Zimbabwean Commanders Finally Salute Tsvangirai

HARARE – Some of Zimbabwe’s top military commanders on Tuesday saluted Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, in what was seen as a sign of easing relations after the security commanders had previously vowed not to salute the Premier.

Airforce of Zimbabwe commander Perence Shiri and Zimbabwe National Army commander Philip Sibanda rose to salute Tsvangirai as he arrived at a ceremony to mark Zimbabwe Defence Forces Day in Harare.

The two commanders were also seen shaking hands with the former trade union leader who last February agreed to bring his MDC party together with President Robert Mugabe’s ZANU PF party in a unity government to try to ease political tensions in Zimbabwe after inconclusive elections last year.

The coalition government has done well to stabilize the economy and end inflation that private economists at one time estimated at more than a trillion percent at the height of the country’s economic meltdown last year.

But analysts have remained doubtful about the administration’s long-term effectiveness, citing unending squabbles between ZANU PF and the MDC, refusal by rich Western countries to financially back the government and open refusal by hardliner security commanders to recognise Tsvangirai’s authority.

However, there were signs that relations between military commanders and Tsvangirai could be thawing after the generals finally agreed late last month to attend the National Security Council meetings that they had boycotted because the MDC leader is a member.

Tsvangirai’s spokesman James Maridadi told the media that the meeting had helped break the ice between the two sides and claimed generals now recognised the Prime Minister.
“This is why you saw some of the service chiefs saluting today. I hope this marks the beginning of a good working relationship,” said Maridadi.

Zimbabwe’s army and police are credited with keeping Mugabe in power after waging a ruthless campaign of violence last year to force Tsvangirai to withdraw from a second round presidential poll that analysts had strongly tipped the former opposition leader to win.

Tsvangirai had beaten Mugabe in the first round ballot but failed to achieve outright victory to avoid the second round run-off poll.

The former foes eventually bowed to pressure from southern African leaders to agree to form a government of national unity that analysts say offers Zimbabwe the best opportunity in a decade to end its multi-faceted crisis. -- ZimOnline.

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Glasgow Day 3

Glasgow, is place of food for us (ok, I'll tell where Edinburgh and Glasgow is, they are both in Scotland, and Scotland is a part of UK, and they are the bigger cities in Scotland, and nope, there ain't no mountains with snow over here).

The 1st stop, would be....

Well, we reach there at noon, and we were so hungry, but still, decided to find our hostel, unpack our things, do some sight-seeing before satisfying our grumbling tummy.

That's the wee Royal Concert Hall of Glasgow, its located outside the bus station.

Guess where this musuem is???
Its a pity that we weren't allow to snap pictures in there. There were tons of interesting finds and science playtoys. This is one of the musuem both Yoong and me didn't find boring. At least he wasn't complaining.

Still in the same place, guess where this massive structure is located in?? Its the basement alright and it definitely left me in awe. I mean, its some sort of an Islamic (or is it??? Damn, my sejarah/archeological side is getting worse) feature in this building.

And there you are, I'm in the University of Glasgow.

We just have to snap some pictures of the 2 of us, found a bench, set the camera to self-timer 10 seconds, and tadaaa.... this picture. Its a bit pathetic, isn't it??

Ah ha.... Our lunch. And we found this great Malaysian shop here in Glasgow, as I was so craving for some Malaysian fiesta, this is the place where I call "home"

Of course, the drink would have to be bubble tea. I didn't miss it that much, but Yoong ordered it. Can't remember what flavour it was..

The ever tasty karipap and Char Kuey Tiao. Oh gosh, I'm salivating now.

A word of justice, this plate is goodness, the taste, the texture, the skill of frying this plate is just nice (ok, maybe its been too long since I'd tasted real Malaysian food, but this is second to best, ok??).

The only complain??? Aiyo, don't me so stingy on ingredients mah, imagine just one prawn and 2 sotong (cuttlefish), like there's some disaster coming tomorrow and you have to save up on food. -__- This whole plate really made me go -__-

This is what I call scumptious. And that's my plate of Nasi lemak with Rendang ayam. I miss the sambal, the fragrant rice, of course, altough I much prefer the Malay version, but nevertheless, its one of the best in UK (don't play play, I'd tasted worse Nasi Lemak in Northern Ireland).

And the portion of this is really gigantic, the chicken, oh gosh, the both of us try to stuff as much as we could into our almost-filled tummy.

Last but not least, my favourite Sambal Belacan Kangkung. I was so happy with this dish that I had decided that next time, when Yoong and I were free, we are going to take the plane, cross the ocean, and come here just to have this food. I mean, the airplane ticket is cheap (£20 for 2) and it only took us half an hour to reach here from Northern Ireland.

A slightly polished plate. The portions are big, and so are our belly. I'm coming back for more, and that's a promise.

