Zimbabwe was today reported to be building a secret airstrip at Chiadzwa to enable it to clandestinely buy weapons from China in exchange for diamonds. - 31 January 2010

Parliamentary Select Committee co-chairman Douglas Mwonzora today said police commissioner Augustine Chihuri had demanded $3 million to release police officers to accompany outreach teams during the constitution making process. "We wrote to Chihuri requesting police officers to provide security at our outreach meetings but he said the police will only be able to provide 1000 officers at a cost of U$3 million. On top of that the committee is also expected to provide food and transport for the officers, " Mwonzora said. - 30 Jasnuary 2010

Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara today lambasted Britain's Foreign Minister David Milliband for what he called his "very patronising" remarks on sanctions. Milliband told the British parliament earlier this month that sanctions should continue against Zimbabwe until Morgan Tsvangirai, the country's prime minister, personally advocated for them to be lifted. "With friends like those, who needs enemies?" Mutambara asked. "What he has done is completely unstrategic, is very ignorant and very patronising. Why? Because he is completely undermining Mr. Tsvangirai's power in the negotiations right now." - 29 January 2010

Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai today told foreign investors and donors to return to the country saying the process that led to creation of a unity government last February is irreversible. "Certainly the country is moving forward, and this is a time to look at the country in a more positive light," he said in Davos, Switzerland. - 28 January 2010

ZANU-PF today said it will not make concessions in talks with its partners in the unity government until sanctions imposed by Western nations are lifted. The party's politburo instructed its negotiators on the global political agreement to desist from making concessions in the negotiations until the sanctions are removed. - 27 January 2010

High Court Bharat Patel has rejected the southern African court's ruling that blocked the government's move to resettle blacks on more than 70 white-owned farms, reports said today. "The registration and consequent enforcement of that judgment would be fundamentally contrary to the public policy of this country," he said. - 27 January 2010

Human Rights Watch today slammed Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's MDC-T of shielding abuses by ZANU-PF in the name of trying to save the shaky inclusive government. It said the new regime had made no attempt to repeal or substantially amend repressive legislation such as the Public Order and Security Act and the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act, which continue to be used by President Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF to harass political opponents and rights activists. -26 January 2010

High Court judge Chinembiri Bhunu today ruled that confessions by Peter Hitschmann, the chief prosecution witness in the trial of Movement for Democratic Change treasurer Roy Bennett, were invalid as they were not made freely. "The witness gave evidence...with the greatest reluctance. His demeanour is that of a deeply aggrieved citizen with a gripe against the state," the judge said - 25 January 2010

Donors who are funding Zimbabwe's constitutional reforms today said they were still committed to the programme. The Constitutional Parliamentary Committee was last week reported to have suspended the programme attributing this to donor fatigue. "We are still committed to supporting the constitution making process in Zimbabwe, together with the UNDP," European Commission ambassador to Zimbabwe Xavier Marchal said. "It might be because they (COPAC) are facing their problems and now want to talk about donors' fatigue but no donor who had pledged has changed their mind as far as I know." - 24 January 2010

Zimbabwe is not likely to hold any elections next year because it is not ready, reports said today. "I have no doubt in my mind that this so called deadline would not be met and the MDC will come to realise that ZANU-PF will throw spanners in the works because it does not want to hold elections anytime soon," political scientist John Makumbe said. "Forget about Mugabe's noise about early elections, that is propaganda because he knows ZANU-PF is not ready and would lose heavily." - 23 January 2010

Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai was today reported to be under increasing pressure to restore the unity deal with President Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF following a statement by Britain that the lifting of sanctions will be guided by the Movement for Democratic Change. ZANU-PF has put the lifting of sanctions as one of the conditions that must be fulfilled as part of the full implementation of the global political agreement. -22 January 2010

The World Diamond Council today threatened to push for Zimbabwe's suspension from the Kimberley Process if an acceptable export monitor is not in place in the country soon. Zimbabwe last month rejected a British diamond expert, proposed by the European Union, as the first monitor to oversee the export of diamonds from the country for the next six months. -21 January 20101

The United States embassy in Zimbabwe today confirmed that the US would not oppose the restoration of Zimbabwe's voting rights in the International Monetary Fund. The US has since 2001 blocked funding from the IMF and World Bank to censure the regime of President Robert Mugabe. US Ambassador Charles Ray said: "We would want to assure Zimbabwe that once the issue of restoring Zimbabwe's voting rights is put forward for debate at the next IMF sitting, America will fully support the motion." -20 January 2010

Education Minister David Coltart today said he was referring the issue of teachers' salaries to cabinet to avert strike action. "We cannot afford to have another industrial action at a time when we are still trying to revive our education sector. 2010 cannot be another wasted academic year," he said Coltart. Teacher unions last week dismissed the government's wage increase to US$230 as inadequate and paltry. -19 January 2010

Zimbabwe will seek highly indebted poor country status to have its $6 billion international debt cancelled to help spur economic growth, Finance Minister Tendai Biti said today. It has enlisted the support of the African Development Bank to draft a debt relief plan that would unlock access to international finance. -18 January 2010

Zimbabweans who were driven out of De Doorns have been warned not to return. "We will braai them and turn them into KFC if they come back. There's no place for them here," said Pastor Frans Henke. "I'm not angry with them, but they must go back to their own country...," said Henke. Moses Masimini, a labour broker who lives in the area, added: "It's got nothing to do with xenophobia. It's all about work and resources. There's no space here for them. They were never part of this community, and would never stand with us." - 17 January 2010

