London, July 28 : New recruits in Zimbabwe’s army lack the most basic training and a soldier now earns 11 pounds less than the World Bank’s definition of absolute poverty which is a monthly wage of 15 pounds a month.

Corporal Peter Choto, who joined the army 10 years ago, painted a vivid picture of a military machine in headlong collapse.

President Robert Mugabe relies on the army to keep him in power and its generals are now believed to be the most powerful men in Zimbabwe.

Johannesburg - Talks between Zimbabwe's political parties on the formation of a powersharing government got underway in earnest Thursday in South Africa.

Negotiators from President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF party, opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) and a splinter MDC faction led by Arthur Mutambara had begun the talks at a secret location, a senior MDC source said.

The negotiators chosen to represent each faction are the same as during the initial "talks about talks" that took place last week in Pretoria, with the addition of MDC Women's Assembly chairwoman Theresa Makone and chairman Lovemore Moyo as observers.

Johannesburg - Talks between Zimbabwe's political parties on the formation of a powersharing government were due to get underway Tuesday in South Africa, a day after President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai inked an agreement to negotiate.

South African diplomatic sources confirmed to Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa that the talks would begin Tuesday, but refused to divulge the venue or give other details.

On Monday, Mugabe, Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara, leader of a breakaway MDC faction, signed a memorandum of understanding setting out the agenda and the ground rules for the two weeks of talks on the formation of an "inclusive" government.

Johannesburg - The red carpet was rolled out at a hotel in Zimbabwe's capital Harare Monday ahead of the signing, scheduled for later, by President Robert Mugabe and opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Morgan Tsvangirai of a key agreement on talks.

The city's Rainbow Towers Hotel was the neutral venue chosen for the signing ceremony, at which Mugabe will represent his Zanu-PF and Tsvangirai will sign on behalf of his MDC faction.

The third party to the agreement is Arthur Mutambara, leader of a smaller MDC faction.

Johannesburg/Harare - Zimbabwe's central bank has introduced a bearer's cheque of 100 billio

Melbourne, July 19 : Grappling with record 2.2 million per cent inflation, Zimbabwe has intr