Free Republic

...Mnangagwa struck a conciliatory tone in the months leading up to the election. Declaring that Zimbabwe was “open for business,” he amended a law requiring local ownership of diamond and platinum mines. He signaled his intent to end farm seizures and vowed to sell off failing state enterprises. He even wrote a New York Times op-ed calling for democracy and equal rights for all citizens. But Mnangagwa is tied to numerous human rights abuses, including overseeing a series of government-ordered massacres between 1982 and 1986 known as the “Gukurahundi.” An estimated 20,000 civilians from Zimbabwe’s Ndebele ethnic group were killed....

The first trial to emerge from special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia probe is set to start Tuesday when former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort appears before a federal judge in Alexandria, Virginia. Mr. Manafort is facing 18 criminal counts, including bank and tax fraud, which could net him 30 years in prison. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges. The charges stem from Mr. Manafort’s lobbying in the Ukraine on behalf of politicians with ties to Russia. Prosecutors have alleged he was paid more than $60 million for his work, which includes support of former Ukrainian President Viktor Yankovich....

The tax and bank fraud trial in a Virginia federal court represents the first test of Mueller's ability to win a conviction of a former Trump aide. Three other aides, including Manafort's longtime business partner Rick Gates, have already pleaded guilty and are cooperating with Mueller's probe. Trump has vacillated between showing sympathy for Manafort and trying to distance himself. Manafort worked on Trump's presidential campaign for five months and attended a June 2016 Trump Tower meeting with Russians that is a focal point of Mueller's probe into possible collusion between the campaign and the Kremlin. A Manafort conviction would...