One of a kind decor of some building. And of course, you would have recognize what that animal is on top of the building.

The musuem of modern art. The statue made us laugh as you can spot something funny on its head. Yup, something modern and add a twist to the whole feeling.

Inside the musuem. Love this mirror. But we couldn't take any photos inside, so there's that.

Unique bin.

Everyone love candies. Especially gals. And into the shop we went.

This is a disc looking paper-sort-of-candy. You could consume it but the colour may put you off. And that's a lot of "papers" to eat (trust me, they do taste like papers, I'd tried real papers before ya, don't cha think I don't know how papers taste like).

Leaving non-empty handed.

See?? I bought the paper stuff, but its in the form of Euros, some candy miniature balls, some chocolate coated with hundreds and thousands and the raspberry flavoured sweet and sour strips.

The wee dog in the hostel. Sleeping like there's no tomorrow. This is one smart dog. The 1st time we step into the hostel, it kept barking at us as we were strangers to it. But the 2nd time, it welcome us with its waggly tail. And there were several other occupants in this hostel, it could recognize us all...

As I'd said before (or rather nor), UK's dogs are all well trained. Most of them doesn't need any rope tied to their masters while they take walks in the evening.

In some botanic garden.

This is a very naughty work from Yoong. He was really fascinated by this road sign. And the one after.

His justification?? Before and after sex.

OK, get ready, here comes the Britain's best Nachos.

No, not us....

This....

And the portion is f*king huge. Look at the comparison with Yoong's hands (and for goodness sake, Yoong ain't got a tiny dainty hand).

I do have to agree on the word "TASTIEST" as this is definitely the best Nachos I'd ever eaten. Soft creamy cheese on the bed of Tortillas, sprinkle with Jalapenos and slap on loads of salsa sauce with some sour cream to finish the topping.

This is 100% heavenly. Not to mention 34925kcal. Credits have to be given to the slighty soury salsa sauce the the melted cheese. They really combine well, and those Jalapenos add some twang to the this god-forsaken dish.

The quite ok pizza with chicken topping.

Can't finish this, so have to da-pao (take-away).

And dessert, pancake with maple syrup. Its a perfect finish to the this whole meal and this great and filling day. Really, I can't stop eating once I'm touring with Yoong. I think its a sign from Shan Cai Pu Sa to marry Yoong as he provide me with loads of food ;P

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Day 12 - Living without you.

Mugabe: All Inclusive Govt is Succeeding!

Harare - President Robert Mugabe said on Monday that if the West can't support Zimbabwe's struggling coalition government, it should "leave us alone".

Mugabe spoke at the funeral of 85-year-old Vice President Joseph Msika, who served alongside Mugabe for two decades and died last week after suffering from heart disease for many years.

Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and other top officials in the five-month-old coalition government joined Mugabe and some 20 000 other mourners at Harare's Heroes Acre cemetery. Mugabe was the only one to speak.Mugabe often turns his addresses at state funerals into fiery political speeches.

His speech on Monday came after US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton visited neighbouring South Africa last week and called on Pretoria to help Zimbabwe cope with what she called the "negative effects" of Mugabe's leadership.

Mugabe did not name Clinton on Monday, but said his coalition with former opposition leader Tsvangirai was working and supported by southern Africans.

"Who is the real judge of the political arrangement that we have done here in southern Africa?" Mugabe said. "Why should America not recognise the work we are doing as an inclusive government? These Anglo-Saxon nations are giving us problems. We tell them today, "Leave us alone, we don't need your interference because we can do it alone."

Mugabe is accused of bringing a once-prosperous nation to ruin during his decades of authoritarian rule.Former South African President Thabo Mbeki brokered Zimbabwe's coalition agreement after Tsvangirai beat Mugabe in the first round of presidential polling in 2008, and then pulled out of a run-off against Mugabe because of state-sponsored violence against opposition supporters.

Since joining the coalition, Tsvangirai has accused Mugabe hard-liners of stalling political reforms and continuing to harass Tsvangirai supporters.

- AP

Zimbabwe Still Facing Significant Food Deficits for 2009-2010 Crop Year

The United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance says Zimbabwe's food security outlook remains doubtful with just 45% of humanitarian funding requirements met or some US$315 million of the US$718 million sought in a U.N. coordinated appeal.

OCHA said a recent food assessment by Harare and the World Food Organization pointed to a 2009-2010 shortfall of some 900,000 tonnes of cereals, in part because the winter wheat harvest is shaping up to be a poor one.

U.N. Information Officer John Nyaga told reporter Patience Rusere of VOA's Studio 7 for Zimbabwe that another US$ 400 million dollars is needed to meet Zimbabwe's needs.

