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The presidential election in Zimbabwe last week that kept the governing party in power and was widely criticized as dubious is likely to isolate the country further from the United States and other Western nations. But it has also exposed Zimbabwe to increased scrutiny and pressure from a surprising place: its neighbors in southern Africa. Before President Emmerson Mnangagwa was declared the winner of a second term on Saturday, the Southern African Development Community and the African Union publicly questioned the legitimacy of Zimbabwe’s elections for the first time. While Zimbabwe has chalked up criticism from the West as colonial gripes, condemnation from other leaders on the continent may not be so easily brushed off, analysts say, particularly when it comes from countries that have to absorb the effects of Zimbabwe’s economic and social turmoil. On Sunday, speaking for the first time since his victory, Mr. Mnangagwa dismissed his African critics.
Persons: Emmerson Mnangagwa, Mnangagwa Organizations: Southern African Development Community, African Union Locations: Zimbabwe, United States, Africa
[1/4] Zimbabwe's President Elect Emmerson Mnangagwa speaks to the media at State House in Harare, August 27, 2023. REUTERS/Philimon Bulawayo Acquire Licensing RightsHARARE, Aug 27 (Reuters) - Zimbabwe's re-elected President Emmerson Mnangagwa suggested on Sunday that those people questioning the results of last week's election, which an opposition leader dismissed as a "gigantic fraud", take their case to court. The election commission said on Saturday that Mnangagwa, 80, had won the election with 52.6% of the vote while the opposition Citizens' Coalition for Change (CCC) leader Nelson Chamisa got 44%. Chamisa, speaking on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, said of the election: "It's a blatant and gigantic fraud." It was unclear whether the opposition would use the courts to dispute the election results, as Zimbabwe's judges have historically sided with the governing party.
Persons: Elect Emmerson Mnangagwa, Emmerson Mnangagwa, Nelson Chamisa, Mnangagwa, Robert Mugabe, Christopher Mutswangwa, , Munjodzi Mutandiri, Mkwananzi, Nyasha Chingono, Carien du Plessis, Bhargav Acharya, Nick Macfie, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: State House, REUTERS, Philimon, Rights, Citizens ' Coalition, ZANU, Southern, Liaison, Southern African Development Community, Thomson Locations: Harare, Philimon Bulawayo, Rights HARARE
“We reject any result hastily assembled without proper verification,” Promise Mkwananzi, the party spokesman, wrote on Twitter shortly after the results were announced. Mr. Mugabe was removed in a coup in 2017 by Mr. Mnangagwa and his allies. The following year, Mr. Mnangagwa eked out a victory over Mr. Chamisa in an election, winning just over 50 percent of the vote. The Zimbabwean police drew global condemnation for arresting dozens of members of one of the country’s most respected election watchdogs on election night, accusing them of plotting to sow discord by releasing projected election results. The night after the raid, ZANU-PF officials offered their own election projections at a news conference, and drew no ire from the police.
Persons: , Mnangagwa, Robert Mugabe, autocrat, Mugabe, Chamisa Organizations: Twitter, Mr, Zimbabwean, ZANU Locations: Zimbabwe, African
REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko Acquire Licensing RightsHARARE, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Zimbabwe's elections commission said late on Saturday that incumbent Emmerson Mnangagwa had won this week's presidential election with roughly 53% of the vote, but the opposition and analysts immediately questioned the result. ZANU-PF supporters started singing and cheering at the results centre after the elections commission said Mnangagwa had won. Mnangagwa also narrowly defeated Chamisa at the last presidential election in 2018. The opposition alleges that election was rigged but the constitutional court upheld the result. While the run-up to the election has been largely free from violence, the police routinely ban opposition rallies and arrest opposition supporters using Zimbabwe's tough public order laws.
Persons: Emmerson Mnangagwa's, Siphiwe, Emmerson Mnangagwa, Mnangagwa, Robert Mugabe, Mnangagwa's, Nelson Chamisa, Chamisa, Nicole Beardsworth, ZEC, Nyasha Chingono, Nelson Banya, Carien du Plessis, Bhargav, Alexander Winning, Daniel Wallis Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, ZANU, Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, Citizens ' Coalition, PF, University of, SADC, Thomson Locations: Shurugwi, Midlands Province of Zimbabwe, Rights HARARE, Zimbabwe, Southern, Witwatersrand, Johannesburg
A tally by state broadcaster ZBC showed ZANU-PF winning 101 parliamentary constituencies and the main opposition party Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) winning 59, out of a total of 210. The result of the presidential vote has not been announced yet. The ERC later posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that 16 of its staff together with Zimbabwe Election Support Network members had been released on $200 bail each by a magistrate. Mnangagwa last week told state media that if he got a second term, it would be his last. As in previous elections, the parliamentary results appeared to show ZANU-PF retaining its rural base, while the CCC captured the urban vote.
