Zimbabwean authorities said today they would recount the votes from nearly two dozen parliamentary races as the ruling party sought to overturn election results that cost it control of the legislature for the first time.

Political rallies were banned in Zimbabwe from today as the country’s crisis deepened.

Zimbabwe’s main opposition leader has urged the South African president to use his influence and persuade Robert Mugabe to stand down.

Zimbabwe said today it was prepared to brief an emergency summit of southern African leaders on the situation in the country, but did not indicate whether President Robert Mugabe would attend.

THE Zimbabwe opposition’s bid to build up pressure on Robert Mugabe, after disputed polls bore fruit yesterday as plans were unveiled for a weekend summit to discuss the escalating crisis.

Zambia has called an emergency summit of southern African leaders to discuss the crisis in neighbouring Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe’s African neighbours must pressure President Robert Mugabe to resign, says Australian Prime Minister John Howard.

A British al Qaida suspect has been extradited to the UK from Zambia, it was reported today.

A blast ripped through an explosives manufacturing plant at a copper mine in Zambia today, killing at least 51 people, authorities said today.

The brother of Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa was found dead in a hotel room in Pretoria today, South African police said.

Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa has declared the nation’s food crisis a national disaster and has appealed for urgent international aid to help four million of his people avoid starvation.

Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa has declared the nation’s food crisis a national disaster and asked for urgent international aid to help the four million people threatened with starvation.

Levy Mwanawasa has been sworn in as Zambian president, capping a hotly contested election marred by street riots sparked by opposition allegations that the ruling party rigged the vote.

A Zambian high court judge today ruled that the country’s new president can be declared and inaugurated, rejecting opposition claims that the ruling party rigged the vote.