West Yorkshire police detectives investigating a multi-million pound fraud involving banks and building societies have arrested 17 people. In a raid on 30 houses mostly in Leeds 15 Zimbabwean nationals are said to have been arrested, enquiries to confirm their identities are on going.

West Yorkshire police said the arrests follows months of painstaking investigative work. The investigation centres on a fraud involving high-value cheques stolen from financial institutions over the past 18 months.

The amount involved was initially assessed to be £4.8 million but hundreds of cheques with a face value of £2 million were recovered during the raids at some of the addresses.
16 man and on woman have been arrested so far. Six of the arrested man have been charged with fraud offences whilst the rest have been bailed pending further investigations.

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A few weeks ago I started getting myself ready for Christmas. It has not been easy considering the costs involved. I had to buy some stuff for my family back in Zimbabwe. The problem is what to send them, they would want clothes from UK and other accessories. But there is a severe food shortage in Zimbabwe, the supermarkets shelves are empty, so now I have to send food also. It's not easy sending food items all the way to Zimbabwe.

The problem with sending goods over a long distance to Zimbabwe, is the shipping costs involved. I have had to deal with some cargo shipping company costing me about £180.00. The deal seems to be good in that I can put as much stuff as I can in the packaging they supply, it does not matter what I'm sending.

The other advantage is I do not have to pay duty in Zimbabwe. This is a major plus since our government has decided to charge duty in US dollars. It is a lot of money to pay considering how much you have spend already buying your goods and also shipping costs.

We may consider buying things back home, even though it may be a preferable and cheaper option, there is nothing in the shops. The supermarket shelves are empty. Wonder what they are going to do with those supermarrket buildings.

So what sort of Christmas are they going to have back home, whilst some feast on those extra big GMO turkeys, buy one get one free products from tesco, extra cheap beer, wine, whisky and even cigarates which you can not get in Zimbabwe? It used to be funny and everyone would look forward to Christmas and really enjoy it. I remember my grandfather would kill at least a cattle every holiday. So there was plenty to eat for everyone.

Christmas was time to get new clothes, I remember one time I got new school uniforms Christmas time so I ended up wearing my new school uniform on Christmas day. At least I had new clothes. Being that very young new clothes and food was all that mattered.

Christmas was a time to eat plenty food, bread with butter and sun jam, chicken and rice and plenty drinks (ma cokes)coca cola, fanta plus Tarino, with family. After the family feast then came the time to go to the townships, there was a lot of dancing here. The village people can dance and those from town will be showing off there skills too.

We would buy sweets(1c for 2), biscuits and even more drinks plus loaf of bread. It was a real feast. Wish I could turn back the years.

Those days the fathers would have plenty money around Christmas time. They would keep their bonus so we could enjoy together as a family. That is if the father did not fall for the clever women, they used to be very loving around this time. They surely new how to get what they wanted.

Today I don't know if they are even looking forward to Christmas. The economy is so bad, there is no money and even if you had the money there is nothing to buy. Even if you find something to buy, you need a sack load of notes.

Lets not forget our loving ones and families this Christmas. It is time for giving.

Merry Christmas

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"The US government will impose travel and financial sanctions on about 40 more people with ties to Zimbabwean president, Robert Mugabe after the escalated use of violence to crack down on dissent within the country", said US official Jendayi Frazer.

Are these sanctions necessary and do they work? If they are supposed to benefit somebody, who benefits from these sanctions? If they are meant to make someone suffer, who is suffering from these sanctions? All Zimbabweans want is a better way of living.


These US sanctions have surely done more harm to the country than the benefits they were supposed to bring if at all there were any. The country's image has been tarnished, of cause there maybe other factors contributing. But with all this talk about sanctions on the leaders of the country, all the international community gets is a negative picture the country.
No meaningful economic development will take place especially in this current environment. Investors will not want to come to the country.

I admit there are other problems within the country contributing to the current state of things, but the major problem is economic decline. Do these sanctions help improve the state of the economy?

For years now, we have had these sanctions but they do not seem to be helping the country either. We have had economic problems for years now, and a lot of factors including management decisions, both locally and internationally have affected the state of our economy. We have also had poor rainfall pattens which have adversely affected our agriculture based economy.

Now we have Zimbabwean asylum seekers being deported back home, were supposedly they face risk of persecution. If it makes sense to keep these sanctions, one would think Zimbabweans should not be deported back home. A lot of Zimbabweans have left the country since the late 90's because of the economic situation. This is the major problem affecting Zimbabwe today.
One would want to live where you can get the basic necessities, not for free, not benefits but you are working for them.

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A zimbabwean man has been arrested for using (10 cent)bank notes as business cards. Denis Paul a proffesional hunter and lodge owner from Bulawayo, Zimbabwe's second largest city was arrested on charges of defacing bank notes. He faces a fine or upto a year in prison.
Why he needed to bring these notes to London, I find it difficult to understand. These notes are valueless, current exchange rate is £1 - $8 million Zimbabwean dollars, so there is no need to carry these 10 cent notes anymore.

He is quoted in the state paper, The Herald as saying that he stamped his business details on 100, 10cent bearer cheaques for distribution at the World Tourism Market Fair in London last month because he had left without his usual business cards.


I guess these maybe the same notes the reserve bank governor was complaining about a few weeks ago, when he announced that he wants to change the local currency. What ever the motive for using the bank notes as business cards, the truth is those pieces of paper are not worth anything. With the exchange rate at £1 - ZW$8 million. Who would want a 10 cent bearer cheque.

Actually this man might have been giving out cheap business cards which may not be good for his business image.
But surely why did this guy bring valueless bearer cheques all the way from Zimbabwe to London. No one would even accept to change those 10 cent notes if he intended to. Why is he still moving around with those valueless notes. To buy a killogram of beef you need $6 million Zimbabwean dollars.

Even though he may say he did not mean to tarnish the already battered image of the country, I find it difficult to understand why? He is still moving around with 10 cent bearer cheques, especially in London.

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The president of the European Union Mr Jose Manuel Barroso, said " World leaders must be prepared to deal with dictators 'your mother would not like you to meet". So was Gordon Brown right not to attend the summit because Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe was invited?
Was it not in Britain's best interest for Mr Brown to attend? Did his absence help the Zimbabwean cause in anyway? Surely the summit was about EU and Africa Union of which Zimbabwe is part of the problems that maybe addressed at these meetings.

Did Britain stand to benefit in anyway, if Mr Brown had attended the summit. Surely Britain owes it to it's European Union members to be part of these meetings. The problem if there is any, is between Britain and the current EU president who invited Robert Mugabe to the summit.

Because of what has been happening in Zimbabwe for the past few years. The current state of the economy because of mismanagement and different problems faced by the people, many people believe Robert Mugabe should not attend this summit. But if he is not attending the summit because of the travel sanctions imposed on him, who will be there to represent Zimbabwe? The country is part of the African Union isn't it?

Isolating Zimbabwe this way I do not think will help the country, neither does it help the long suffering people of Zimbabwe. Now Zimbabweans are scattered all over the world, running away from their own country. They deserve all the help they can get from international community. Isolation in this way I don't think it will help.

This is an opportunity for Zimbabwe to be in the sport light again. Any media exposure of the Zimbabwean crisis, I think is better for the country.

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Muggers snatched a woman's handbag, unaware that it contained nothing but a dead rabbit.

The two thieves from Austria set on Hilda Morgenstein, 42 as she was about to catch a train from Baden, south of the capital Vienna to their countryside with her daughter to bury the pet.

from the London lite

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