Persons: Emmerson Mnangagwa's, Nelson Chamisa, Fabio Massimo Castaldo, Castaldo, Nevers Mumba, Patrick Chinamasa, Mnangagwa, Eldred Masunungure, Robert Mugabe, Nelson Banya, Bhargav Acharya, Nellie Peyton, Alexander Winning, Devika Syamnath, Andrew Heavens Organizations: Emmerson Mnangagwa's ZANU, ZBC, ZANU, Coalition, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, REUTERS, Philimon, Rights Police, Zimbabwe Election, Election, Centre, ERC, Zimbabwe Election Support, Southern African Development Community, National Assembly, University of Zimbabwe, PF, CCC, Thomson Locations: EU, HARARE, Harare, Zimbabwe, Philimon Bulawayo, SADC
Police sealed off roads around the election results centre on Friday morning, and members of the public were being stopped for questioning, a Reuters reporter in the capital Harare said. However, results announced so far by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission showed ZANU-PF winning 38 parliamentary constituencies and the main opposition party Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) winning 32, out of a total of 210 single-member constituencies. The early results showed ZANU-PF retaining its rural base, while the CCC captured the urban vote, as has been the case in previous elections. In the highest-profile loss yet for the ruling party, the electoral commission said on Friday that Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube had lost his parliamentary contest to a CCC challenger. Mnangagwa took over from longtime strongman Robert Mugabe after a 2017 coup and won a disputed election in 2018.
Persons: Emmerson Mnangagwa's, Nelson Chamisa, Patrick Chinamasa, Mthuli Ncube, PF's Chinamasa, Mnangagwa, Robert Mugabe, Nelson Banya, Bhargav Acharya, Nellie Peyton, Alexander Winning Organizations: REUTERS, Philimon, Rights, Emmerson Mnangagwa's ZANU, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Police, ZANU, National Assembly, Commission, Coalition, PF, CCC, Thomson Locations: Harare, Zimbabwe, Philimon Bulawayo, Rights HARARE
A jury last year found Lawrence Rudolph guilty of murdering his wife, Bianca, while they were on a hunting trip in the southern African country. Rudolph then filed over $4 million in fraudulent life insurance claims after returning to the US, the release said. I would not murder my wife,” Rudolph told jurors when he took the stand in his own defense. The Phoenix couple shared a passion for big-game hunting and had traveled to Zambia in September 2016 so Bianca Rudolph could add a leopard to her collection of animal trophies. Rudolph killed his wife for insurance money and to be with his girlfriend, Lori Milliron, prosecutors argued.
Persons: Lawrence Rudolph, Bianca, Rudolph, , Bianca Rudolph, , Mark Michalek, ” Rudolph, “ Larry, David Oscar Markus, Margot Moss, Lauren Doyle, Lori Milliron, Milliron, John Dill, ” Dill, “ Lori Milliron, ” Markus Organizations: CNN, US, Office, District of, FBI, DOJ, Denver FBI, Department of Justice Locations: American, Zambia, District of Colorado, Denver, Pittsburgh
The hospital where Warren George worked as a nurse in Zimbabwe was so short of basic supplies, like plaster, that he could not make casts to treat people with broken bones. He soon sought to join the exodus of more than 4,000 nurses who have fled the southern African nation in the past two years. But the government has refused to give him and many others the documents they would need to work in, say, Britain or Canada. He says that he now earns only about $500 a month as a traveling nurse and has to pick up extra shifts on his days off to ensure his family has enough to eat. Zimbabweans are scheduled to go to the polls on Wednesday in only the second election since Robert Mugabe, the liberation leader turned strongman president, was ousted in a coup.
Persons: Warren George, Robert Mugabe Locations: Zimbabwe, Britain, Canada
Russia remained the top supplier to China, with pipeline and seaborne arrivals of 2.04 million bpd in July, which was down from June's 2.56 million bpd. However, it was still enough to exceed imports from Saudi Arabia, which Refinitiv estimated at 1.82 million bpd in July, down from 1.94 million bpd in June. It's also worth noting that much of the strength in China's crude imports is because of massive inflows into commercial or strategic storages. India's refiners continue to gorge on discounted Russian crude, with arrivals in July estimated at an all-time high of 2.08 million bpd. Japan's July oil imports are estimated at 2.49 million bpd, up from June's 2.11 million bpd, while South Korea's are put at 2.76 million bpd, up from 2.53 million bpd in June.
