The MDC has rejected the ultimatum and said it will not be "bullied" into signing a deal. Both Mr Mugabe and MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai say they won elections earlier this year. The MDC says it was subjected to state-sponsored violence.

At talks mediated by South Africa the two rivals agreed that Mr Tsvangirai would be named prime minister while Mr Mugabe remained president, but they cannot agree on how to share powers.

The MDC wants Mr Mugabe to become a ceremonial president, while the ruling Zanu-PF party insists he retain control of the security forces and the powers to appoint and dismiss ministers.

"If after tomorrow [Thursday], Tsvangirai does not want to sign, we will certainly put together a cabinet," the state-owned Herald newspaper quotes Mr Mugabe as saying on his return from Zambia on Wednesday.

"We are a government and we are government that is empowered by elections. We should form a cabinet. We would not allow a situation where we will not have a cabinet forever," he said.

CONNECTAFRICA

Zimbabwe's main opposition party has said two days of power-sharing talks with the ruling Zanu-PF have ended without agreement. Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) spokesman Nelson Chamisa said the balance of power was in dispute.

He said President Robert Mugabe wanted MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai to become a titular prime minister without real authority, which was "unacceptable". Mr Mugabe last week threatened to form a new government without the MDC.

"The MDC does not want to come in apparently," he said on Wednesday, a day after being booed and jeered by opposition MPs at the formal opening of parliament. Following legislative elections in March, Mr Mugabe's Zanu-PF lost its majority in the House of Assembly for the first time since independence in 1980.

Mr Tsvangirai also won the first round of the presidential election that month, before pulling out of the run-off in June citing a campaign of violence against his supporters.The MDC said its negotiating teams had returned from South Africa on Sunday without having achieved a breakthrough in the talks on Zimbabwe's political crisis.

 Zimbabwean power-sharing talks, which resumed in South Africa on Friday, have hit a snag over a proposal for President Robert Mugabe and his opposition rival to jointly chair the cabinet, state media reported on Saturday.
The opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) made the new proposal when negotiating teams separately met South African President Thabo Mbeki on Friday, the state-owned Herald newspaper said, quoting sources.
"The only new but nonetheless absurd suggestion from the MDC was that Cabinet be co-chaired by President Mugabe and (MDC leader Morgan) Tsvangirai. ZANU-PF dismissed that, not just as insolent, but also stunning ignorance on how government works," a source told the Herald.
The power-sharing talks have stalled over how executive power would be shared by President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, who refused to sign an agreement two weeks ago.Tsvangirai outpolled Mugabe in a March 29 election but did not get enough ballots to avoid a run-off poll, controversially won by Mugabe after Tsvangirai pulled out citing violence and intimidation against his supporters.
Under a proposed deal agreed to by Mugabe and a smaller breakaway faction of the MDC, Mugabe would chair the cabinet while Tsvangirai as prime minister would be deputy chairperson.

CONNECTAFRICA

Negotiators are meeting in South Africa to try and revive Zimbabwe's crisis talks, which broke up two weeks ago. The negotiations broke up over how to share power between Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, who both claim victory in the polls.

President Mugabe says he will form a government alone, while opposition MPs this week jeered him in public. Deputy South African Foreign Minister Aziz Pahad said he hoped the negotiation would lead to the "finalisation of... outstanding matters".

Before the talks broke up earlier this month, both sides agreed that Mr Tsvangirai would be named prime minister but they could not agree on how to divide powers between him and Mr Mugabe. Mr Tsvangirai wants Mr Mugabe to become a ceremonial figure, while the ruling Zanu-PF party wants the president to retain most powers, such as appointing ministers and the security forces.

The opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) says that if Mr Mugabe names a cabinet unilaterally, that would scupper the talks.

CONNECTAFRICA

Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe is due to open parliament in which his Zanu-PF party will be in the minority in the lower house for the first time.

On Monday, the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party saw its member, Lovemore Moyo, elected speaker. The MDC does not recognise Mr Mugabe as president and is considering a boycott of the opening session.

Zanu-PF's Edna Madzongwe on Monday won the presidency of the upper house, the Senate, where Mr Mugabe's party has a majority. Power-sharing talks between Mr Mugabe and MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai are currently deadlocked.

The MDC boycotted the second round of the presidential election earlier this year, claiming the first round was marred by violence and intimidation by Zanu-PF supporters.

