HARARE, Zimbabwe, Dec. 5  -- The Zimbabwean government has asked for British help in dealing with a cholera epidemic that has claimed hundreds of lives.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, often blamed by President Robert Mugabe for Zimbabwe's economic free fall, responded by promising at least $15 million in assistance, The Times of London reported.

At least 570 people have died of cholera and 13,000 have become infected in recent weeks. Some of the sick have crossed into South Africa seeking medical care, the newspaper said.

The disease, spread by ingestion of contaminated food or water, can be prevented by proper sanitation.

COPENHAGEN, Denmark, Dec. 5  -- Robert Mugabe's time has passed as president of Zimbabwe, considering the crises facing the country, U. S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Friday

"It's well past time for Robert Mugabe to leave," Rice said during a media availability appearance with Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen in Copenhagen.

Zimbabwe is in the midst of a cholera outbreak in which more than 560 people have died, experienced a "sham election" and a "sham" power-sharing effort between Mugabe and opposition leaders, Rice said.

HARARE, Zimbabwe, Dec. 4  -- The Zimbabwe government has appealed for more than $450 million for food, officials said Thursday.

MUTARE , Zimbabwe, Dec. 4  -- Among the many ills plaguing Zimbabwe, the one many consider Africa's nastiest ailment, diamond fever, has a firm, fearsome hold, officials say.

Sleepy towns such as Mutare in Zimbabwe's "wild east" have awakened to find their quiet streets rife with opportunists and black marketers, illegal miners, swaggering foreigners, gun-toting thugs and sudden death.

Diplomats, industry sources and others believe the Marange field could be one of the most significant diamond discoveries in decades, The Los Angeles Times reported.

Harare/Johannesburg  - The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) on Thursday dissolved an entire board and its management of a commercial bank, accusing it of illegally trading in foreign currency.

Announcing the dissolution of the CFX Bank to the media, Gideon Gono the RBZ governor said: "None of them can serve again on a bank board, they have been declared unfit and improper to work in a bank or to sit on any financial institution for the next five years."

Harare - Zimbabwe has declared the cholera outbreak that has claimed close to 600 lives a national emergency, and appealed for international aid to immediately tackle the epidemic, Health Minister David Parirenyatwa confirmed Thursday.

Parirenyatwa told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa: "We are expecting the international community to chip in with assistance so that the pandemic can be eradicated as soon as possible."