Last month two general strikes in Zimbabwe brought the capital city of Harare to a standstill. The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) called two separate one-day strikes to protest against an IMF mandated 67% hike in the price of gasoline, which had pushed up food prices by one-third and public transport fares by 100%. The ZCTU was demanding that the government roll back the price hikes and that businesses agree to wage increases. Conditions in Zimbabwe have deteriorated recently under Pres. Robert Mugabe, who has continued to funnel public money to his cronies. He's also spending about $1 million per day on the war in The Congo to back up Laurent Kabila's government. 50% unemployment and the devaluation of the national currency has sent the economy into a tailspin. In October, nearly half of Harare was without running water for lack of functioning pumps to distribute it; this prompted a crowd of women waving empty pails to chase down Mayor Solomon Tawengwa when he visited their township. Also, municipal garbage collectors have been on strike to protest non-payment of their wages. In rural areas of Zimbabwe, veterans of Zimbabwe's war of independence have been leading a wave of farm occupations to demand the redistribution of land. Most of Zimbabwe's agricultural land is still owned by a small group of white plantation owners.--Maria Tomchick

Last month pop star Michael Jackson made a visit to Zimbabwe to explore business opportunities there, which begs the obvious question: who has the higher gross national product? Jackson spent his time hobnobbing with Pres. Robert Mugabe and officials of the state-owned arms manufacturing company Zimbabwe Defense Industries (ZDI). ZDI is currently churning out weapons for use in the civil war in the Congo. Mugabe denied that Jackson was interested in arms deals, although Jackson has investments in United Pacific Holdings Group, widely described as a manufacturing, trading, and energy conglomerate. Many analysts believe the war in the Congo is being fought over that country's natural resources, particularly diamonds, minerals, and oil. Interestingly, Jackson "beat it" out of Zimbabwe just in time to miss the ZCTU's second general strike.--M.T.

December 1, in addition to being World AIDS Day. is marked by international human rights and conscientious objector groups each year as Prisoners for Peace Day. Each year, an "Honour Roll" of persons imprisoned around the world because of their political and/or moral beliefs is released through War Resisters International in London. The idea is for folks to send cards and letters during the holiday season as a reminder that people from around the world are supportive of their case and have not forgotten them. This year's focus (though the list is worldwide) is on Indonesia, East Timor, and West Papau. To obtain a copy of the list, in English, French, German, or Spanish, contact WRI at 5 Caledonian Road, London N1 9DX Britain; fax 44-171-278-0444; e-mail warresisters@gn.apc.org.--Geov Parrish

One week after the Indonesian military gunned down students in the streets of Jakarta, 4,000 demonstrators marched through Jakarta on Nov. 19 to lay flowers outside of the parliament building. Demonstrations have continued over the past two weeks, with students demanding the ouster of Defense Minister and Chief of Armed Forces Gen. Wiranto and his protege Pres. Habibie, and prosecution of Suharto for corruption. The government has responded by jailing 10 opposition activists, including two retired generals and several politicians, for "inciting the violence" that was committed by government troops under direct order from Wiranto. Dissension within the Indonesian government is on the rise: Cabinet Minister Adi Sasono announced on Nov. 18 that autopsies performed on several of the students killed in the melee two weeks ago showed that they were shot with live ammunition, not rubber bullets, as the military had claimed. Also, a government-based human rights commission has confirmed that women raped during the June riots that preceded Suharto's downfall were victims of the military and government-paid paramilitary groups. Meanwhile, the U.S. media has again jumped on the story of "ethnic riots," without clarifying that the fundamentalist Muslims who are burning Christian churches in Indonesia and killing Chinese shopkeepers are the same radical paramilitary groups that the military mobilized to kill suspected Communists and labor leaders during Suharto's reign. And here's yet another overlooked fact: food costs have skyrocketed, and the Indonesian people are starving. Hunger and fanaticism together make a deadly cocktail.--M.T.