UN: "We are not gays" - Mugabe shocks the UN General Assembly

We are not gays," President of Zimbabwe Robert Mugabe told the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Monday. "We reject attempts to prescribe new rights that are contrary to our values, norms, traditions and beliefs," he said. The comment drew gasps and laughter from the delegates. 

However, Mugabe - who led the militant Zimbabwe Afircan National Union against white minority rule in Rhodesia the 1960s and 1970s - also drew applause from the audience after he reiterated his nation's "unwavering" support towards the Palestinian people as well as his condemnation of "destabilisation" policies from outside powers in the Middle East.

Discussing the ongoing tragedy in the Mediterranean, the "tragic situation could have been avoided through the respect of the independence of other countries and non-interference in internal affairs," the 91-year-old Zimbabwean leader added.