surrounding area specifically," he said.
It follows a short visit by a group of more than 20 journalists from Chinese and international media.
A 30-strong group of monks in Lhasa staged a noisy protest as the reporters were shown around one of Tibet's holiest sites, the Jokhang Temple, on Thursday.
The monks shouted "Tibet is not free, Tibet is not free" and accused Beijing officials of lying about the protests.
Associated Press reporter Charles Hutzler said the outburst was the only spontaneous moment in an otherwise tightly controlled trip.

A Tibetan exile group expressed fears for the "welfare and whereabouts" of the monks involved in the outburst, but Chinese officials insisted no action would be taken.
"We will never do anything to them," the Chinese-installed vice governor of Tibet, Baima Chilin, told reporters on the trip.
"We will never detain anyone you met on the streets of Lhasa. I don't think any government would do such a thing."
The reporters described Lhasa as a divided city - with Chinese areas resuming normal business, but the old city, mainly populated by Tibetans, still under a heavy police presence.
The BBC's request to take part in the media trip was turned down. Western media organisations are still prevented from reporting freely in the area.
Tibet's spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, has once again appealed for China's leaders to engage in "meaningful dialogue" over the issue.
China's ambassador to the UK, Fu Ying, told the BBC earlier that "the door had never been closed" to talks with the Dalai Lama.
"The dialogue started in the 1970s and he was invited to come back to China in the 80s, and since then the dialogue has been going on," she said.
However, officials have frequently blamed the Dalai Lama for the protests and Chinese state media prints denouncements of him almost daily.
In the past Beijing has said it would talk to the Dalai Lama if he rescinded his claim for Tibetan independence, though he says he is not campaigning for independence.
BBC NEWS REPORT.

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ZIMBABWE FORCES 'ON FULL ALERT' !

Campaigning has been relatively peaceful across the country. Zimbabwe's security forces have been put on full alert ahead of Saturday's general elections, amid opposition fears of poll-rigging.
Tanks have been patrolling the streets of the capital, Harare. Armed soldiers have been deployed in other towns.

President Robert Mugabe is facing his strongest challenge since he gained power at independence in 1980, with two other candidates in the running. Mr Mugabe insists the vote is fair and everyone should abide by the results. The chiefs of Zimbabwe's police, army, prison service and intelligence services gathered in Harare to warn that violence would not be tolerated.

Moment of truth
Hope, despair for bloggers

Augustine Chihuri, commissioner general of the police, said: "The defence and security forces of Zimbabwe are on full alert from now onwards covering the election period and beyond." He said they would "thwart all threats to national security". Mr Chihuri also said candidates would not be allowed to declare victory before official results were announced. On Thursday, Mr Mugabe warned opponents not to protest if they lost. "Just dare try it," he said at one of his final rallies.

Mr Mugabe and wife Grace push for votes in Harare.A BBC contributor in Masvingo in south-eastern Zimbabwe says there is an increased military presence and fly-pasts by Chinese-made fighter jets. One 54-year-old villager told him: "We have been warned that if we vote Mugabe out, there will be war." Another Masvingo resident said he would not be cowed by intimidation: "We do not mind even if they deploy soldiers at polling stations - it's time for Mugabe to go." Some 100 soldiers armed with assault rifles are also patrolling in the eastern city of Mutare.

In his final campaign rally, Mr Mugabe, 84, repeated his accusation that the opposition were Western puppets. "This is a vote against the British. The fight is not against the MDC [Movement for Democratic Change]... the MDC is just a puppet, a mouthpiece of the British," he told 6,000 people on the outskirts of Harare, according to Reuters news agency.

OPPOSITION POLL CONCERNS
Surplus ballot papers printed
Tens of thousands of "ghost voters"
Police allowed inside polling stations
More polling stations in rural areas
State media bias
Food aid only given to Zanu-PF supporters
Chiefs used to campaign for Zanu-PF

The MDC denies these charges and says it is fighting to save Zimbabwe's economy. The country has the world's highest inflation rate at more than 100,000% and just one adult in five are believed to have regular jobs. Former Finance Minister Simba Makoni, who is running as an independent candidate, said repairing the economy could take "10 to 15 years". MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai and Mr Makoni are Mr Mugabe's strongest challengers. On Thursday they issued a joint statement expressing severe concerns about the poll. They said they had still not received full nationwide voters' lists that could be verified, and suspected there were many thousands of "ghost voters".

