NERVOUS Zimbabweans have gone on a reluctant shopping spree ahead of the phasing out of the nation's old bank notes on Monday.

Consumers have stocked up on bulk goods . . .from coffee to toilet paper . . . and the wealthier splurged on new cell phones, clothing, and household and electronic items, store owners said yesterday.

The changeover to a new range of bills comes after the central bank struck three zeros off the old notes in the hyperinflation economy and earlier this month began issuing the new denominations that include bills for cents, a rarity in world currencies.

Palestinian deputy prime minister seized by Israeli troops in West Bank

ISRAEL seized Palestinian deputy prime minister Naser al-Shaer, a top official of the Hamas militant group, at his home in the occupied West Bank yesterday.

Hours later, a Palestinian gunman killed an Israeli soldier in a driveby shooting near the West Bank city of Nablus, the army and medics said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.

Israel has more than two dozen Hamas lawmakers and several other cabinet ministers in custody since late June, after it launched an offensive in response to the kidnapping of a soldier in a crossborder raid from the Gaza Strip.

US confident on Sudan peacekeeping mission despite threats

THE US dismissed a threat by Sudan's president to fire on any UN force sent to Darfur, where more than 200,000 people have been killed since 2003.

The African Union, which has peacekeeping troops in the western Sudanese region, would make up the majority of an expanded UN force that would benefit the Sudanese government as well as the people of Darfur, State Department deputy spokesman Tom Casey said.

"Ultimately, we believe that this is in the interest of all the participants in Sudan, including the government, and we expect that they will ultimately agree to let this go forward, " he said.

30 years on Amnesty to revive the Secret Policeman's Balls

AMNESTY International is reviving its Secret Policeman's Balls, comedy events spearheaded by Monty Python star John Cleese 30 years ago to raise awareness and cash for the human-rights group.

The new show, on 14 October, will be held at London's Royal Albert Hall and will feature what the organisation called an "unprecedented lineup of comedy and music talent".