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A30 world news
Dialuna 18 Juli 2022

Zimbabwe students scoop international awards for moot court

18 and drawn from different Zimbabwe.”
schools was crowned world
champions last month after The European Union del-
winning the International egation in Zimbabwe has also
High School Moot Court congratulated the team.
competition held online at
the end of May. A team from The winning team received a
New York City came second rousing reception by hordes
in the competition where of schoolchildren, parents
participants used fictional and supporters when they
cases to simulate proceedings returned last week. The usu-
in the International Criminal ally subdued airport was
Court pre-trial chambers. filled with cheers, song and
dance when the team arrived
Zimbabwe now has also been displaying their awards. The
crowned champions of Eu- team was treated to a wel-
rope after beating The Neth- come with a red carpet, flow-
erlands in the finals of the ers and balloons. Some held
European Moot Competi- placards reading “Welcome
tion for high school students back champions.” Others
on July 3. It was Zimbabwe’s played drums and marimba,
first time competing in both a traditional instrument of
prestigious events. wooden bars played using
mallets.
Organizers of the European
competition were so im- When Zimbabwe achieved
pressed with Zimbabwe’s independence and majority
performance at the Inter- rule in 1980, the new govern-
national High School Moot ment vigorously expanded
Court competition that they the country’s education sys-
invited the team to be the tem so that all Black children
first-ever African country to could attend primary and
enter their competition, said secondary school. Previously
team captain Ruvimbo Sim- the education system had
bi. catered mainly for the coun-
try’s white minority. Zimba-
“It is surreal and extraordi- bwe achieved one of Africa’s
nary,” said Simbi after return- highest literacy rates.
ing from Romania, where the
European competition was Despite these problems,
held. Zimbabwe’s education sys-
tem is still rated highly in
“When we were at the Eu- Africa.
ropean Moot Court, many
people didn’t even know The victories at the inter-
Zimbabwe. We put Zimba- national moot court events
bwe on the map, letting the “mean a lot to us Zimbabwe-
world know of the amazing an educators,” said Kudzai
talent found in this country,” Mutsure, head of Dominican
said Simbi. Convent, a girls-only Catho-
lic school in Harare where
The southern African coun- some of the team members
try’s president, Emmerson are enrolled.
Mnangagwa, in June invited
the team to his official resi- “We take academic, sport and
dence and presented them cultural activities very seri-
(AP) — A history-mak- tion champions has been and teachers’ strikes. with $30,000 in cash follow- ously,” said Mutsure. “A stu-
ing team of Zimbabwean widely praised in a coun- ing their victory in the high dent can flourish in one of
high school students that try where the education The 11-member Zimbabwe- school competition. He de- those areas.”
became world and Euro- system is beset by poor an team of nine girls and two scribed the latest win as “an-
pean moot court competi- funding, lack of materials boys aged between 14 and other victory for the pride of

China floods leave at least 12 dead, thousands evacuated

(AP) — Flash floods in southwest ated as of Saturday, the report said. parts of the country including east- brought on partly by stringent “zero-
and northwest China have left at ern Zhejiang province and the city COVID” measures restricting travel
least a dozen dead and put thou- Meanwhile, in Longnan city in the of Shanghai, with temperatures soar- and disrupting supply chains.
sands of others in harm’s way, northwestern province of Gansu, an- ing as high as 42 degrees Celsius (107
state media reported Sunday. other six deaths were reported and Fahrenheit) last week. China is not the only country experi-
3,000 people have been evacuated, encing extreme weather this summer.
In the southwestern province of Sich- state broadcaster CCTV said. Rain- Experts say such extreme weather In Germany, low water levels in the
uan, at least six people have died and fall in 1 1/2 day was as much as 98.9 events are becoming more likely be- Rhine due to droughts have disrupt-
another 12 are missing after torren- millimeters (3.9 inches) in the worst cause of climate change. Warmer air ed the supply chain for commodities
tial rain triggered flash floods, state- affected areas, almost double the July can store more water, leading to big- into the country. Heat waves have
owned news outlet CGTN reported. average. ger cloudbursts when it’s released. also hit the southern part of the U.S.,
with temperatures expected to soar
Some 1,300 people had been evacu- The rains come amid a heat wave in The flooding adds to economic woes over 38 C (100 F) in coming days.