The MDC says that in Hatcliffe, just north of Harare, some 8,000 people had been registered to vote in a small area where there are only 36 houses.

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The BBC's Southern Africa correspondent, Peter Biles, says one major worry is that there may not be enough polling stations in urban areas. He says there is also concern about equal access to the media. The government has accused Britain and the US of already having decided that the elections will not be free and fair. However, campaigning has been relatively peaceful, with none of the widespread intimidation of opposition activists seen in polls in recent years.

Both Mr Makoni and Mr Tsvangirai have been able to hold rallies across the country. A total of 5.9 million people are eligible to vote in Saturday's joint local, senate, assembly and presidential polls. A candidate must win more than 50% of the presidential vote to avoid a run-off in three weeks' time. But Mr Mugabe says land and control of economic resources are the main issues. He blames the UK and the US want to remove him from power to reverse his seizure of white-owned land.

If you are voting on Saturday send us your experiences by text on +44 7786 20 50 85.

BBC NEWS REPORT.

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Thursday, March 27, 2008

BBC STAFF OLYMPIC DETAILS MISSING!

The Olympics will run from 8 to 24 August.
The BBC has called in the police after files holding details of staff going to the Beijing Olympics went missing.
The folders with addresses, passport numbers, pictures, and hotel details of more than 430 staff vanished from Television Centre in west London.
The BBC fears the files have been stolen, possibly for identity theft or an attempt to embarrass the BBC over the number of staff going to the Games.
The corporation says it is sending 437 people from the UK to the Olympics.
The number of people the BBC sends to cover big events has been a subject of controversy in recent years.
But the corporation insists the 437 going this year - 33 more than the Athens games - will provide more than twice as much output as four years ago.

An internal investigation failed to find the files, which are believed to have gone missing two weeks ago.
Roger Mosey, director of BBC Sport, said he did not want to speculate on why the files may have been taken.
He added that a helpline would be set up to deal with any staff concerns.
"We are still in a position where they could have genuinely gone missing, but increasingly our suspicions are that it was deliberate or malicious in some way, and they could well have been stolen," he said.
"Obviously it is potentially upsetting for people that these details have been stolen, however, we believe the risk to individuals is low."

Presenter Sue Barker's details are believed to be in the missing files.
The files were held in a secure office in Television Centre, and executives called in the police on Thursday.
The risk of identity theft is believed to be low because the folders contained no financial or medical details.
In a statement, the BBC said: "We can confirm that we are undertaking a full investigation into how two files containing accreditation information for the Beijing Olympics have gone missing from a private office in Television Centre.
"We believe these files may have been stolen, and following our own investigation, we have now involved the police.
"The information in the files includes passport details. However it does not include financial data and internal and external advice that we've taken suggests there is not a high risk of fraud.
"We are in the process of contacting everyone involved and are also reviewing our internal security as a matter of urgency."
BBC NEWS REPORT.

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BROWN 'GOT LOST' AT STATE BANQUET !

Downing Street has insisted Gordon Brown was just "doing what he was told" after apparently getting lost at the state banquet for Nicolas Sarkozy.
The prime minister and French President were among 150 guests at the banquet in St George's Hall at Windsor Castle.
In television footage, the Queen can be heard saying to Princess Anne: "The prime minister got lost. He disappeared the wrong way...at the crucial moment."
No 10 said the PM "does what he's told on these state occasions".
A spokesman added: "I don't think this is something that has been troubling him too much."
President Sarkozy sat between the Queen and the Duchess of Cornwall, while his wife Carla sat on the other side of the table.
Mr Brown was due to sit opposite as well, but, judging by the Queen's comments picked up by television microphones, must have taken his seat late.
A Buckingham Palace spokesman said he would not comment on "private conversations".
But he added: "The minor mix-up with the prime minister was not significant and did not impact on the occasion."
Conservative leader David Cameron and Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg were also at the banquet, where guests enjoyed a four course meal washed down with vintage wine and champagne.
Madame Sarkozy sat with the Duke of Edinburgh and The Prince of Wales, along with other Royals including the Earl of Wessex and Princess Michael of Kent.
BBC NEWS REPORT.

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ZIMBABWE ZANU-PF LOYALIST 'DUPED' !

