AFP - Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai remained holed up in the Dutch embassy in Harare Tuesday after pulling out of a run-off election he said should be declared "null and void" due to violence, a stance backed by the UN Security Council.

AP - Outraged at the turmoil in Zimbabwe, the U.N. Security Council declared that a fair presidential vote is impossible because of the "campaign of violence" waged by President Robert Mugabe's government.

Reuters - The U.N. Security Council has for the first time unanimously condemned violence against opposition supporters in Zimbabwe and said a free and fair presidential election is impossible now.

AFP - The White House on Sunday said it was prepared to raise Zimbabwe's elections with the UN Security Council, after opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai pulled out of the race, virtually handing victory to President Robert Mugabe.

AFP - Dozens of Egyptian writers on Sunday condemned Culture Minister Faruq Hosni, a candidate to head UNESCO, for saying in an Israeli newspaper interview that he was prepared to visit the Jewish state.

Reuters - Somali gunmen shot dead a peace activist and kidnapped a senior United Nations official, while a roadside bomb killed three policemen in the anarchic Horn of Africa country, witnesses said on Sunday.

Reuters - Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon signaled on Friday that he would press ahead with a plan to gradually cede key U.N. roles in Kosovo, despite opposition from Serbia and its big-power ally Russia.

AFP - The head of the UN refugee agency warned Friday that instability created by surging oil and food prices may force increasing numbers of people from their homes in search of basic necessities.

Reuters - The U.N. children's fund UNICEF has severed ties with an Israeli billionaire and financial backer due to his suspected involvement in building settlements in the occupied West Bank, UNICEF said on Friday.