Live: Watch Emmanuel Macron's foreign policy address to ambassadors Read more Myanmar army top brass must face genocide charges, says UN probe Read more Pope advises gay children and their parents to seek psychiatric help Read more France's Macron targets welfare cuts as growth falters Read more Pope refuses to comment on abuse cover-up claim Read more John McCain services set, Obama and Bush to speak Read more Suspect arrested in 1998 murder of Dutch boy at summer camp Read more Deadly shooting at video game tournament in Florida Read more Mnangagwa sworn in after Zimbabwe's disputed vote Read more Tributes hail McCain as 'a patriot of the highest order' Read more Head of IS group in Afghanistan killed, gov't says Read more French Open courts controversy by banning Serena Williams’ catsuit Read more … [Read more...] about Live: Watch Emmanuel Macron’s foreign policy address to ambassadors
Zimbabwe foreign policy
ConsumerBusinessSpotlightConsumerBusinessSpotlightConsumerBusinessSpotlightConsumerBusinessSpotlightConsumerBusinessSpotlight How the pariah state Zimbabwe is wooing the West for business
In the early hours of 3 August, Emmerson Mnangagwa was declared president-elect of Zimbabwe after a disputed election. Although there were a record 23 presidential candidates, the real contest was between Zanu-PF’s Mnangagwa, the 75-year-old winner of last year’s “non-coup-coup”, which ended Robert Mugabe’s 37-year rule, and Nelson Chamisa, the 40-year-old leader of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) Alliance. Yet regardless of the election result, Zimbabwe was destined to remain subject to the neoliberalism embraced by both main parties. The opposition MDC, which emerged from the trade union movement and railed against the structural adjustment programme of the Nineties, has championed free market policies, creating a void in the country’s politics. The roots of this outcome lie in Zimbabwe’s past. In 1979, the UK brokered a negotiated settlement at Lancaster House under which the white Rhodesian minority government agreed to … [Read more...] about ConsumerBusinessSpotlightConsumerBusinessSpotlightConsumerBusinessSpotlightConsumerBusinessSpotlightConsumerBusinessSpotlight How the pariah state Zimbabwe is wooing the West for business
Zimbabwe: UK’s bet on post-Mugabe ex-colony hangs in the balance
Ever since the then Africa minister Rory Stewart took the strategic bet to rush to Harare in November 2017 in the immediate aftermath of the fall of Robert Mugabe, the UK has invested heavily in nursing its former colony back to international respectability. The Foreign Office analysis was that a short window of opportunity had opened to encourage the ruling Zanu-PF party to turn away from the violent chaos and economic disaster of the previous 30 years. As soon as Stewart reached Harare, he stressed the rewards available to Zimbabwe if it took the path of reform. Stewart in private was not naive about Emmerson Mnangagwa, Mugabe’s successor, or the democratic instincts of the army. Any student of Mnangagwa’s record knew he had been Mugabe’s enforcer, deeply involved in money laundering and massacres. But Stewart could hardly do anything but hold his nose, and point to the opportunities that democratic reform might bring. Zanu-PF 2.0 might seem an implausible concept, … [Read more...] about Zimbabwe: UK’s bet on post-Mugabe ex-colony hangs in the balance
Six former foreign secretaries on Brexit, Britain… and Boris
Amid the prosaic setting of British politics, with its fusty civil servants and turgid party meetings, the secretary of state for foreign and commonwealth affairs stands out as the most glamorous of cabinet appointments. There’s the exotic travel, the hobnobbing with dignitaries, the adrenalin rush of serious global events – who cares about the campaign to stop the local post office closing down when you’ve got a vote at the UN security council to deal with. And there’s the sense, bolstered by your Foreign Office staff and the never less than precarious condition of international relations, that what you say and do actually matters. Still, behind all the photocalls, the joint accords and bland diplomatic statements, what does a foreign secretary really do? After all, when it comes to the most critical foreign policy – military intervention – it’s the prime minister who’s in the hot seat. Although foreign secretary is one of the three … [Read more...] about Six former foreign secretaries on Brexit, Britain… and Boris
Zimbabwe to Ensure Clarity Over Mining Policy, Minister Says
Zimbabwe, home to the world’s second-largest reserves of platinum group metals, will ensure there’s clarity over mining policy as the southern African nation seeks to attract investment, according to Mines Minister Winston Chitando.The government is courting mining companies to participate in the industry and help boost the ailing economy after President Emmerson Mnangagwa replaced former long-time ruler Robert Mugabe in November. Zimbabwe has sizable deposits of gold, chrome, lithium, coal and iron ore, in addition to platinum and diamonds.“Zimbabwe is under-explored,” Chitando said at a conference in Johannesburg on Monday. There is now a fortnightly meeting between the Chamber of Mines and the minister to make sure “things are made easier to grow the business,” he said.Changes to the country’s mining laws are primarily administrative and should be passed by the end of May, the minister told reporters. Zimbabwe will be announcing specific … [Read more...] about Zimbabwe to Ensure Clarity Over Mining Policy, Minister Says