Church leaders say that almost nothing has been done to house 700,000 people in Zimbabwe who lost their homes and livelihoods in demolitions last year. Operation Murambatsvina, which the government said was a campaign to clean up cities, was condemned by the UN.

After the initial chaos of Zimbabwe's farm invasions, a tenuous truce based on a survival philosophy of negotiations, barter and political alliances has left about 600 white farmers on their land. Sustained by a belief that things "will get better", after nearly 4,000 other white farmers were driven off their land by the ZANU-PF government's fast-track land redistribution programme that started in 2000, these diehards are overcoming the insecurity that their farms can be taken in an instant.

As the annual summit of the Southern African Development Community got underway Thursday (August 16), Zimbabwean activist Bishop Shumba was on hand in Lesotho's capital -- Maseru -- to remind regional leaders about the political and economic difficulties in his country.

Incidences of politically motivated violence have continued unabated in all provinces. The arms of the state such as the police have reportedly continued to harass opposition MDC members and sympathizers. The month was characterized by cases of assault, intimidation and harassment, arson, malicious injury to property. In one extreme case a murder was recorded in Mashonaland East Province.

The Girl Child Network of Zimbabwe, an American Jewish World Service grantee since 2004, was awarded the United Nations Development Program Red Ribbon Award on Thursday, August 16, at the XVI International AIDS Conference in Toronto. This newly-created award provides worldwide recognition to an organization that has been creatively addressing HIV/AIDS prevention in Zimbabwe for the past seven years.

The successful candidate will promote, preserve and disseminate information relating to Tonga heritage using multimedia methods. S/he must be familiar with the arts industry and committed to the development of the arts and have experience in producing multi media products. Applicants must be able to write and speak English fluently.

The Zimbabwean political crisis has reached boiling point with over 85% of the population unemployed and inflation above 1000%. Given the prominence and effects of the Zimbabwean case in Africa and specifically Southern Africa, it is undoubtedly a pressing issue which need the attention of the African Union. It is painful to note that the AU has only acknowledged the problem verbally and has never espoused to tackle it. A closer analysis shows that the AU is divided on how to address the Zimbabwean political crisis.

A former Zanu-PF provincial chairperson has spilled the beans on how the ruling party rigged the 2002 presidential election, which President Robert Mugabe won against most expectations. Dr Daniel Shumba is a retired army officer, former provincial chairperson of Zanu-PF and central committee member who was kicked out of the party last year, together with four others after facilitating an “illegal” meeting that sought to thwart the nomination of Vice-President Joice Mujuru as the party’s vice-president, reports the Mail and Guardian.

Times are hard and getting harder in Zimbabwe, where people too proud to cry about hunger, joblessness and misrule could soon find it too dangerous to joke about them. Parliament plans to debate proposals next month to empower the secret police to eavesdrop on mail, e-mail and phones without any court approval.

Authorities in Zimbabwe have suspended all sales of ivory in a bid to stop underhand deals, it was reported on Monday (July 24). The decision was reached after a meeting between the National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority and the recently established Zimbabwe Ivory Manufacturers' Association, said the state-controlled Herald newspaper, reports the Mail and Guardian.

A group of 11 dispossessed Zimbabwean farmers of Dutch origin are poised to take their case for compensation in respect of confiscated land to an international tribunal. The Dutch Farmers Association, with UK-based AgricAfrica, registered the case on behalf of the farmers at the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes, a World Bank resolution forum. The claims total more than $15m.

South Africa deported more than 51,000 illegal Zimbabwean immigrants between January and June this year as floods of people fled economic collapse. The Department of Home Affairs says it is now deporting 265 Zimbabweans a day. Last year, 97,433 Zimbabweans were deported compared with 72,112 in 2004. The government is considering building a second detention centre in Limpopo to cope with the dramatic increase in illegal immigration from Zimbabwe.

One of Africa's richest men is due to appear in court in Harare today (July 24) to face allegations of economic crimes. John Bredenkamp, a Zimbabwean tycoon who has homes and offices in Britain, was arrested in a raid at his estate near Harare on Friday. The 66-year-old former Rhodesian rugby captain, whose fortune comes from enterprises including tobacco and the arms trade, had only just returned home to Zimbabwe from London.

The private sector in Zimbabwe has been urged to exploit the various bilateral trade agreements that the country has signed with its trading partners. Industry and International Trade Minister Obert Mpofu said that the agreements gave business the leeway to expand markets to boost foreign currency earnings. It was critical that the government received feedback on the effectiveness of the trade agreements to allow the authorities to deal with operational problems that agreements might be presenting, he said.

Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe will discuss three hydropower projects with a Russian company known as TurboEngineering, ZimOnline said, citing government officials and a letter from the Russians.

Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) has been fined Z$130 million (£700) after using an offshore account to pay for the purchase of cricket balls from Pakistan. A magistrates court in Harare was told that the board paid £12,000 to Ishan Sports in breach of the country's Exchange Control Regulations. The board pleaded guilty to the charge.

An African under-14s football team has been banned from taking part in an international tournament in Scotland on the orders of the Foreign Office, which claimed the young players might abscond. The 24-strong squad of players from Bulawayo in Zimbabwe had been due to take part in the Aberdeen International Football Festival, which opened in the city yesterday (17 July). But the squad has been refused access to the UK amid fears that they posed a flight risk.

Zimbabwean state doctors entered the fifth day of a strike on Tuesday (18 July) that has crippled public health services and they have vowed to stay away from work until demands for better salaries and working conditions are met. Zimbabwe's health workers have staged a series of strikes in recent years to press for increases in salaries they said have failed to keep up with rising living costs amid an economic crisis widely blamed on President Robert Mugabe's 26-year rule.

Yes, history is full of the powerful change that grassroots activists can bring about. Enough people, enough ideas and anything is possible. For a full thrashing out of non-violent possibilities for change, with no particular political agenda, come to the UK Forum for Non-Violence in London 21-23rd July. Hear Kofi Klu (Chair of Pan African task force for Internationalist Dialogue) speak on the history of Non-Violence and what this means in today’s world. Details at Be part of an exciting debate!

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called on the Zimbabwean government to stop the alleged jamming of news broadcasts by radio stations based in the United States and Britain.