Ohio Voting Machines Contained Programming Error That Dropped Votes - Good simple spin for good, but simple Americans. And they keep crying ineptness, that big collective mental block never ever even coming close to those two little words.

Texas truant students to be tracked by GPS anklets - Another horror story from Texas, aka psyop hotbed #1.

Haunted by Spirits - A bit on Cindy McCain's dad and uncle. Apple sure didn't fall far from the tree with "her".

How Puzzling Stars Formed near Galactic Black Hole - Scientists investigating this phenomenon came up with a pretty ludicrous explanation on how these stars formed here. I say ludicrous because although they put out an explanation on how they formed, they seem to be silent on why, if the forces of gravity exerted by black holes are so strong, as we are told, these stars are able to be even tangible or coherent. This would suggest that either there are some atomic configurations that can resist black holes, some sort of selective destructive mechanism that black holes apply, or that they may have come out of the black hole itself, which leads back to my possible explanation about a selective destructive mechanism. Also, a man who claims to be in contact with a blue skinned race of ETs called the Andromedans says that under every galaxy is a giant black hole and that these are portals to other universes from which all matter in a particular galaxy originated. You can download and read his compendium of talks here. True or not, it is a fascinating read all the same, and he does have good perspectives on self-responsibility and self determination.

Students trained to be mock North American Parliament members in Canada

Winter weather? Almanac says 'Numb's the word! - Faced with the undeniable experiential evidence that global warming is real, we should start to see a propaganda switch to global freezing/cooling. Already ScienceMag has on its cover a proposal of just that.

High gas prices draw Texans to low speed electric cars

What Obama's convention stage at the DNC looks like - Bigger pic here. Looks like they are going for the young vote. Looks so ugly and plastic. I guess they're going for that MTV-ite crowd then.

Man creates fake restaurant website complete with wine list & wins award from wine magazine - In Western society, where people look at a person's shoes before their eyes, this mindset is one of the principal mindsets fueling all the manipulation, or rather the allowance of it every day of our lives.

Arsenic widely present in supermarket chicken - Wait'll you read what the National Chicken Council has to say about arsenic. Laugh or rage, it's still ridiculous!

Neighbor says they ignored dying woman's screams - But I bet if a truck rolled over with hundreds worth of coins in it people would rush right toward that sound, wouldn't they? Wouldn't you? Yeah.....thats another thing that has to change.

FBI saw threat of mortgage crisis in its infancy

Russian parliament votes to recognize Abkhazia & Georgia, & urge Medvedev to do the same

US, Iraq agree to agree on US exit at 2011

Russia not honouring ceasefire: US - Still stirring the pot for WW3.

Swiss government at US behest, destroyed evidence that would have exposed CIA spies associated with Abdul Kadeer Khan

Zimbabwe opposition leader wins Speaker of the House position - The very fact that Mugabe, who has done so much to hurt Zimbabwe, is only being forced not into jail, but only to share power with this Tsvangirai guy by the major world powers and press is proof positive that there is a hidden power struggle behind the scenes over Zimbabwe. A month ago this was headline news. Now it's at the bottom. If it's not happening in Asia, Europe or North America, it isnt happening at all.

Zimbabwe's main opposition party won the vote for parliament speaker on Monday, dealing a blow to President Robert Mugabe in a post-election power struggle Lovemore Moyo of the Movement for Democratic Change got 110 votes in the 210 member assembly, giving the opposition one of the most powerful positions in Zimbabwean politics for the first time since independence in 1980.

Moyo comfortably beat a candidate put up by a breakaway opposition faction and backed by Mugabe's ZANU-PF party, a sign the veteran leader might be unable to use parliament to force his way in deadlocked power-sharing talks.Opposition MPs broke into song after the result, mocking Mugabe's ruling ZANU-PF party as a dying party.

Negotiations between ZANU-PF and Morgan Tsvangirai's MDC have stalled over what the opposition says is Mugabe's refusal to give up executive power after 28 years in office.The deadlock, in spite of strong regional and international pressure for a deal, has dampened hopes of an agreement that could end the political crisis and revive the broken economy.

