In Zimbabwe

The director of the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition, McDonald Lewanika, was arrested on Saturday in a week where civic groups and political activists opposed to ZANU PF were increasingly targeted.

Robert Mugabe’s ZANU PF on Wednesday shut down Harare for the party’s ‘anti-sanctions’ rally, with thousands of people bussed into the capital to demonstrate against the targeted measures.

China's Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi arrived in Zimbabwe last Thursday, urging for the removal of Western 'sanctions', amid talk of a controversial deal that could see it take control of the country's vast platinum reserves in return for a multi-billion dollar cash injection.

Dozens of MDC supporters were injured, some of them seriously, in a wave of weekend violence that saw gangs of ZANU PF youths rampaging through the capital.

The formal process of compiling data collected from the constitutional outreach program started last week with over 70 technicians and 210 rapporteurs gathering in Harare for the two week exercise.

MDC-M saw their leader Mutambara step down, leaving party secretary-general Welshman Ncube the clear favourite to take over the presidency. Mutambara reportedly pulled out of the race last weekend after Ncube’s candidacy was endorsed by 11of the party’s 12 provinces.

Zanu PF is to hold its annual conference from Wednesday to Friday next week. It is expected that President Mugabe’s bid to stand for another term as President will be endorsed.

During the Kimberley Process meeting which is currently taking place in Israel, Mines Minister Obert Mpofu has threatened that the country will resume full diamonds exports immediately, with or without certification from the international trade monitor.

Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai said last Thursday his MDC party will not recognise several senior appointments unilaterally made by President Robert Mugabe.

Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has indicated that a new constitution is likely to be a negotiated document between the coalition partners and not the people driven exercise that was promised. “It has to be ultimately a negotiated settlement.