The MDC is seen by Mr Mugabe who remains steeped in liberation war rhetoric as a whitesupported conspiracy against the

The MDC is seen by Mr Mugabe, who remains steeped in liberation war rhetoric, as a whitesupported conspiracy against the liberators, Zanu-PF.Even though Saturday’s street fights were the first in Harare since food riots in 1998, there have already been some casualties in the pre-election period. Last Friday, Edwin Gomo, an MDC supporter, died from head wounds he had sustained during a stoning incident at Bindura, northern Zimbabwe, a few days previously.Earlier, in an apparent endorsement of claims by Mr Mugabe that the MDC isforeign-backed, two German businessmen were beaten by Zanu-PF supporters. The South Africa-based men, Peter Mielke and Ulf Hassdenteufel, were allegedly at an MDC meeting with white farmers when Zanu-PF supporters broke in. Mr Mielke, 61, is being kept alive on a ventilator in a Johannesburg hospital.The racial aspect of the tension seems largely Zanu-PF inspired.

Zimbabwe-born whites such as the Commercial Farmers Union director, David Hasluck, say they have never been so comfortable as whites in Zimbabwe as they are now. Many black Zimbabweans see the whites as kingpins in the economy. The MDC’s leadership, which is black, says Mr Mugabe’s use of the “race card” is a tactic to deflect attention from the favouritism afforded to Zanu-PF’s élite.. Aboriginal leaders expressed outrage yesterday and threatened large-scale disruption of the Sydney Olympic Games after publication of a leaked report by the Australian government that denies the existence of the “Stolen Generation” of indigenous children forcibly taken from their families for more than 50 years. Aboriginal leaders expressed outrage yesterday and threatened large-scale disruption of the Sydney Olympic Games after publication of a leaked report by the Australian government that denies the existence of the “Stolen Generation” of indigenous children forcibly taken from their families for more than 50 years.
The policy of removing Aboriginal children, particularly those of mixed blood, from their parents to assimilate them into white society remains a source of bitterness and grief for indigenous Australians. The revelation that John Howard’s conservative government is attempting to play down the impact has exacerbated the party’s already poor relations with the Aboriginal community.The report, a submission by the Aboriginal Affairs Minister, John Herron, to a parliamentary inquiry into the Stolen Generation, states: “There was never a generation of stolen children.” It says: “The proportion of separated Aboriginal children was never more than 10 per cent, including those who were not forcibly separated and those who were forcibly separated for good reason.”As a storm of protest erupted, Senator Herron stood by the report yesterday.

His spokesman said the government “does not seek to defend or justify past policies and practices, but it does assert that the nature and intent of these events has been misinterpreted”.Aboriginal leaders, already angry about Mr Howard’s refusal to apologise for past injustices, stepped up their threats to disrupt the Olympic Games in September by staging protests at a time when the eyes of the world will be on Australia.Lowitja O’Donoghue, former chairwoman of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission, the statutory Aboriginal organisation, who was taken from her family at the age of two, said she was “distraught” to learn of the sentiments expressed in the leaked report. Ms O’Donoghue, usually a moderate, called for a national protest at Parliament House in Canberra.Mick Dodson, co-author of a landmark report on the Stolen Generation, called Bringing Them Home, accused the government of “denialism”, while Charles Perkins, a veteran Aboriginal campaigner, said: “The gloves are off now Reconciliation is finished Certainly the Olympic Games will now be in jeopardy. We did not want to target the games, but we have nothing to lose now.”The policy of splitting up Aboriginal families was in force from 1910 until the late 1960s, and is thought to have affected tens of thousands of children. Some were placed with white families, others in church-run orphanages, where many were subjected to a brutal disciplinary regime. Some are now seeking compensation in the Australian courts.Last week the government’s commitment to human rights was questioned by the United Nations and Amnesty International after it threatened to review its participation in international treaties.

The move was sparked by a report by a UN committee on racial discrimination that criticised Australia over mandatory sentencing laws that affect Aboriginal people disproportionately.Australia’s 430,000 Aborigines, who make up 2.3 per cent of the population, are the country’s most disadvantaged group, in terms of health, employment and life expectancy.Senator Aden Ridgeway, who is only the second Aboriginal to serve in the Federal parliament, said Senator Herron’s comments were “an insult”.. The public image of BMW took another battering yesterday as its cars were given pride of place at a demolition derby in the Midlands. The public image of BMW took another battering yesterday as its cars were given pride of place at a demolition derby in the Midlands.
Spectators were given the opportunity to vent their anger at the German car-maker by swinging a sledgehammer at a BMW car provided for the purpose by the organisers. A local motor dealer also donated a BMW sports car worth £1,500 to be smashed to pieces with a mechanical digger.The demolition derby, at Hednesford Hills raceway in Staffordshire, followed a march in Birmingham on Saturday to protest at BMW’s decision to sell Rover, threatening thousands of jobs.Rover workers were offered free entry to watch a dozen BMWs being smashed in the race. The track owner, Philip Bond, said: “There is a feeling of betrayal and anger amongst workers across the region. The sight of BMW cars being smashed to smithereens could be very therapeutic.”.

BSkyB, the pay-TV broadcaster, claims the Government could raise at least £8bn through auctioning digital terrestrial frequencies which are currently expected to be turned over to ONdigital for free as it expands its signal coverage across the country. BSkyB, the pay-TV broadcaster, claims the Government could raise at least £8bn through auctioning digital terrestrial frequencies which are currently expected to be turned over to ONdigital for free as it expands its signal coverage across the country.
In a letter sent by BSkyB to the Independent Television Commission and several Government ministries, including the Treasury, BSkyB urges that consideration be given to alternative ways to enhance digital television coverage.The intervention comes as bids for third generation mobile telecoms licences being auctioned by the government have surpassed £10bn. Industry insiders expect the auction for the five licences on offer to raise upwards of £15bn – over five times what the Treasury expected.BSkyB contends that the sums communications companies are prepared to pay should be factored into Government plans to make digital television available to all homes by 2010. It argues that using cable, satellite and DSL technology could extend digital television and raise at least £8bn.ONdigital, co-owned by Granada and Carlton Communications, will fiercely oppose an auction.