In Zimbabwe's hung parliament, the speaker will be able to take charge of controversial debates if there is no power-sharing deal. The speaker can also act as president in the absence of the vice president or Senate president.Analysts said the opposition's victory in the secret vote meant that either some members of ZANU-PF or parliamentarians from Arthur Mutambara's breakaway opposition faction were ready to support Tsvangirai

Two Zimbabwean MPs have been arrested, as they were due to be sworn in five months after disputed elections, an opposition spokesman says.

He said the police wanted to arrest 15 MPs, to ensure the ruling party wins the vote for the speaker of parliament. Zanu-PF lost its parliamentary majority for the first time since independence in the the March polls. Power-sharing talks are currently deadlocked.

Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai has warned that the opening of parliament could jeopardise the talks. The balance of power in the new parliament is held by a breakaway faction from Mr Tsvangirai's MDC.

The election of a speaker is expected to be a close vote. In the House of Assembly, Mr Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) has one seat more than Mr Mugabe's Zanu-PF, while a smaller MDC faction has 10 seats.

The MDC had warned that 15 of its MPs would not attend the swearing-in ceremony, as they were in hiding following a state-sponsored campaign of violence.

But a party spokesman said they would turn up.

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View Today's Journal

US and Poland sign defence deal - *Gobble gobble munch* Bhutan, bordering China to the south, is the absolute most strategic nation of all pre-WW3wise just because of that fact. It does not ally itself with any member nation of the UN security council. This will become a hotly contested for nation. This nation will be in the top story headlines in the months/years to come. And not in a good way.

BA and Iberia hold merger talks - This is the most disturbing part of the article. "Iberia will likely concentrate on South America and Africa while BA will focus on the Middle and Far East." Total cartelism. Holy fucking shit. Now I get it. And American Airlines signed that deal with British Airlines. If these three were to become one, they'd have a gigantic market share. Because of the created problem, the food price increases due to rampant printing of money to fund the Iraq and Afghan occupations, [Read this sometime for explanation] the airlines are losing millions. Their rival, Virgin Airlines, has expressed concern that they will end up controlling nearly half of all takeoff and landing slots at Heathrow Airport. The execs said themselves that the current economic crisis is cause for mergers. Yes. If there is a plan to make a one world government, as even David Rockefeller admits on p.405 of his autobiography, Memoirs, you would have to have to merge the corporations as well as the governments. This is the reason for the rampant mergers in the past decades, and now this series of gigantic proposed airline mergers is the start of what is planned to come.

We couldn't stop the mergers - A creative lyrical thing about the phone company mergers, in the style of Billy Joel's We couldn't stop the fire. I love this!

US airline 'broke safety rules' - See how. Should be jail time for some execs, actually, from what I'm reading. And we're just supposed to accept restrictions on our basic freedoms at the airport and have this happening? And too many people to count think partying and drinking is more important than this. Laughable....

Georgia President denies Israel halted military aid due to war - Why would they? They have a job to do here.

Hacker wins extradition delay - David McKinnon, the famous Pentagon hacker who claims that he found evidence of a USA space fleet, won a delay on extradition to the US.

In China, Bhutan and India collide - More on the strategic importance of Bhutan from the Asia Times.

Study: Most companies avoid income taxes

Dan Rather reported flight data recorder recovered from ground zero - And then the FBI came in and confiscated all of them, just like they did at all the places near the Pentagon.

Prachanda elected Nepal Prime Minister - From bad to worse. The dictator king got out and now the Nepalese Parliament elected the Maoist thug, Prachanda to be PM. Communism, socialism, always are put in for the same end of control. Those who support communism need to remember that in that sort of system in a country with all those people, there has to be someone in charge of distribution of all the things produced. That means someone is in charge somewhere because of that. Since someone is in charge, that means someone controls things. Absolute power always draws the absolutely corrupt. Doesn't work, never will.

UN plea to Zimbabwe on food aid - Now UN Secretary-General Ban-ki-moon is crying for the ZImbabweans to let in food aid. After 29 years of this, the world starts getting up on national TV asking Mugabe to stop? All about getting his pro-China butt out on the curb and getting a pro-US or Europe guy in.

Researchers tie skin creams to cancer in mice - Yup. Everyone just bombarded with poisons all around. Another main reason why cancers are exploding across the board.

Crane collapse kills ironworker - There have been quite a few crane collapses this year....

On Wednesday, talks on Zimbabwe's political crisis broke up, in order to allow "time to consider" the situation to Morgan Tsvangirai, the main opposition leader, sources said.

