The U.N. Security Council said that a fair presidential vote in Zimbabwe is impossible because of a "campaign of violence" waged by President Robert Mugabe's government. With scores of opposition activists and other Zimbabweans killed, the 15-nation council yesterday unanimously said it "condemns the campaign of violence against the political opposition ahead of the second round of presidential elections." The declaration came after opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai withdrew from the presidential run-off scheduled for Friday, reportedly fearing for his own safety. George Sibotshiwe, a spokesman for Tsvangirai, said the politician had received a tip that soldiers were on the way to his home Sunday after police raided his Harare headquarters, hustling away dozens of supporters. "The moment you have soldiers coming your way, you just run for your life," Sibotshiwe said.
Jockeying Over a Foreclosure Rescue Plan
The Senate plans to vote today on an initiative to help hundreds of thousands of homeowners avoid foreclosure. But disputes among Democrats as well as a veto threat from the White House threaten to push any final agreement into July. While conservative Democrats are concerned about how to fund the measure, members of the Congressional Black Caucus—most of them liberal—call the plan "unacceptable," arguing that it doesn't do enough to address the needs of African-Americans. The centerpiece of the package is a foreclosure rescue program in which the Federal Housing Administration would provide $300 billion in new, cheaper mortgagees for distressed homeowners who otherwise would be considered too financially risky to quality for government-insured, fixed-rate loans.
Rocket Attack Imperils Truce
Three Palestinian rockets hit southern Israel today, and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office said the cease-fire that took effect last week has been broken. Islamic Jihad militants in the Gaza Strip said they carried out the attack to avenge an Israeli military raid that killed one of their fighters in the West Bank this morning. Two people were slightly wounded in the rocket barrage, Israel's national rescue service said. While the West Bank is not formally part of the truce, Islamic Jihad said it "cannot keep its hands tied" when its "brothers" in the West Bank are being targeted. But the Gaza Strip's Hamas group said it remains committed to the truce.
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