Zim News Blog -NEWS NETWORK

MANCHESTER, England — The wins just keep on coming for Arsenal – and Liverpool’s losing streak is finally over.

Mikel Arteta’s team extended its lead at the top of the Premier League to seven points on Saturday with a 2-0 victory against Burnley. Liverpool won by the same scoreline against Aston Villa to end a four-game losing run in England’s top flight.

It’s 13 wins from 15 games in all competitions for Arsenal after a flying start to the season that has only strengthened belief it will end its long-running title drought.

Not since 2004 has the London club been crowned English champion – but it has quickly established itself as the team to beat this season.

First half goals from Viktor Gyokeres and Declan Rice at Turf Moor made it nine wins in a row and put further distance between Arsenal and the chasing pack.

“Every weekend I know how important it is to win football matches,” Rice said. “I realize the position we’re in and what we can achieve as a club.”

Liverpool is third after victory at Anfield, with Mohamed Salah scoring his 250th goal for the club.

Manchester United missed the chance to move up to second, but maintained its recent unbeaten run by scoring late to salvage a 2-2 draw at Nottingham Forest.

Chelsea beat Tottenham 1-0 and bottom of the table Wolverhampton remains winless after yet another defeat – losing 3-0 to Fulham.

Crystal Palace beat Brentford 2-0 and Brighton won 3-0 against Leeds.

Liverpool wins at last

Liverpool’s defense of the title has been shaken by a four-game losing run that has left it playing catch-up with Arsenal.

A home game against an Aston Villa team that beat Manchester City last week presented another serious challenge and when Morgan Rogers hit the post early in the match, the home crowd might have feared the worst.

That was until a misplaced pass by Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez gifted Salah the opening goal in first-half stoppage time. His 250th for the club was one of the easiest – sliding a first-time shot into an open net. Salah became only the third Liverpool player to reach that landmark – joining club greats Roger Hunt and Ian Rush.

In the second half, Ryan Gravenberch’s deflected shot effectively killed off any potential fightback from Villa.

Liverpool moved up to third in the standings – seven points behind Arsenal.

Defensive masterclass

Another win and another clean sheet for an Arsenal team that has by far the meanest defense in the league.

Victory at Burnley was the seventh straight shutout for the London club, which has only conceded three goals all term. This was also the third time in the league this season that Arsenal denied its opponent any shots on target.

Crucially, the goals are flowing at the other end and summer signing Viktor Gyokeres scored his sixth of the season to put Arsenal in front with a 14th minute header from close range. Rice doubled the lead in the 35th with another header low into the corner.

“We knew it was going to be a tough test, but we had to stick to our principles,” Rice said. “In the end our quality shone through.”

Amad saves United

Amad Diallo scored a stunning left-footed volley from the edge of the area to salvage a point for United and ensure coach Ruben Amorim’s unbeaten run was extended to four games.

United had led Forest at halftime at the City Ground after Casemiro’s header in the 34th.

But the visitors were stunned after the break when Morgan Gibbs-White and Nicolo Savona struck within five minutes of the restart to put new Forest coach Sean Dyche in sight of a first league win since taking charge.

“We lost control of the game for five minutes and we paid the price,” Amorim said.

Bruno Fernandes hit the post with a long range effort as United went in search of a leveler and in the 81st Diallo lashed a volley beyond Forest goalkeeper Matz Sels.

He might have scored a winner with another fierce strike that was cleared off the line.

“We managed to score, we had a big opportunity in the end. But we lost two points and that is the feeling, but we have the next week to work and to try and get these points in another stadium,” Amorim said.

Chelsea back to winning ways

Chelsea bounced back from last week’s defeat to Sunderland with victory against London rival Tottenham.

Joao Pedro’s finish in the 34th was enough to separate the teams at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but Enzo Maresca’s team had numerous chances to extend its lead.

Spurs’ league record at home is looking increasingly concerning for coach Thomas Frank, with the last win coming against Burnley on the opening day of the season.

