March 12th, 2009
World Lens: The King of Pop announces his comeback in Britain; Naomi Campbell strolls a Russian catwalk; and former President Bill Clinton and Rapper Wyclef visit Haiti. See pics.
Thousands Mourn Zimbabwe PM’s Wife
Tens of thousands of people came out Wednesday to celebrate the life of Susan Tsvangirai, wife of Zimbabwe Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai who died last week in a car crash, reports the BBC. Mourners also came out in force to the two memorial services on Tuesday, one of which was held at church where President Robert Mugabe spoke in front of mourners, the other at a Glamis Stadium, where about 30,000 where in attendance, according to Movement for Democratic Change party officials. Although Mugabe and Tsvangirai were staunch political rivals (the two decided to enter into a unity government last month) the controversial president showed a humane side while addressing mourners. “I think yesterday, we saw a part that we are not used to,” said MDC Secretary-General Tendai Biti about Mugabe. “He is also a human being; he is a human being, like all of us.” Mrs. Tsvangirai was buried in the village of Buhera, which is 124 miles south of Harare. Biti recognized her as a revolutionary at Tuesday’s memorial at Glamis Stadium. She was “an activist and revolutionary in her own right. … She believed in the same values as her husband in wishing to bring about democratic change in Zimbabwe through a new, people-driven constitution.” The Tsvangirai family will be going to South Africa to rest for a few days, Biti said.
TAGS: Morgan Tsvangirai, Susan Tsvangirai, World Lens
March 10th, 2009
Zimbabwe Leader Now Believes Crash Was Accident
After initial speculation, Zimbabwe opposition leader and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai now says that Friday’s car crash that killed his wife Susan was indeed an accident, reports CNN. “When something like that happens there is speculation, but I want to assure you if it was foul play, it is one in a thousand. It was an accident that took her life,” he said Monday. Officials from Tsvangirai’s Movement of Democratic Change had called the crash an assassination attempt. In addition, MDC Secretary-General Tendai Biti, says the crash might not have happened had there been adequate security (in the form of a police escort) provided for the couple. They will conduct their own independent investigation. Last year’s disputed presidential elections left the African nation in turmoil. After months of negotiations, Tsvangirai entered into a unity government with longtime controversial President Robert Mugabe. For now, Tsvangirai, who sustained some injuries from the crash, is looking to move on. “Life has to go on and I’m certain that if she was here she would like life to go on. It will be difficult to fill the gap left be her,” he said.
Four Killed At Jamaica Nightclub
A shooting at a Jamaican nightclub early Sunday morning killed four and injured four people, reports the BBC. Five men carrying guns entered the Montego Bay club and shot bullets onto the crowded dance floor randomly, sending people scrambling to find cover, according to police. Investigators think the shooting was a part of a dispute between rival gangs.
TAGS: Jamaica chooting, Morgan Tsvangirai, Susan Tsvangirai, Zimbabwe
March 9th, 2009
Zimbabwe Opposition Leader Injured, Wife Killed
A car crash left the wife of Zimbabwe Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai dead and the leader himself injured in the ordeal, and as CNN reports, some are left questioning whether the tragedy really was an accident. Tsvangirai sustained head injuries in the crash and went to nearby Botswana for treatment. He and his wife of 31 years, Susan, were traveling between Buhera and the nation’s capital, Harare, when a truck crashed into their vehicle. Members of Tsvangirai’s party, the Movement for Democratic Change, recently announced that they will be holding a rally in honor of Mrs. Tsvangirai Tuesday, saying she was “a mother to all of us. She was a pillar and foundation to our prime minister.” She is set to be buried in Zimbabwe on Wednesday. Tsvangirai “will definitely be back in the country in time for the burial set for Wednesday and the other formalities that go with the funeral. But I cannot give the media his itinerary as that comprises his security,” MDC spokesman, Nelson Chamisa, said. Mrs. Tsvangirai left behind her husband and six children. Tsvangirai, who not too long ago became part of a unity government with controversial longtime President Robert Mugabe, reportedly told party members he believed the truck drove into them deliberately. Members of the MDC reportedly are conducting their own investigation. Former U.S. ambassador to Zimbabwe, Tom McDonald, told CNN, that he, too, was skeptical about the crash, considering it’s not the first time Mugabe’s political enemies were involved in car accidents in the nation. He pointed out past fatal wrecks involving former Employment Minister Border Gezi in 1999; Defense Minister Moven Mahachi in 2001; and a government official Elliot Manyika in 2008. He also said, though, that traffic accidents are common in the country.
Haiti Gets $5 Million to Rebuild Schools
Last week, the World Bank announced they will be giving Haiti $5 million to rebuild the schools that were damaged by several storms last year, reports Agence France Presse. In 2008, four huge back-to-back storms (Tropical Storm Fay and hurricanes Gustav, Hanna and Ike) devastated a swathe of the Caribbean nation’s infrastructure, including 1,000 elementary schools. The damaged schools led to a shortened school year for about 200,000 students, said the World Bank in a statement. “The project will set the foundation for the revision of school designs, the use of some schools as community shelters in times of crisis, and increased community ownership in the schools to rebuilt,” a World Bank official said. In total, last year’s storms killed 793 people and caused about $500 million in damage.
TAGS: haiti, Morgan Tsvangirai, Robert Mugabe, storms, Susan Tsvangirai, Zimbabwe