During this time, South African president headed to Angola, where he met president Jose Eduardo dos Santos, head of the political department of the Southern African Development Community (SADC). He is worried about the impact of a possible political "meltdown" in Zimbabwe.

During Mr Mbeki’s absence, a Ruling Zanu PF party official claimed that a deal had been reached between Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe’s president, and a smaller opposition faction, excluding Morgan Tsvangirai.

But Thabo Mbeki, after mediating three days of talks between the rivals in Harare, the Zimbabwean capital, said he knew of no deal being signed, before adding that he remained confident all three sides could find an agreement.

‘Acting together’

"We have dealt with all the elements on which president Mugabe and Mutambara agree, but there is disagreement on one element over which Morgan Tsvangirai had asked for time to reflect", Mr Mbeki said.

"We have adjourned to give Morgan Tsvangirai more time to consider these matters.”

"I'm quite confident they will resolve all their outstanding matters which would result in this inclusive government and, in the second instance, then acting together", Mr Mbeki told reporters.

"No deal has been signed by anyone. Dialogue is still continuing", emphasised Welshman Ncube, secretary general for Mr Mutambara's faction.

On Wednesday, South African president met his Angolan counterpart in Luanda, reported Angolan state radio. He was expected to return to South Africa afterwards, ahead of a summit of regional leaders this weekend.

Facilitating discussions

Adding "after that we are going back home", Mukoni Ratshitanga, a spokesman for Thabo Mbeki, said that he was to give a report to the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

The SADC, a 14-nation regional bloc, has appointed Mr Mbeki mediator for the Zimbabwe crisis. Over the weekend, he had arrived in Harare for negotiations between Mr Mugabe, Mr Tsvangirai and Mr Mutambara.

"The talks are adjourned, not ended, but I wouldn't say until when. Tsvangirai needs more time to consult", Thabo Mbeki's spokesman told the AFP news agency.

"I wouldn't know about it. We are facilitating discussions among three parties", answered Mr Mbeki earlier, when he was asked whether signatures had been put to a deal.

Negotiations included proposals for Robert Mugabe to take on a more ceremonial role, in exchange for amnesty from prosecution, while Morgan Tsvangirai would be made executive prime minister.

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A power-sharing deal may be close, suggest reports, despite a news blackout imposed on the discussions.

Although he did not elaborate, George Charamba, Zimbabwean government spokesman, said a "milestone" had been reached.

He told state media that Mr Mbeki was "going to meet the principals, basically to update them on the progress so far and to consult on how to take the dialogue forward”.

"This is an important milestone that has been registered in the interparty dialogue", he added.

In June, Mr Tsvangirai pulled out of the presidential race alleging violence against his backers, and then Mr Mugabe won a run-off.

The aim of the talks is to create some form of coalition, said South African mediators, even though there is disagreement over who would lead a unity government and concerning Mr Mugabe's exact role.

Unqualified legitimacy

Mr Mbeki is expected to return to South Africa on Sunday afternoon.

The power-sharing deal would let Mr Mugabe retain the presidency, while Mr Tsvangirai would become prime minister with exective powers, report South Africa’s media.

Yet, apart from statements from all sides saying that the talks have been progressing well, there has been no official comment on these reports.

Ahead of a mid-August summit of the Southern African Development Community, or Sadc, Mr Mbeki is under pressure to produce a solid outcome.

Fleeing Zimbabwe’s worsening political and economic situation, hundreds of thousands of Zimbabweans have left their country, many crossing over the borders into neighbouring states of South Africa, Zambia and Botswana.

Robert Mugabe should be barred from the Sadc summit, suggested on Friday Phandu Skelemani, Botswana's foreign minister.

"The legal process of producing a government in Zimbabwe has failed [...] those who claim to represent a government in Zimbabwe [...] should be excluded from attending Sadc and African Union meetings as their participation in these meetings would be equal to giving them unqualified legitimacy", Mr Skelemani said.

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This change will mean that the bank is slashing ten zeros off Zimbabwe dollar bank notes, making 10billion dollars now equivalent to one dollar.

While this will slightly allow a few more essentials to fill shopping baskets and end talk of trillionaires, quandrillionaires and quintillionaires (denominations which I had never heard of) millions continue to live in horrific circumstances and unemployment remains at 80%.

