In Brief

French Diplomat killed in Ivory Coast ABIDJAN – A French diplomat with the European Union in Ivory Coast was shot to death in his home overnight, a spokesman for the French Embassy said yesterday.

The victim, Michel Miaucel, was in charge of West Africa security operations for the EU, embassy spokesman Jacques Cuzi said. Cuzi said Miaucel had been shot with his own gun by unknown assailants and died in his home.There did not appear to be any political motivation for the killing, but the investigation was still ongoing, and suicide has been ruled out, he said.* ‘Respite’ for Zimbabwe’s farmers A Zimbabwean minister has said the last white farmers can stay on their land long enough to harvest their crops even though the deadline has passed.But Lands Minister Didymus Mutasa told the UN’s Irin news agency that the farmers would still have to leave.Many of Zimbabwe’s remaining 400 white farmers were supposed to have left their farms at the weekend.The seizure of some 4 000 white-owned farms has seen a collapse in Zimbabwe’s agricultural production.Nampa-Reuters-ZimonlineCuzi said Miaucel had been shot with his own gun by unknown assailants and died in his home.There did not appear to be any political motivation for the killing, but the investigation was still ongoing, and suicide has been ruled out, he said.* ‘Respite’ for Zimbabwe’s farmers A Zimbabwean minister has said the last white farmers can stay on their land long enough to harvest their crops even though the deadline has passed.But Lands Minister Didymus Mutasa told the UN’s Irin news agency that the farmers would still have to leave.Many of Zimbabwe’s remaining 400 white farmers were supposed to have left their farms at the weekend.The seizure of some 4 000 white-owned farms has seen a collapse in Zimbabwe’s agricultural production.Nampa-Reuters-Zimonline