Mugabe Sworn In as Zimbabwe President

Mugabe, who has ruled since independence from Britain in 1980, has told critics of his re-election to "go hang" and has vowed to press ahead with nationalist policies forcing foreign firms to turn over majority stakes to black Zimbabweans, Reuters reported.

Last Friday, Mugabe's main challenger, opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, withdrew a legal challenge to the election result, claiming the courts would not be fair.

That removed the last hurdle to 89-year-old Mugabe's inauguration for a seventh term.

Mugabe, first took the reins of a newly independent Zimbabwe in 1980 as prime minister. He became president following a constitutional amendment in 1987.