Persons: Amit Dave LAUNCESTON, It's, China doesn't, India's refiners, Brent, Clyde Russell, Christopher Cushing Organizations: REUTERS, Refinitiv Oil Research, Brent, OPEC, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Vadinar, Gujarat, India, Australia, China, Asia, Russia, June's, Saudi Arabia, OPEC, Angola, Oman, East, Iraq, Moscow, South, North Asia
Why Won’t Simon Ateba Stop Shouting?
  + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Joseph Bernstein | ) www.nytimes.com   time to read: +2 min
(Mr. Ateba currently has a “hard pass,” which confers regular access to White House grounds. After the meeting, which Mr. Ateba recalled as being cordial, Ms. Psaki did call on him during a briefing, on Sept. 1, 2021. Mr. Ateba asked a friendly question about whether Mr. Biden’s detractors should apologize for calling him “sleepy.”What followed, Mr. Ateba said, were several amicable months. Ms. Psaki and Mr. Ateba met privately again. As their briefing room exchange made the rounds on Twitter, Fox News invited Mr. Ateba to appear on “Tucker Carlson Tonight.”“I wondered, is it in my best interest?” Mr. Ateba recalled.
Persons: Ateba, don’t, Biden, Psaki, Biden’s, Dr, Anthony Fauci, Mr, Ms, “ It’s, “ Tucker Carlson, , Jesse Watters, Trump Organizations: White House, Twitter, Fox News Locations: United States, Africa, Asia, Europe, South Africa
CNN —The chance to be coached by Roger Federer would surely be a dream come true for any young tennis player. Federer’s foundation focuses on providing parents, teachers and communities the tools to be able to give children a strong education. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the launch of the Roger Federer Foundation. The tearful farewellOn September 23, 2022, Federer took to the court as a professional tennis player for the last time. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal played together in the final match of the Swiss star's career.
Persons: Roger Federer, CNN’s Christina Macfarlane, “ I’m, Federer, you’ve, you’re, , ” Federer, Myla, Charlene, didn’t, ’ ” Federer, , , Lenny, Leo, it’s, Elena Rybakina’s, Rafa Nadal, Nadal, Jack Sock, Frances Tiafoe, Rafael Nadal, Clive Brunskill, Rafa, Novak, Djokovic, Andy, Murray, Borg, John, McEnroe, Rod, Laver, Stefan, Edberg Organizations: CNN, Wimbledon, , Roger Federer Foundation, Court, All England, Laver, O2 Locations: Swiss, Africa, Switzerland, Lesotho, London
It also defies protests from a minority of activist investors who want oil companies to be more closely aligned with global efforts to mitigate climate change. An oil and gas price rally driven by energy producer Russia's invasion of Ukraine translated into record profits for the energy majors. That has increased confidence in the most costly, high-risk offshore exploration that can also deliver the highest rewards. Wood Mackenzie analysts predict a continued increase in activity, forecasting offshore exploration and drilling activity to grow by 20% by 2025. Wood Mackenzie meanwhile predicts the commitment of up to $185 billion to develop 27 billion barrels of oil reserves, with international oil companies focused on the higher-cost, higher-return deepwater developments.
Persons: Olivier Le Peuch, Baker Hughes, Wood Mackenzie, Leslie Cook, TotalEnergies, Yujnovich, QatarEnergy, Shell, Graff, La Rona, Ron Bousso, Barbara Lewis Organizations: Shell, BP, SLB, Reuters, International Energy Agency, Barclays, West Africa –, Nambia's Petroleum, Thomson Locations: Namibia, Ukraine, Gulf of Mexico, South America, West Africa, NAMIBIA, Canada
The election comes amid a raging economic crisis, with high inflation and a currency that plunged more than 50% this month against the U.S. dollar. In remarks aimed mostly at his rural support base at the weekend, Mnangagwa pledged infrastructure developments. Mnangagwa toppled independent Zimbabwe's first president, Robert Mugabe, in a coup in 2017, eding his 37-year rule. The opposition CCC party enjoys considerable support in towns and cities, while ZANU-PF's supporters are mainly in rural areas. Zimbabwe has endured over two decades of economic failure following land seizures by Mugabe, plunging the southern African country into an economic crisis.
