Suppressed Zimbabwean independent newspapers are furious at the launch of a state run tabloid paper, H-Metro, without the license they require to publish, the Times of Zimbabwe reported Tuesday.

Only the government is allowed to publish daily newspapers in Zimbabwe.
Webster Shamu, the media minister, claimed government newspapers do not need a license.

This was little to quell the frustration of Zimbabwe Independent newspapers owner Trevor Ncube, who has been waiting for a license for more than six months. The publisher, already putting out two weeklies, the Standard and the Zimbabwe Independent, has been trying to launch a daily paper, NewsDay.

Other independent daily newspapers in Zimbabwe have their licenses on hold, including the Daily Gazette and the Daily News.