Zimbabwe

Police fired tear gas and deployed water cannons to disperse a demonstration, that represented a united opposition front against longtime ruler Robert Mugabe.

"This rot needs to be uprooted, and right now," say the veterans, who have been among Robert Mugabe's staunchest allies. They've played a pivotal, often violent role keeping him in power since 1980.

The move by President Robert Mugabe has reportedly emptied one women's prison of all but two inmates serving life sentences. All juveniles are said to have been pardoned.

Yes, he's a comic book character. And he lives in an imaginary place. But it may be based on a regional powerhouse that flourished in what is now Zimbabwe.

A government minister said the proceeds will be used "to buy food and secure water facilities for distressed animals." Zimbabwe is famous for parks full of animals such as elephants and lions.

The president of Zimbabwe celebrated his birthday as he does every year — with a massive party. The bash cost nearly a million dollars, in a region of the country suffering a devastating drought.

In some countries, parents don't send daughters to school. The obstacle can be tuition fees of, say, $300 a year. But a coal miner's daughter has found a way to bring 1.4 million girls to class.

Zimbabwe's capital has virtually no goats. Yet the president has issued a ban, stating: "We do not want ... the sort of mayhem you see in other countries where you see goats in the city center."