Persons: Emmerson Mnangagwa, Nelson Chamisa, Mnangagwa, Robert Mugabe, eding, Mugabe, Nyasha Chingono, Carien du Plessis, Emelia Organizations: ZANU, Citizens Coalition, U.S ., CCC, Thomson Locations: Zimbabwe, Chipinge, Harare, Chamisa
Zambia seals $6.3 billion debt restructuring deal
  + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Leigh Thomas | ) www.reuters.com   time to read: +3 min
"We have reached an agreement on the outline of a debt treatment, we've reached the end of the negotiation," the French official, who did not wish to be identified, told journalists. Zambia's public sector creditors agreed to reschedule $6.3 billion, including $1.3 billion in arrears, and private sector creditors are expected to do the same on the $6.8 billion owed to them, the official said. The restructuring agreement with official creditors paves the way for Zambia to receive another $188 million tranche of money from the International Monetary Fund, part of a $1.3 billion package approved in August 2022. The scale of the debt relief Zambia requires has been a concern for some of the country's main creditors. Of the $6.3 billion in debt owed to government bodies, $4.1 billion was owed specifically to Export-Import Bank of China, the French official said.
Persons: we've, Hakainde Hichilema, Emmanuel Macron's, Leigh Thomas, Susan Fenton Organizations: International Monetary Fund, Import Bank of China, Zambian, Group, Thomson Locations: Zambia, China, Beijing, France
WHAT IS THE COMMON FRAMEWORK? The Common Framework requires debtor countries to secure restructuring assurances from any bilateral lenders first and commercial and multilateral lenders second - to Beijing's dismay. "We call on multilateral financial institutions and commercial lenders, who are the main creditors for developing countries, to participate in developing countries' debt relief efforts," Mao said. In Paris, analysts expect China to continue to voice support for the Common Framework but for debt relief to be dispensed "case-by-case". The last time global policymakers met to discuss the Common Framework in Washington, China proposed the IMF should speed up and improve information sharing on debt sustainability analyses.
Persons: Li Qiang, acceding, Yi Gang, Mao Ning, Mao, Qin Gang, Sri, Wang Wenbin, Joe Cash, Ryan Woo, Shri Navaratnam Organizations: Paris Club, International Monetary Fund, Bank, IMF, World Bank, Foreign Ministry, China's, France, Thomson Locations: Paris, China, Zambia, Chad, Ethiopia, Ghana, United States, U.S, Beijing, Washington, CHINA, Addis Ababa, Japan, India, France, Sri Lanka's
WASHINGTON, April 13 (Reuters) - Angola's next sovereign debt issuance will be an ESG bond of up to $1 billion, its finance minister told Reuters on Thursday, but she added that the southern African oil producer's government would not tap the market this year. "We are open to get funding from whoever is interested to participate," she said. But any ESG issuance will be the first one for us, so we want to start with the hard work." "We are very cautious about the moment to step into the markets because we want to stabilise our debt," she said, noting the current challenging market conditions. Reporting by Leika Kihara; Editing by Chizu NomiyamaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
LUSAKA, April 12 (Reuters) - Zambia is planning to finish tests that simulate real-world cryptocurrency usage by the end of June to help it create regulations that balance citizens' safety with innovation, science and technology minister Felix Mutati told Reuters. The southern African country also needs digital infrastructure, including digital identities, before cryptocurrencies can be introduced, Mutati said in an interview on Wednesday. "Our main goal in the area of cryptocurrency is to strike a balance between innovation in terms of digital payments ... against citizens' safety, particularly given that cryptocurrency is very volatile," Mutati said. "What we are seeing is increased appetite to invest in Zambia," Mutati said, when asked whether any investments under his purview had been delayed, suspended or cancelled due to Zambia's long-delayed debt restructuring. Mutati said the way Chinese loans were contracted during his tenure as finance minister between 2016 and 2018 depended on the project.
Factbox: The developing countries facing a debt crisis
  + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com   time to read: +7 min
The cocoa, gold and oil producer has already reached a deal to write down domestic debt and last week kicked off formal debt talks with international bondholders. A $1.9 billion IMF loan has been stalled for months as Tunisia's president has shown little sign of action on key reforms. SRI LANKASri Lanka defaulted on its international debt last year after economic mismanagement, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, sparked a political crisis and left it without dollars for even essential imports. UKRAINEUkraine just received the first $2.7 billion tranche under a four-year, $15.6 billion IMF loan program. Zambia's currency, the kwacha , has fallen more than 10% against the U.S. dollar this year, which the central bank has said is adding to inflation.
