Slum Protesters March on Earth Summit
Sat Aug 31,11:33 AM ET
By Manoah Esipisu and Nicholas Kotch
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Thousands of slum-dwellers marched on the Earth Summit on Saturday, protesting about issues from AIDS ( news - web sites) to globalisation and marshalled by heavily armed police who feared violence might upstage the U.N. meeting.
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http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-zimland27aug27.story?nul
Zimbabwe's First Lady Grabs a Luxury Farm for Herself
Africa: The redistribution of whites' property is supposed to benefit landless blacks.
By DAVAN MAHARAJ and PETA THORNYCROFT
SPECIAL TO THE TIMES
August 27 2002
MAZOWE, Zimbabwe -- Grace Mugabe came here last week, but her visit had nothing to do with promoting literacy, health care or any other official duties that come with being Zimbabwe's first lady.
Instead, Mugabe came to personally evict white farmers John and Eva Matthews, a septuagenarian couple who own the sprawling 2,500-acre Iron Mask Estate.
Witnesses said Mugabe-who was accompanied by senior army officers, government officials and young toughs from her husband's ruling party-told the couple that they had 48 hours to vacate their farm or be arrested.
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With southern Africa already struggling with man-made and natural challenges including bad weather, disease and corruption, analysts say Mugabe's land grabs are endangering about 6 million Zimbabweans-nearly half the country's population. Millions of poor Zimbabweans now need international food aid to survive.
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