‘Beijing’ the Chinese Olympic Committee tells us, ‘is about to show the world a grand picture of "peace, friendship, and progress of mankind" and to strike up the passionate movement of "faster, higher, and stronger" for mankind’. Indeed, the upcoming Olympic Games are meant to celebrate the emergence of the new China, and the energy and dynamism of its 1.3 billion people.

For the first time in Zimbabwe's history, an election recount is taking place. The recounting of votes for 23 seats in the country's legislature began on Saturday, with the opposition Movement for Democratic Change and most legal analysts calling it illegal.

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso is calling for a swift transition to democracy in Zimbabwe. Barosso says Zimbabweans have voted for change from President Robert Mugabe's rule.

Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe is ready to contest a second round of the presidential election, a spokesman for his ruling Zanu-PF party says.

Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai declined to declare himself the winner of a presidential election on Tuesday, saying he would wait until an announcement from the electoral commission.

Zimbabwe's main opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), released premature election results on Sunday, which claim a large victory for their presidential candidate Morgan Tsvangirai against incumbent Robert Mugabe.

Throughout Zimbabwe there has recently been an upsurge of religious revivalism linked no doubt with the desperate state of the country. Signs and portents are being perceived as ushering in messianic days. Into this situation the news that the Ark of the Covenant has been discovered in the storeroom of a Harare museum has fallen like a thunderbolt.

Political observers in Zimbabwe are charging new voting districts created by the government violate the country's constitution. Peta Thornycroft reports for VOA that election experts say the government has failed to allow details of the new constituencies to be debated in parliament as required by the constitution.

The decision by a faction of Zimbabwe’s main opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) to contest in March elections is generating controversy. This comes after unity talks between the Arthur Mutambara faction and that of Morgan Tsvangirai reached a deadlock with no resolution on a single presidential candidate ahead of next month’s vote.

Zimbabwe has extradited a former British special forces officer to Equatorial Guinea, where he faces charges of leading a 2004 coup plot to topple the government of the oil-rich West African nation. Peta Thornycroft has more for VOA.

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe announced on Friday that general elections will be held on March 29, when he will seek a sixth term in office. Peta Thornycroft reports that on February 8, candidates will have to register at the nomination court but there are likely to be only two political parties there - the ruling ZANU-PF and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change.

Zimbabwe's main opposition leader was briefly detained by police Wednesday, ahead of a planned protest march.