Zimbabwe has rejected a European monitor to oversee the exports of diamonds from its controversial Marange fields and has instead taken on someone from Namibia, reports said today. The EU had proposed a well-known British diamond expert, who is also a former senior De Beers executive, as the first monitor to oversee exports of diamonds from Marange over the next six months. Bernard Esau, Namibia's deputy mines minister, wrote to the EU rejecting its suggestion and said that Zimbabwe had signed a memorandum of agreement for a monitor from Global Diamond Valuators, Namibia, Pty Ltd. -16 January 2010

South African President Jacob Zuma today said Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai must be flexible in demanding the removal of some officials to help talks aimed at saving a power-sharing accord with President Robert Mugabe. Zuma asked in an interview broadcast on state-owned SAFM in Johannesburg: "Can we park them and proceed?" -15 January 2010

The Southern African Development Community today called on President Robert Mugabe and his coalition partners to implement agreed aspects of their power sharing deal while talks continue on issues still dividing the inclusive government. The talks are expected to resume at the weekend. -14 January 2010

Zimbabwe's teachers and health workers today threatened to strike over low pay, in a move that would paralyse public services and put pressure on a unity government struggling to reverse a decade of economic collapse. Civil servants are demanding a minimum wage of over US$600 a month. The minimum is currently below US$200. - 13 January 2010

Attorney General Johannes Tomana today said he would seek to impeach Peter Hitschmann, the key witness in the terrorism trial Roy Bennett, because he was giving contradicting evidence. Hitschmann, a former police officer and arms dealer, disowned some of the weapons attributed to him by the state as well as email printouts purportedly showing communication between him and Bennett. - 12 January 2010

The cost of living for December 2009 dropped by one percent from November, the Consumer Council of Zimbabwe said today. CCZ executive director Rosemary Siyachitema said in November, a family of six needed US$492.10 to meet basic requirements but the figure declined to US$488.11 in December because of special offers. -11 January 2010

Former Warriors captain Peter Ndlovu has been named in the best 50 African players in history, reports said today. Ndlovu was named as the 48th best African player in history by the British paper, the Daily Mail. "The unpredictable scorer of mesmeric goals, Ndlovu epitomised Coventry's under-achieving sides in early-to-mid nineties "the paper said, adding that he was "a true ambassador for his country. Ndlovu racked up over 100 appearances for The Warriors." -10 January 2010

Zimbabwe's liberation fighters today said that they were entitled to a 20 per cent share of any resource in the country. Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association spokesperson, Retired Colonel Sebastian Beta, said: "We are entitled to a 20 percent share of the national cake. By this I mean we should get a 20 percent share of land allocations under the land reform programme, residential stands allocations in all towns and cities in the country, natural resources and anything to do with mines." - 9 January 2010

Zimbabwe has the best climate in the world according to the 2010 Quality of Life Index released today. Neighbouring South Africa is second. --8 January 2010

Zimbabwe today halted the sale of nearly 300 000 carats of diamonds from its controversial Marange fields, saying the process would only go ahead under international supervision. Thankful Musukutwa, permanent secretary in the mines ministry, told reporters. "The government observes and is committed to the administrative decision of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme ... that all shipments from all production sites in the Marange area will be subject to examination and certification by a KPCS monitor." -7 January 2010

The Commercial Farmers Union today accused police of not protecting its members. Four farmers and their families were chased from their homes during the festive season. The union said another 152 farmers out of the remaining 300 are under threat of losing their properties. -6 January 2010

The six negotiators to the Global Political Agreement (GPA) will resume talks in a fortnight, following a month long break. Industry and Commerce Minister Welshman Ncube, who is also the lead negotiator for the MDC-M, said today. "We will convene on the 16th to start the latest round of talks. We should conclude the talks in a reasonable time because most of the things are done,' Ncube said. -5 January 2010

Zimbabwe's parliamentarians have been summoned to Harare for a meeting today to determine their specific roles in the public outreach programme that should be completed over the next 65 days, one of the three chairmen of the constitutional committee, Douglas Mwonzora said. -4 January 2010

The National Constitutional Assembly today vowed to mobilize ordinary Zimbabweans against the current constitutional reform exercise. "We will, beginning this very January, together with our traditional allies - the labour and students movements - intensify the people's community meetings and grass roots mobilisation for a genuine people driven constitution," NCA spokesperson, Madock Chivasa said. -3 January 2010

Movement for Democratic Change policy coordinator Eddie Cross today said South African President Jacob Zuma should treat Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe the way John Vorster did to Ian Smith to force him to negotiate with black nationalists in 1976. "Mr Zuma has to say to Mr Mugabe behind closed doors, as Vorster said to Smith: 'It's the end of the road.'" -3 January 2010

Zimbabwe international soccer player Benjani Mwaruwari today struck for the first time in more than a year to maintain new Manchester City manager's Roberto Mancini's 100 percent record with a 1-0 FA Cup win at Middlesbrough . Benjani's last goal came in a 1-1 Premier League draw against Fulham in December 2008. -2 January 2010

British police have opened an investigation into the use of funds that were raised by the Girl Child Network for an operation on 18-year-old Taremeredzwa Nomatter Mapungwana. The network is reported to have raised $20 000 in Zimbabwe and more than 15 000 pound s in the UK. The operation cost 18 000 pounds. -1 January 2010

Swiss food giant Nestle has resumed operations in Zimbabwe, after resolving its dispute with the government, reports said today. Nestle officials said that government officials have assured the company they will not interfere with its business. -1 January 2010