Rock bottom Wolves

An eighth league defeat from 10 games this season leaves Wolves rock bottom and in danger of being cut adrift.

The signs were ominous from the ninth minute when Ryan Sessegnon opened the scoring for Fulham at Craven Cottage and it got worse from there.

The visitors were down to 10 men when Emmanuel Agbadou was sent off in the 36th and in the second half Harry Wilson extended Fulham’s lead before Yerson Mosquera’s own goal made it 3-0.

The latest defeat will only heighten speculation over the future of Wolves coach Vitor Pereira, who only signed a new three-year contract in September.

Vintage Welbeck

At the age of 34, Danny Welbeck is still delivering in England’s top flight.

The Brighton striker’s 11th-minute goal at the Amex Stadium was his sixth in as many games and opened the scoring against Leeds.

At this rate, the former Man United and Arsenal player may be a contender for England’s World Cup squad.

“I just control what I can control – I am enjoying playing my football here at Brighton, my focus is always on Brighton and doing the best that I can,” Welbeck said.

Diego Gomez scored twice in the second half to complete the 3-0 win for Brighton.

Jean-Philippe Mateta was on target for Palace in its 2-0 win against Brentford.

HARARE – Zimbabwe’s leading industrial body, the Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce (ZNCC), has urged the Government to introduce digital taxation on global technology firms such as Google, Meta, Microsoft and Netflix, arguing that the move could strengthen the country’s fiscal position and help restore balance to an overburdened tax system.

In its submission to Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube ahead of the 2026 National Budget, the ZNCC said the proposal is part of a wider strategy to rebuild a tax base severely eroded by the informalisation of nearly 76% of the economy.

The Chamber said the rebasing of Zimbabwe’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) earlier this year to US$44.4 billion from US$35.2 billion had shifted key fiscal ratios, exposing the fragility of the country’s revenue structure. Despite the nominal increase, the tax-to-GDP ratio fell sharply from 18% to around 14%, placing Zimbabwe well below the median range of 22% to 25% for lower-middle-income economies.

“With 96% of total revenue being tax-based, Zimbabwe’s fiscal structure remains narrow and excessively dependent on a limited base,” the ZNCC said in its report. “Further taxing the already compliant formal sector risks suppressing productivity. The focus must now shift toward growth-driven revenue expansion, formalisation, and digital transformation of tax administration.”

The ZNCC urged Treasury to require non-resident digital service providers such as Meta, Google, Microsoft and Netflix to register for income tax on services consumed in Zimbabwe, aligning the country with OECD best practices on cross-border digital taxation. The chamber acknowledged the limitations posed by Zimbabwe’s underdeveloped digital infrastructure but argued that such reforms were critical to fiscal sustainability.

The call comes at a time when the Government, already criticised for its heavy tax regime, is under pressure to find new revenue streams without overburdening the shrinking formal sector. Zimbabwe’s tax system is among the most stringent in the region, and the ZNCC’s proposal represents an attempt to expand the fiscal net rather than deepen existing burdens.

Globally, governments have intensified efforts to tax multinational tech firms that generate significant income from digital services in foreign markets. France, India, Kenya, and Nigeria have already introduced digital service taxes, while OECD member states are in the process of implementing the Pillar One and Two framework, which reallocates taxing rights and introduces a 15% global minimum corporate tax.

Analysts say adopting similar measures would position Zimbabwe within the global digital tax movement, aligning the country with evolving international standards while promoting tax fairness and fiscal justice.

Beyond digital taxation, the ZNCC recommended the creation of a Unified Business Registration and Tax Compliance Portal linking the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA), the National Social Security Authority (NSSA) and local authorities to simplify compliance. It also proposed a one-year presumptive tax amnesty for small enterprises entering the formal economy and a 5% advance tax on digital content creators and gig economy workers to streamline collection and prevent double taxation.

