• Britain expressed skepticism yesterday about Zimbabwe’s new coalition government, but pledged support because of the suffering of the population, indicating a shift in the West’s stance on the crisis. The comments followed a similar shift of tone from Washington since opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai agreed to enter a power sharing government with President Robert Mugabe last week. “We’re skeptical but we’ve got to try and help this work,” a British official said, saying Britain and others would be generous donors if the agreement succeeded.
• A look at the collapsing education system in Zimbabwe shows that of the country’s 130,000 teachers, roughly 60,000 have left the country or the profession because hyperinflation rendered their salaries worthless. The collapse is even more stunning considering it was not many years ago that Zimbabwe boasted the highest educational standards in Africa. Its literacy rate, for instance, rivaled America’s, and 96 percent of its children attended school.

-Steve Wilson