Mugabe Remains Unyielding on Eviction of White Farmers***Prominent politicians loyal to Mr. Mugabe now control scores of fertile farms while many poor blacks are still stranded on arid stretches without adequate water or sanitation. Government-backed militants have swept across the country, invading and occupying white-owned farms. In the course of those invasions, several white farmers and black farm workers have been killed while thousands of black laborers have been evicted and left homeless.The combination of land invasions and severe drought has been devastating.
The production of corn, the country's staple food, plunged by nearly 70 percent this year, the United Nations says. The production of winter wheat, which is harvested in October, will be down by as much as 40 percent. Nearly half of Zimbabwe's population is in need of emergency food aid. Morgan Tsvangirai, who heads the country's leading opposition party, accused the government of destroying what was once one of Africa's most promising and prosperous nations.***
New Zealand renews demand for Zimbabwe to be expelled from British-led Commonwealth*** Clark - an outspoken critic of Mugabe - said she was "very, very shocked" by Mugabe's comments and angry the international community was being asked to help out an "outrageous" government. Zimbabwe "should have been suspended (from the British Commonwealth) quite some time ago and I would be very happy to see them suspended now," she added. In March, Zimbabwe was suspended for a year from the councils of the Commonwealth - a move that fell short of expulsion - for the "high level of politically motivated violence" that marred March 9-11 presidential elections.***