According to the chamber, a robust digital tax and compliance modernisation framework could raise Zimbabwe’s tax-to-GDP ratio to between 20% and 22% by 2027, supporting the Government’s goal of achieving upper-middle-income status under Vision 2030.

Treasury traditionally presents the national budget in November, although delays into December have occurred in previous years. Minister Ncube is currently consulting with industry bodies, civil society, and fiscal experts as part of pre-budget deliberations.

Economists note that if implemented transparently and efficiently, a digital tax regime could diversify Zimbabwe’s revenue base, promote fiscal equity, and reduce dependence on an already overstretched formal sector, marking an important step toward modernising the nation’s tax system in the digital age.

WASHINGTON,- US President Donald Trump said that he had instructed the Pentagon to prepare potential military measures against “Islamic terrorists” in Nigeria in order to protect Christians.

“If the Nigerian government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the US will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria, and may very well go into that now disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing,’ to completely wipe out the Islamic terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities,” the US leader wrote on his Truth Social page. Trump added that he had “instructed the Department of War to prepare for possible action.”

“If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our cherished Christians,” Trump added. “Warning: the Nigerian government better move fast,” he emphasized.

Trump had previously alleged that Christians in Nigeria are facing an existential threat. He promised that the US would protect them.

However, Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu rejected the US president’s accusations. Tinubu stated that characterizing Nigeria as a country of religious intolerance does not reflect reality and disregards the government’s consistent and sincere efforts to ensure freedom of religion and conscience for all Nigerians. According to the leader, Nigeria opposes and does not encourage persecution on religious grounds.

HARARE – The recently announced strategic partnership between Carlsberg and Varun Beverages to enter the Zimbabwean beer market is raising concern among industry watchers, who warn that the alliance could pose a significant long-term threat to the country’s most iconic non-alcoholic brand, Mazoe Crush.

The partnership, unveiled last week, is expected to accelerate Carlsberg’s expansion into Southern Africa’s beverage sector. Analysts believe the collaboration could pave the way for the introduction of Robinsons, a powerful British fruit drink owned by Carlsberg Britvic, which may upend Zimbabwe’s non-alcoholic drinks landscape and potentially displace Mazoe Crush from its market stronghold.

Carlsberg, the Danish multinational brewery giant founded in 1847, is among the world’s largest beverage companies, with operations spanning over 150 markets. Its partnership with Varun Beverages — one of Africa’s fastest-growing bottling companies and the franchise bottler for PepsiCo — represents a strong commercial alignment capable of reshaping regional beverage dynamics.

Robinsons, a British heritage brand that has dominated the UK market for more than two centuries, is produced by Britvic Ltd, now a subsidiary of Carlsberg Britvic following Carlsberg’s £3.3 billion acquisition of Britvic in 2024. Industry observers say that Robinsons’ entry into the Zimbabwean or regional market, backed by Carlsberg’s global distribution power and Varun’s vast bottling infrastructure, could rapidly erode Mazoe’s market share and alter consumer tastes.

With its strong international brand equity, superior flavour formulations and extensive marketing resources, Robinsons could become a formidable competitor to Schweppes Zimbabwe’s Mazoe, which has long been the dominant fruit drink brand in the country.

Market analysts warn that Carlsberg Britvic may eventually establish its own production facility in Zimbabwe or neighbouring South Africa, allowing it to compete more aggressively in the region’s fast-moving consumer goods market.

Industry experts have urged Schweppes Zimbabwe to treat the emerging threat with urgency, noting that the Carlsberg–Varun alliance signals a credible and imminent challenge to Mazoe’s long-term sustainability and dominance in the local market.

First lady, Auxillia Mnangagwa has told parents to use the whip on their children as outlawing corporal punishment is one of the reasons for the spiralling of social problems like early pregnancies, juvenile delinquency, drug abuse and other vices that bedevil the young generation. Mnangagwa said this when she addressed hundreds of women and school children at her Gota/Nhanga Programme, a