Zimbabwean subsistence farmer Tendai (not his real name) told the BBC three years ago that he remained a supporter of the ruling party despite losing his job on a commercial farm in the land redistribution programme.

Ahead of elections on 29 March, he talks about life and politics in the rural areas. People are praying for change - we need some change, no matter where it comes from. What he is telling us is not sadza [maize meal], we need sadza; it's not sugar, we need sugar

The change will come from the people who are angry, not hungry, but angry - very angry. To my surprise I am also praying that we must change the leader. I have always said you must respect your elders, but they are clinging to what is wrong. They don't have mercy for others: they are not making room for the younger generation that they can make a good life; they are not making things easy for them.

In their hearts people in the rural areas are saying: "The old man should go."

Tendai has been a Zanu-PF supporter all his life

They are angry because there are no materials to plant. Firstly no seeds - then if they find seeds, there is no diesel to do the ploughing.

Only those who had cattle could plough; those that planted without ploughing had it all eroded away by the rain. But I don't blame the heavy rains: I blame the lack of input. I myself had to go to black market to sell three cows in order to buy fertiliser.

I am lucky, other people don't have much to sell - there are many who have no crops at all. When we last spoke, if crops failed, people had others they could turn to for help - some of the old [commercial] farmers were still here helping their ex-workers or there were people who had profited from the land redistribution.

But now all the people who could help can no longer help, there is no back-up.

The election campaign to my surprise is free - the opposition can campaign for the first time without trouble and people are supporting the other party openly and are criticising the ruling Zanu-PF party.

I was at a Zanu-PF rally where a minister was campaigning and heard people saying: "What he is telling us is not sadza [maize meal], we need sadza; it's not sugar, we need sugar."

They were lifting their hands in support, but under their breath they were swearing. I've been voting and voting and voting, only to find I've been duped I am not sure what to make of Simba Makoni [a former finance minister who is standing for president against incumbent Robert Mugabe] - there is doubt about him because he declared his candidacy late.

In my opinion we need a clean sweep - let the change be with the opposition so that there is a complete change without suspicion. Even the sons of the war vets, the sons of the parliamentarians - some of them they are in the Movement for Democratic Change.

But I'm thinking the presidential competition is really between Makoni and the big man [President Robert Mugabe]. Tendai's granary has enough to feed his family. I will cry when we lose because I have been with Zanu-PF for the whole of my life, but I am not going to vote.

I will vote for God and I will pray so the voters will choose the right leader. My feeling is that I've been voting and voting and voting, only to find I've been duped. I've been voting for nothing, now I'm going to pray for something. Like the prophet Elijah in the Bible, he prayed hard for rain and it came after three years of drought, so I will pray that whoever wins will do something for us.

The reason why I am neutral is that I have respect for the old man that I can't completely condemn him - because of him I am the way I am [living in a free country]. So I will pray for him so that he understands. Then I will pray for the other guy that when he comes in he mustn't destroy the good things that have been built, he must reunite the people and rebuild the country.

Only one of my sons is going to vote. They cannot make a living here - it's a black-market life. I have changed my mind and think they have to go outside the country now. They're young, they should work for their lives, but I still think they must come back afterwards to live and invest in Zimbabwe so they can have a rural home, cows and ploughs.

Even I would consider going abroad to work for a short time if after the election if I see that all my plans are shattered by the results.
BBC NEWS REPORT.

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Wednesday, March 26, 2008

BASRANS DESCRIBE LIFE UNDER FIRE !

Two residents in Basra describe conditions in the city and what they know of the fighting between Iraqi forces and local militia.

RAAD, BASRA

The Iraqi Prime Minister has given the militia 72 hours to leave Basra.

I think the worst fighting is in Hayania district, it's the poorest area of Basra and a stronghold of the Mehdi Army, but it's a bit far from us to know what's really going on.

There is not much fighting where we live in al-Janina district, but we can hear the fighting in al-Jumhouriya - a poor neighbourhood a couple of miles away.

The government started this operation without warning, so we were caught off guard.

We are stuck in our house, unable to go out and buy food. No shops are open anyway. People have already started to ration their food.

The water supply has been cut. I don't know why - maybe it's because the water engineers are staying at home like everyone else.

I think the state forces are winning the battle, but they are fighting from a distance and not going in house to house yet.

We definitely support the government in trying to enforce the law. The only way they can do it at the moment is through force. I think they have left it too long, actually.

