Zimbabwe’s ruling party leaders are to consider abandoning widely-criticised proposals to delay presidential elections until 2010, it is reported.

Zimbabwe’s government faced strong international condemnation after police crushed a prayer demonstration and allegedly tortured the country’s most prominent opposition leader and killed a pro-democracy activist.

A national disaster management team was sent to a small town near the epicentre of Mozambique’s earthquake today to evaluate the damage caused by a quake that killed four people, injured 27 and destroyed more than 100 homes yesterday.

Police continued demolishing thousands of shacks and vendors’ kiosks in opposition strongholds today, burning a six-mile long line of curio stalls along the road near Victoria Falls.

A white farmer will be charged with murdering one of a group of black Zimbabweans that took over part of his land, police said today.

Zimbabwean police have shot and killed an American on a humanitarian mission under “unclear” circumstances, the US embassy said today.

Hopes have been raised that a national newspaper reporter imprisoned in Zimbabwe will soon be freed.

Zimbabwean soldiers have been accused of throwing a student off a moving train to his death because he supported the leading opposition party.