Frequent flier Mugabe racks up the air miles - and dollars
HARARE, (Reuters) - Despite his advancing years and increasing frailty, 93-year-old Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe shows few signs of losing his love for foreign travel, a predilection that is costing his cash-strapped country dear.
Having racked up 200,000 air miles since the start of 2016 and outspent the parliamentary budget on trips abroad, Mugabe jetted off to the Mexican resort of Cancun this week for a “Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction” conference with a three dozen-strong delegation in tow.
Back home the trip raised eyebrows, with opposition wags wondering whether Mugabe, who presided over economic collapse and multi-billion percent inflation a decade ago, was there to talk about causing disasters rather than preventing them.
The length of the trip was another bone of contention in a country where banks seldom allow withdrawals of more than $50 a day and the government frequently pays state wages late.
Mugabe left on May 19 on a private charter flight - his normal Air Zimbabwe plane is grounded - with an entourage of at least 35 officials, including cabinet ministers, bodyguards and reporters from state TV and the official newspaper, the Herald.
He is expected back on Friday - a seven-day trip for the three-day U.N. conference, also attended by leaders from the likes of Albania, Dominica, Swaziland and Kiribati.
During that time, Herald staffers will receive a daily allowance of $1,000 and other officials up to $1,500 depending on their rank, according to a government official who helped organise the trip.
By contrast, the average state employee in Zimbabwe is paid $500 a month. LONDON, (Reuters) - British police have arrested a “large part of the network” behind this week’s Manchester suicide bombing but more arrests are likely, the country’s top counter-terrorism officer said yesterday.
Mark Rowley said “immense” progress had been made in the investigation into Salman Abedi, who killed 22 people, seven of them children, at a pop concert in Manchester on Monday.
“They’re very significant, these arrests. We’re very happy we’ve got our hands around some of the key players that we are concerned about. But as I say, there is still a little bit more to do,” Rowley told broadcasters.
Since the attack, armed police backed up by the army have been patrolling cities and trains. Interior minister Amber Rudd said the official threat risk remained at its highest level, “critical”, meaning another attack is expected imminently.
Hospitals have been warned to be ready. However, Security Minister Ben Wallace said there was no evidence of a specific threat over Britain’s holiday weekend, when major events will take place including Saturday’s soccer FA Cup final in London, where extra armed officers will be on duty.