Over the last few months the militias have become really unruly, they have been getting away with whatever they want.

The Mehdi Army is the worst - especially the breakaway elements. The militia which belongs to the Mayor's Fadhila party is also very bad.

The current head of police is a good person who wants to confront them, he is just unable to do so.

The troops fighting now came from Baghdad. I think the national forces don't trust the local men to crack down on the militia.



ALI AHMAD, BASRA CITY CENTRE

The Iraqi army has imposed a curfew, so we can hardly leave the house.

We live in the city centre; it seems the Iraqi army is in control around here.

We welcome the Iraqi army, we think they will be able to take full control of Basra, and restore law and order


From what I have gathered from people I know in the Mehdi Army, their men don't have enough ammunition to hold out for very long.

The gunfire and artillery fire around the city intensifies every two hours.

I live close to a hospital, and though I haven’t seen any of the killed or wounded, I can hear lots of ambulance sirens.

I phoned members of my family who live in other areas of the city. They say they have seen lots of casualties in areas like Hayania and Tamimia.

We still have electricity here, however, the cost of food and fuel has risen dramatically. For example, a gas canister used to cost 6,000 Iraqi Dinars and now it is 15,000 Dinars.

My family was ready for this, we managed to store fuel and food before the fighting began.

However, many others didn't and so they are struggling to get the basics for their families.


The Mehdi Army men are only here out of self-interest. They wanted to take control over every aspect of life in Basra for no reason except gaining more power and control.

My family and I welcome the Iraqi army in the area. We believe they will be able to take full control of Basra, and restore law and order.


Interview carried out and translated by BBCArabic.com
BBC NEWS REPORT.

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ELECTION EXCITEMENT IN HARARE !

Zimbabwe is suffering from an acute economic crisis. The country has the world's highest rate of annual inflation and just one in five has an official job.
Easter was good and we had a fun family gathering despite having no power some of the time and no running water almost all of the time.
We cooked our meals over an open fire and tried to minimise our trips to the loo!
My sister arrived bearing gifts: cheese and many, many other treats.
It was so GOOD to taste cheese!!
And my sister brought baked beans, bacon, mushrooms and even butter as well. I last ate bacon and mushrooms more than six months ago, so that was a real treat.
Even, my parents who grew up Catholic bent the rule of no meat on Good Friday to get a taste of bacon after so long.
Price hikes and mixed feelings
We are all groaning over the latest hike in prices.

There is talk that some in the army plan to vote for change.
But I have not heard anyone blaming it on elections - except Bob [President Robert Mugabe] at his rallies. Most people are blaming it on recent salary increases for civil servants and the armed forces. Hey, the Central Bank governor is on record for saying salary increases drive inflation.
With days to go till we can vote, our city, Harare, is full of mixed feelings.
There is high excitement in anticipation of an opposition victory.
But there is also despondency from quite a number of people who believe the election has already been rigged either in favour of Simba Makoni who may maintain the status quo, or Bob himself.
The last prospect is what really depresses people... no-one can see how we can possibly survive another term.
So many stories
On the whole though the mood is light, no-one will beat you up anymore for wearing an MDC t-shirt or attending a rally so people are doing that in their thousands.
And ooooooh I am hearing so many stories - people are really talking again these days.
For instance, this woman I work with has relatives in the armed forces and she has been telling us all about what is being said in those circles... how so many of the comrades are sick and tired of the present situation and how they are going to vote for change.
I am excited!
I think this year will see the dawning of a new political era in Zim.
And just based on rally attendance, Mr Tsvangirai has this one won hands down.

I missed Tsvangirai's Harare rally which I felt so disappointed about.
Esther feels sad she missed the opposition rally in Harare.
But my uncle in the rural area went to an MDC-Tsvangirai one and he says the numbers there were amazing - as had never been seen before for an opposition rally in the rural areas.
People appear divided on Makoni though. One man I know described him by saying in the local chiShona language: Mwana we nyoka inyoka chete - the offspring of a snake is a snake.
Many people are worried about rigging but I and everyone I know are being as encouraging as possible and telling people who are worried that they must vote anyway as this will make it more difficult to rig.
There are lots of posters all over vying for the attention of us voters.
But the best part is that the state controlled media has been ordered to print adverts for all the presidential candidates.
We never saw that in the last election... full colour, full spread opposition adverts in the Herald.
Wow!
BBC NEWS REPORT.

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