Politics

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A relative and senior aide of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr was killed Friday in the holy city of Najaf. The assassination threatens to raise tensions amid a violent standoff between al-Sadr's Mahdi Army and the U.S.-backed Iraqi government.

Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe and opposition presidential candidate Morgan Tsvangirai will meet with leaders of southern African nations this weekend in an emergency summit to discuss the deepening political standoff in the country.

Opposition party officials in Zimbabwe said Tuesday that the country has been plagued by "massive violence" since the March 29 presidential election. Still, no winner has been announced as President Robert Mugabe holds a tenuous grip on his power.

Zimbabwe's ruling party ZANU-PF announced Friday it would back President Robert Mugabe in a runoff vote against opposition presidential candidate Morgan Tsvangirai, while the opposition party demanded an official tally from the first vote.