UNEDITED TELEVISION SCRIPT

It was hailed as a major breakthrough a year ago today - the power-sharing pact between Tsvangirai and Mugabe. South Africa’s Mail and Guardian reports on the political situation in Zimbambwe over the past 12 months. Tsvangirai won control of the Finance Ministry while Mugabe still has a firm grip on the security forces, state media and the Justice Ministry. However, according to Sydney Masamvu of the International Crisis Group, “It’s a flawed agreement, a dysfunctional arrangement.”

Key appointments have yet to be agreed upon such as the governor of the Central Bank and the Attorney General and key provisions have yet to be enacted – creating a new security council and drawing up a new constitution. One political analyst says that power is not shared, “it’s divided”.

More bad news about Zimbabwe in the Wall Street Journal – a UN body that polices the diamond trade has concluded that there are human rights abuses by the country’s army and police in relation to the industry.

The team found that the army used violence to remove illegal diamond panners. There are also accounts of beatings of men and women by the security forces and scars from dog-bites and batons.

The team recommends that Zimbabwe suspend itself from the Kimberly Process which is a trade certification scheme, this until the government addresses the problem. Obviously that’s not going to happen. The controversy now is whether diamonds that are being exported as Kimberly certified are in fact so-called “blood diamonds”.

Staying with the Wall Street Journal, Nicolas Sarkozy yesterday unveiled plans for a new index to measure a country’s economic success. This is based on the conclusions of a commission led by economist Joseph Stiglitz. From now in gauging the health of the economy, France will include well-being, including factors such as time off, health care and family relationships in addition the classic measure of gross domestic product.

Many criticise the GDP index as flawed – for instance GDP often rises after a natural catastrophe because of the reconstruction effort it creates. As for the real cost of the catastrophe itself, it’s not taken into account.

Blacks in the US are suffering more because of the recession according to an article in the International Herald Tribune.

In 2008, when the economy was only beginning to disimprove, the typical African-American family had only a dime for every dollar of wealth possessed by the typical white family.

Despite all this, there is a surge of white racial resentment. Many think that with the first black President and a healthcare reform, blacks will get more care. The Fox News website has put forth a theory that health reform is a stealth version of reparations for slavery! With the standard of living of white Americans going down, it’s all to easy to imagine that it’s because someone else is climbing up over your back, the paper notes.

The Times of London reports that the infamous Bush shoe-thrower Mutazar Al-Zaidi was tortured while in jail. He was repeatedly injected with unknown substances, tortured with cigarettes and had his nose and ribs broken, according to his brother. His family is going to send him to Greece for physical and psychological treatment upon his release. Al-Zaidi was expected to be released yesterday but that has been pushed back to today.

The Daily Telegraph meanwhile reports that a hero’s welcome awaits Al Zaidi. He has been offered cars money and a penthouse apartment by the television station he worked for and presents ranging from a golden horse to a wife!!