* VoA

Mugabe: New Zimbabwe Govt Must Stand up to the West

HARARE – President Robert Mugabe on Monday accused Britain of wanting to dictate terms to Zimbabwe’s power-sharing government and said Harare may have to reconsider relations with London and its Western allies.

Mugabe called on Zimbabwe’s new unity government to stand up to the West, appearing to reject efforts by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai who has been pushing to restore relations with Western nations that are capable of providing badly needed financial aid to Harare.

Speaking at the burial of former top ally and vice president Joseph Msika, Mugabe said: “Let everyone in the inclusive government know that our nation will never prosper through foreign handouts, no nation ever did with merely a dime here for drugs, a dime for food, a farthing here for disease and another farthing for your budget. Nations are built on their own endowments.

“We must assert ourselves as the inclusive government, we must say no you (Britain) cannot come to us as principals to tell us what to do. We say no to British rule, no to colonialism.”

Tsvangirai and another former opposition leader Arthur Mutambara, who both attended Msika’s burial, agreed to form a power-sharing government with Mugabe last February to try to tackle Zimbabwe’s multi-faceted crisis.

Analysts say the coalition government offers Zimbabwe the best opportunity in a decade to restore stability and end a devastating economic and humanitarian crisis that had seen the once prosperous country suffer rampant inflation, acute food shortages, record unemployment and deepening poverty.

But the administration, which says it needs US$10 billion to revive the economy, could fail to deliver on its promise unless it is able to unlock vital financial support from Western donor governments that have remained reluctant to provide aid until they see evidence that Mugabe is committed to genuinely share power with Tsvangirai. – ZimOnline

Edinburgh Day 2

After a long tiring night of waiting for our passport the previous day, and after a good night's sleep, we finally had the mood to really explore Edinburgh.

Breakfast is a must. Gives us energy for the long walk.

1st stop, Yoong was dying to see the compounds and buildings of University of Scotland, and its near our hostel anyway, so the we went to this Medical School 1st.

Really, their buildings really are grander than the ones in Belfast (which by the way, look like some small office).

Grandlike, isn't it?? Reminds me of the lawn area in Trinity College in Dublin.

And this weird looking shop ain't selling anything related to fringe. Just a name...

And this old looking church. Was wondering, did the Scotland government wanted this building to be so old looking, unfurbished, just let it rot on purpose so that it could be an attraction?? It looks really moulded and like its going to rot..

Mirrors outside world of illusion. I love this mirror. Makes me look so thin ^__^

Nah, that ain't me... I'm much slimmer...

Went to the Castle of Scotland and saw these 2 mascot (unicorn and some sort of tiger) trying to attract some attention...

There you go, the famous castle. At least its bigger than the one in Belfast.

Entrance to the Castle. It ain't cheap. £20 per person. And all we were looking were exhibitions and old buildings...

This is a memorial for soldier dogs. Unique isn't it?? I mean, there's nothing like I'd seen before.

National memorial.. Really had been wondering what were we snapping, I can't find any decent pics. It should be pretty for Christ sake.

Famous Scottish bag pipes and kilts. And its super expensive to get that uniform or buying something similar to it (tartan designs are always expensive)

Wanted to buy a bag here, but the price was like so so expensive T__T, so I just landed with just a headband.

This shop was in the to-do-list of tourist, gotta try it..

And it didn't disappoint. Soft warm creamy potatoes with vegetarian rice and that vegetarian samosa just exceed our expectations. Tasty indeed.

So this is where Napolean fight during the war. Love the name. Maybe I should call my kids waterloo -__-, or maybe just loo -__- (just kidding).

Scenary from Calton Hill.

National monument on top of it. Like some sort of Rome architecture...

The Portugese canon. They really are experts in doing these kinda thingy, I mean, they left canons in Malaysia too...

Stewart Monument. Nothing special here.

Ways to prevent burglar.

Another old-looking architecture.

Trying to find out way around the city. Its a pain in the ass to study map, to be serious...

Some building. Don't ask me what.

There are so many Close in Scotland. Its like a small and narrow alley which leads from one main street to another.

Oh yeah, our hostel is just superb. They have this really colourful wall paintings and its so clean and they have this common/reading/watching tv room. And their kitchen are so adequate with utensils that I'm so surprised.

Dinner was Mussels cooked in white wine sauce, fries and potatoes. There's like 1kg mussels and we were so damn full after that. Its quite nice for the 1st few mouthfuls, but after that, its quite a torture to finish it all. Nevertheless, the make decent chips and decent sauteed potatoes, and I have to give credits to the big ass mussels.

I heard from Yoong that once we had the same pot of mussels (but in a different place) and the mussel meat were pearl-like big. This is definitely worth the money, he said....

And we end the night by paying £23. Its quite worth it really.

And there you go, this is how we spent a day in Edinburgh. Dead tired that time...

Day 11 - Living without you.