Talking points

Zimbabwe's parliament sits for the first time since 89-year-old President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF party won at the polls on July 31. The chamber will have a familiar look at the swearing-in, as Mugabe has named a 26-member cabinet comprising most of his old guard to govern for the next five years. Mugabe is under immense pressure to give impetus to the haemorrhaging economy and cut the 80 per cent unemployment rate.

The Malaysian government's appeal against the acquittal of opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim on a sodomy charge will be heard at a court in Putrajaya. Anwar, 66, was cleared last year following a two-year trial after the judge in the case said DNA evidence submitted by the prosecution was unreliable. Elizabeth Evatt, the first female judge to be appointed to an Australian Federal Court, will be an observer at the hearing.