Today

Nearly two weeks on from Zimbabwe's presidential election and still no official news from the polls.

The delay in announcing results is thought to be designed to buy time for President Robert Mugabe to organise intimidation.

Independent and ruling party projections say Mr Tsvangirai from the opposition party Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) gained most votes but not the 50% needed to win outright.

The MDC says he gained 50.3% of the vote, but Zanu-PF has demanded a recount of the vote.

This week five election officials were arrested by Zimbabwe police in what looks like an attempt by Robert Mugabe to influence the poll. The five officials stand accused of undercounting votes for Mugabe and prejudicing his candidacy in the country's presidential election. The police allege they gave Mugabe 4,993 votes fewer than he earned.

Tendai Biti: "I say to my brothers and sisters across the continent - don't wait for dead bodies in the streets of Harare, intervene now."

Meanwhile, fears of mass violence are mounting amid claims from opposition party spokesman, Tendai Biti, that ruling party militants used in the past to intimidate government opponents are being rearmed.

Biti urged the African Union to intervene to prevent bloodshed.

"I say to my brothers and sisters across the continent — don't wait for dead bodies in the streets of Harare," Biti said. "Intervene now."

In response Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa has called an emergency meeting of southern African leaders to dicuss the Zimbabwean presidential poll delay.

His approach contrasts with South Africa's President Thabo Mbeki, who has urged patience.

Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa, who chairs the 14-nation South African Development Community (Sadc), said the entire region needed to work together to find a solution. The meeting is due to start on Saturday.

Zimbabwe's opposition party - Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) - is still hoping that legal action in the High Court will lead to the immediate release of the presidential results.

The judge in charge of reviewing the petition has said he will try to come to a decision on Monday.

"Conscious of the urgency of the matter, I am of the view that if I exert myself to study the submissions, I should be ready with a judgement on Monday," said judge Tendai Uchena.