[1/5] Locals in the Chiradzulu district look at the damage on a road after mudslides and rockfalls in the area caused by the aftermath of Cyclone Freddy in Blantyre, Malawi, March 15, 2023. Most people heeded the warnings, knowing from bitter experience the damage such storms could inflict: 600 people had died in Cyclone Idai in 2019. The storm was far more deadly in neighbouring Malawi, where at least 447 were killed as Freddy tore through the country's southern tip and inundated the main commercial hub of Blantyre. Mozambique and Malawi are among the poorest 8% of countries in the world, according to United Nations data. In the case of Freddy, this extra energy allowed the storm to pick up strength again and circle back to strike again.
While the storm had dissipated, rain continued to hamper rescue efforts as vehicles struggled on flooded roads. Lieutenant Colonel Dickens Kamisa, who participated in the search, said local authorities identified about eight areas where dead bodies should be buried and were using sniffer dogs to find trapped Malawians. Chifundo Chilimba, a local resident, told Reuters he could not find his family members as the depth of the mud was too deep. The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) said it was providing food assistance by distributing partially pre-cooked food called corn-soya blend to displaced people. The storm had already killed about 27 people in Madagascar and Mozambique before it lashed Mozambique a second time.
Malawi cholera death toll crosses 1,300: health official
  + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com   time to read: +1 min
JOHANNESBURG, Feb 9 (Reuters) - The death toll from a cholera outbreak in Malawi has crossed 1,300, a senior Malawian health official said on Thursday, as the southern African country battles its deadliest outbreak yet. Cholera outbreaks happen regularly in Malawi, usually in the rainy season from November to March, but they only average an annual death toll of about 100. Malawi has conducted two oral cholera vaccination campaigns, but a global surge in cholera outbreaks means vaccine supplies are under strain. Other African countries, including Malawi's neighbours Mozambique and Zambia, have reported cholera cases. On Sunday, South Africa reported two imported cholera cases from Malawi, with the husband of one of the first two cases subsequently testing positive.
U.S. Seeks Security Council Allies Against Russia
  + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( Michael M. Phillips | ) www.wsj.com   time to read: 1 min
Members of Mozambique’s delegation at the U.N. celebrate last June after the nation is elected to one of five nonpermanent seats on the Security Council. MAPUTO, Mozambique—The U.S. is trying to persuade Mozambique, an African country long friendly to Moscow, to use its new seat on the United Nations Security Council to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The American ambassador to the U.N., Linda Thomas-Greenfield , visited the southern African country this week, telling the government that neutrality wasn’t an option when a big power invades a smaller neighbor in violation of a U.N. Charter that Security Council members are bound to uphold.
[1/6] U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen signs a guest book at the State House during her visit, in Lusaka, Zambia, January 23, 2023. REUTERS/Namukolo SiyumbwaLUSAKA, Jan 23 (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Monday during a visit to Zambia that it was critically important to restructure the country's debt, and she believes progress could be made after her frank talks with key creditor China last week. Yellen added that Zambia's debt overhang was a drag on its whole economy and that China had been a barrier to resolving the southern African country's debt problem. "I specifically raised the issue with Zambia (with Chinese officials) and asked for their cooperation in trying to reach a speedy resolution. "We will continue to press for all official bilateral and private-sector creditors to meaningfully participate in debt relief for Zambia, especially China," she said.
IMF chief: it's time for creditors to restructure Zambia debt
  + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com   time to read: +1 min
LUSAKA, Jan 24 (Reuters) - International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said on Tuesday during a visit to Zambia that it was the time for the southern African country's creditors to restructure its debt as it was doing its part by implementing economic reforms. Zambia defaulted on its sovereign debt in 2020, becoming the first African country to do so during the COVID-19 pandemic. Georgieva has pushed hard for quicker movement on debt relief for countries like Zambia. On Monday at a meeting with Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema she commended his government for moving away from wasteful expenditure and said the IMF would like to work with Zambia to boost its economic growth. Reporting by Chris Mfula; Writing by Anait Miridzhanian; Editing by Olivia Kumwenda-Mtambo and Alexander WinningOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
[1/2] U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen gives a speech after she visited the House of Slaves (Maison des Esclaves) at Goree Island off the coast of Dakar, Senegal January 21, 2023. REUTERS/Ngouda DioneLUSAKA, Jan 23 (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Monday during a visit to Zambia that it was critically important to restructure Zambia's debt, and she believed progress could be made after her frank talks with key creditor China last week. Yellen added that Zambia's debt overhang was a drag on its whole economy and that China had been a barrier to reaching a resolution on the southern African country's debt problem. "I specifically raised the issue with Zambia (with Chinese officials) and asked for their cooperation in trying to reach a speedy resolution. She said it was also critically important for Zambia to address corruption and human rights, and create a business environment that would promote investments and trade.
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