Terry wants to open a home with more amenities such as a football pitch

Terry wants to open a home with more amenities, such as a football pitch.Some local donations come through Nejla Pabari, the wife of an Indian businessman who distributes donated food to Aids orphans around the town. She says the devastation of Aids in Kisumu is hard to grasp."At this time of the year in Europe kids go into department stores not knowing what to choose," she says. "And here we are, giving milk and bread as Christmas presents.". High-ranking ministers in President Robert Mugabe's government agreed yesterday to meet representatives of commercial farmers to discuss ending the land crisis, in an important step towards bringing peace to Zimbabwe.

High-ranking ministers in President Robert Mugabe's government agreed yesterday to meet representatives of commercial farmers to discuss ending the land crisis, in an important step towards bringing peace to Zimbabwe. The United Nationsbrokered discussions, the first since June, will begin next month and will run in tandem with talks between Zimbabwean ministers and donors. "We are very encouraged by this development," said Victor Angelou, the UN resident co-ordinator who chaired a meeting yesterday between government ministers and ambassadors from donor countries and from southern Africa.Zimbabwe's Supreme Court ruled yesterday that "fast track" acquisition was unconstitutional and, for a second time this year, declared the seizures of white-owned farms illegal.President Mugabe has argued that it is wrong that 70 per cent of the southern African country's arable land is in the hands of about 4,000 mostly white farmers and foreign investors. Britain and other donors argue that they are ready to finance a land-reform programme agreed with Zimbabwe's government in 1998.However, as the land occupations have spread, the donors' position has hardened and they now insist no money will be paid until there is a return to law and order.What has become clear is that 76-year-old Mr Mugabe - who has been in power for 20 years - intends to use land as the central plank of his campaign to stay in power at least until presidential elections in 2002. However, optimistic diplomats believe last week's Zanu-PF congress - at which Mr Mugabe escaped the leadership challenge he had feared - marked a turning point.One EU diplomat said: "Mugabe can see that the economy is in tatters, there is no petrol in the pumps and the donors are all agreed that they will stay away until law and order is restored. If a Zanu-PF candidate is to win the 2002 election, the country needs to be put back on its feet again." David Hasluck, director of the Commercial Farmers' Union, said that after the Zanu-PF congress "I am a lot more hopeful that things can go forward".Publicly,Ignatius Chombo, the Local Government Minister who attended yesterday's meeting with other ministers involved in land resettlement, claims the "fast-track" programme is a success. Privately, many ministers believe Mr Mugabe's obsession is driving the country into the ground.Mr Angelou said: "Everyone needs to be ready to compromise and I think the mood is right." However, his optimism yesterday was tempered by the release of details of a letter from Mark Malloch Brown, envoy of the UN secretary general, Kofi Annan, to Mr Mugabe which, in effect, rules out a resumption of aid unless "fast track" seizures are abandoned.Mr Malloch Brown said efforts by the UN to restore donor funding depended on Zimbabwe adopting a "more systematic investment-backed approach" to land reform..

Supermarket chain Sainsbury said today it had sold its Homebase home-improvement business to venture capitalists Schroder Ventures for £750 million. Supermarket chain Sainsbury said today it had sold its Homebase home-improvement business to venture capitalists Schroder Ventures for £750 million. Sainsbury will retain an 18 per cent stake in Homebase, said the company's CEO, Sir Peter Davis. It also will sell 28 sites earmarked for development to Kingfisher PLC - owner of the B&Q do-it-yourself chain - for £219 million.Sir Peter announced earlier this year that Sainsbury, under pressure from aggressive rivals, would concentrate on its core supermarket business."Our priority now is to focus on food retailing and to devote our management and financial resources to the profit recovery in our U.K. supermarket business and in becoming first choice for food shopping," he said today.Sainsbury used to be the country's largest grocery chain, but rival Tesco overtook it in 1995 in terms of sales and profits. Recent reports suggest it may also have fallen behind Asda in terms of market share.Like other British supermarkets, Sainsbury has come under increased pressure since Wal-Mart Stores. entered the British market last year with the purchase of Asda.Homebase is Europe's fifth-largest home-improvement chain with a 1.9 per cent market share..

There are lies, damn lies and supermarket statistics. And Asda was doing its best yesterday to use a new set of market share figures to its advantage. The claim by Wal-Mart-owned Asda was that it has overtaken J Sainsbury to become Britain's second biggest supermarket group after Tesco Well yes, and no There are lies, damn lies and supermarket statistics. And Asda was doing its best yesterday to use a new set of market share figures to its advantage. The claim by Wal-Mart-owned Asda was that it has overtaken J Sainsbury to become Britain's second biggest supermarket group after Tesco. Well yes, and no. According to new figures from Taylor Nelson Sofres, the research group, Asda now has 15.4 per cent of the UK grocery market compared with Sainsbury's 15 per cent, based on the number of packs sold. But it is that last part "the number of packs sold", that bears closer scrutiny.There is no doubt that in the 12 weeks to 10 December Asda edged ahead of Sainsbury in terms of volume.