The power sharing talks between Mugabe and Tsvangirai are set to resume on Sunday after Morgan Tsvangirai was offered the role of vice presidency but with no executive powers.

How can a compromise every be achieved when both men want what is in the best interest of their parties?

Mugabe seeks to be "accepted as president, the MDC to take a few minor ministries and the international community to drop sanctions and help kick-start economy,"

Tsvangirai hopes for "Mugabe to step down and the transitional authority" to organise new elections."

I am actually very disappointed with Tsvangirai. He is leading a movement for democratic change and is accepting compromise talks that has no authority over, when the only democratic election was won by himself.

As an eye opening report by the World Food Programme warns that a growing population, little supply and increasing prices will and I use this loosely "threaten" the lives of millions" will laying the dead bodies of Zimbabwes at the gate of his presidential palace be enough to develop a conscience inside the twisted mind of this horriblehuman being?

In this video Mugabe says he will EVENTUALLY take a back seat from politics.... Sooner rather than later please.

It just goes to show that Mugabe will always be around, unless those at the top remove him with force.

When the talks between Zimbabwe's current "president" Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai came to a halt not long after they had begun I must admit my hopes for a solution to Zimbabwe's crisis were severely damaged.

Now the negotiations are to resume on Sunday and Mr Tsvangirai, unbelievably, has said he is "fairly satisfied" with power-sharing talks. This is surprising for many reasons, the most obvious being the opposition leader's demand for Mr Mugabe to step down. A power-sharing deal would most likely lead to a prolonged Mugabe regime, even if it is in disguise, at least if he remains president. 

Mr Tsvangirai should know this better than anyone, especially since he was made the generous offer of being made third vice-president! (Some have guts... seriously!)

---------------------

Speaking of his meeting with Mr Mugabe, Morgan Tsvangirai of the MDC said:

I am sure that there was a common understanding that there is a need to soft land the crisis through a transitional process.

He [Robert Mugabe] is just as human as every one of us, that he has similar concerns, although, of course, I think he is ignorant, and/or chooses to be in a denial stage as far as violence is concerned

---------------------

I do believe the opposition leader was speaking carefully and made sure he sounded as positive as possible despite the unpleasant situation he must be in. Even though Mr Mugabe is "as human as everyone of us" he has, after 28 years of dictatorship, adapted the common habit of ignoring the consequences of his actions, blaming others for the crisis and has an almost childlike view of his own responsibility(click). This must result in quite frustrating talks!

However, as it seems like Mr Tsvangirai is positive, something must have been said during their negotiations. I can not be the only one who would like to know what?

-- Kajsa, Adim Twende Twende
admin.twende.twende@gmail.com

Negotiations have been held at a secret location in South Africa, between government and opposition officials. The aim of the talks, expected to resume on Sunday, is to resolve Zimbabwe’s post-election crisis.

Mr Mugabe and his Zanu-PF party are accused by Mr Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) of stealing the country’s presidential election.

Started a week ago, after Mr Mugabe and Mr Tsvangirai met for the first time in a decade, talks were halted earlier this week.

The parties are determined to find a solution within a two-week timeframe, said Thabo Mbeki, South African president who has led negotiations.

Although Mr Tsvangirai said he was not in a position to define what his role or Mr Mugabe’s would be after the end of the talks, he added : "What I would hope is that it will allow [Mr Mugabe] a process of an honourable exit."

"There have been sticking points" he added.

‘Common understanding’

"Some issues have been ironed out, some issues are still outstanding. We hope that as the negotiations proceed they will find a common compromise."

Then Mr Tsvangirai spoke about his rare meeting with Mr Mugabe, saying "I am sure that there was a common understanding that there is a need to soft land the crisis through a transitional process".

"He is just as human as every one of us, that he has similar concerns, although, of course, I think he is ignorant, and/or chooses to be in a denial stage as far as violence is concerned."

On Wednesday, the MDC said that Zanu-PF supporters killed two of its supporters last week, though an agreement to start talks had been signed.

On 29 March, Mr Tsvangirai won the first round of presidential elections, but did not secure enough votes to avoid the run-off, from which he pulled out, after a wave of deadly attacks against his supporters.

Previously, the MDC said that more than 120 of MDC supporters have been killed, some 5 000 abducted and 200 000 forced to flee their homes, after being attacked by Zanu-PF militias and security agents, but the Zanu-PF denies the accusations.