"S. Africa endorses Zimbabwe's parliamentary poll"

African Observers Say Zimbabwe Poll Free, Credible

Ecuador Ex-Leader Vows Revolution of Poor

Khmer Rouge Haunts Cambodia 30 Years Later
Thirty years after the rise of the Khmer Rouge revolutionary peasant army, the horrors of their brutal, murderous rule still stain the fabric of this impoverished Southeast Asian kingdom.

The White House Plays Extreme Dodge Ball
Unlike the 9/11 Commission, the presidential commission charged to examine pre-Iraq war intelligence failures dodged the ball. On the key, tough issues such as use of the intelligence and White House pressure on analysts, the Silberman Commission avoided asking the tough -- or the right -- questions. So once again, everyone is responsible but no one is accountable.

U.S. Recruits Mercenaries for U.S. Led Drug Interdiction
The U.S. Dept. of Defense (DoD) and the State Dept. are preparing to intensify and expand drug interdiction and aerial crop-eradication efforts in South America, Central America and the Caribbean. Based on a review of recently distributed federal-procurement documents, the U.S. government is actively soliciting the help of mercenaries whose sole function will be to locate and rescue missing or captured Drug War personnel.

S. Africa endorses Zimbabwe's parliamentary poll
South Africa said Saturday that Zimbabwe's parliamentary elections which gave the ruling party a favorable majority reflected the will of the people. "It is the view of the mission that the 2005 parliamentary elections in Zimbabwe reflect the free will of the people of Zimbabwe," said South African Labor Minister Membathisi Mdladlana,who led a observer mission for the elections.

Mdladlana said the elections on Thursday "by and large" conformed to election guidelines adopted by Southern African Development Community leaders last year for holding a democratic vote. President Robert Mugabe's Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) won a landslide victory in the parliamentary elections but the opposition Movement for DemocraticChange (MDC) labeled the just ended the sixth parliamentary poll as unfair.

ANALYSIS: Zimbabwe opposition seek options vs Mugabe
Zimbabwe's opposition, defeated again in polls it says were rigged, risks slipping into obscurity unless it can come up with fresh ways to challenge President Robert Mugabe. Political analysts said the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) miscaculated when it bowed to pressure to contest parliamentary polls at the last minute -- leaving it poorly prepared to fight an election its leadership believed was already impossible to win.

Party leader Morgan Tsvangirai and his team may well be persuaded to allow fresh faces to steer the party into presidential elections in 2008 with a radically expanded support base, they said. "They should have foreseen this kind of scenario a few months ago and the leadership of the MDC, its president Morgan Tsvangirai and others, must take the blame," said Nel Marais, of the Executive Research Associates in neighbouring South Africa.

Gbagbo ready to smoke the peace pipe
Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo arrived on Saturday for crucial weekend peace talks in South Africa, now a key player in attempts to end the West African country's lingering civil conflict.

Angola's Marburg death toll climbs
Angola's Marburg epidemic has claimed 14 more lives, taking the death toll in the worst recorded outbreak of the virus to 146, the country's health ministry said on Sunday.

Report: Poor Health Care Hurting Blacks

BBC: Observers back Mugabe party's win
Zanu-PF has rejected the opposition's accusations of a flawed vote. "These were the most free and fair elections in the world," Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa told the BBC.

In 2000, Zanu-PF won a majority of seats but fell short of a two-thirds majority which allows the constitution to be changed. Mr Mugabe has long said he wanted to amend the constitution to establish a second parliamentary chamber.

Critics accuse him of wanting to pack the chamber with his own supporters to extend his influence after he retires.

Comment:

Well come on, do they expect him to pack the chambers with opposition members?