Morning Brief: South Africa votes, but change unlikely

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South Africans are voting in what is being billed as the most competitive election of the post-apartheid era. The African National Congress party’s Jacob Zuma is almost guaranteed to win the presidency, but the party could lose seats in parliament, loosening the grip on power it has held since 1994.

“It is no longer a sort of foregone thing,” said Archbishop Demond Tutu, who would not say who he was voting for. South Africans are largely frustrated with the corruption and persistent inequality under the ANC’s rule (Raenette Taljaard has more in her FP piece, “Think Again: South Africa”) but one Johannesburg voter likely spoke for many when he told the New York Times, “We know the A.N.C. We don’t know anybody else.”

Americas

• President Obama said he would not necessarily oppose further investigation of Bush-era interrogation programs, perhaps opening the door to prosecutions. New reports indicate that the military’s harsh treatment of detainees followed directly from tactics used by the CIA.
• A Venezuelan mayor being prosecucted by Hugo Chavez on what he says are trumped up corruption charges is seeking asylum in Peru.
• Colombia’s Indians are among the worst victims of the country’s drug war.

Asia

• Thousands more civilians fled the fighting in northern Sri Lanka as government troops continued their assault of the Tamil Tigers’ last holdout. 
• As diplomatic talks ended without progress, North Korea accused South Korea of tampering with the border.
• As India prepares for the second round of its general election, Maoist rebels hijacked a train.

Middle East

• President Obama on Tuesday reiterated his support for a two-state solution. He pressed both the Israeli and Palestinian leadership to “step back from the abyss” and invited both leaders to the White House.
• Turkey recalled its ambassador to Canada after Canadian government ministers attended an event commemorating the WWI Armenian genocide.
• Diplomat Christopher Hill was confirmed as U.S. ambassador to Iraq.

Europe

• Euro zone governments will tell the G7 meeting on Friday that they believe the economic crisis has bottomed out. 
• A recount has confirmed a communist victory in the Moldovan election.
• The UK has once again cut its growth forecast. The Exchequer now sees the economy shrinking by 3.5 percent.

Africa

• Violent clashes between rival ethnic groups are increasing in Southern Sudan.
• Somalia has asked for U.S. help in establishing a coast guard to fight pirates.
• Sectarian violence in central Kenya has claimed 24 lives.

ALEXANDER JOE/AFP/Getty Images