Sarkozy wins French UMP party leadership but rivals defiant
PARIS (Reuters) – Nicolas Sarkozy won the leadership of the conservative UMP on Saturday, a potential step towards a bid to be French president for a second time, but his victory was not decisive enough to cow his rivals in the party.
Iraq airstrikes kill 17 in areas held by Islamic State
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Seventeen people were killed in Iraq on Saturday in air strikes targeting areas controlled by Islamic State militants, witnesses and an intelligence official said.
About 400 killed in past six weeks of fighting in Libya’s Benghazi: medics
BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) – About 400 people have been killed in six weeks of heavy fighting between Libyan pro-government forces and Islamist groups in Libya’s second-largest city Benghazi, medical staff said on Saturday.
Taiwan premier quits as power slips from pro-China party in local poll
TAIPEI (Reuters) – Taiwan’s China-friendly ruling party lost a slew of traditional strongholds in local elections on Saturday, triggering the resignation of the island’s premier and the cabinet.
Two killed in Taliban raid in Kabul, Camp Bastion under fire
KABUL (Reuters) – Afghan security forces overcame Taliban insurgents attacking a guest house for international aid workers in Afghanistan’s capital on Saturday and were still fighting gunmen inside former U.S. and British base Camp Bastion.
Police find no explosion near UK army barracks after blast report
LONDON (Reuters) – British police said it carried out a lengthy investigation involving counter-terrorism experts and bomb detection dogs following reports of a blast near Britain’s largest army training site on Saturday, but found no evidence of an ex…
Pope Francis prays in Istanbul’s Blue Mosque
ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Pope Francis prayed silently alongside a senior Islamic cleric in Istanbul’s Blue Mosque on Saturday, in a gesture of inter-religious harmony in a country bordering the conflicts in Syria and Iraq.
France’s Hollande praises peaceful Burkina transition as model for Africa
DAKAR (Reuters) – French President Francois Hollande warned African leaders on Saturday against trying to hang on to power, praising peaceful political transitions in Burkina Faso and Tunisia as positive examples to the continent.
Russia calls for end to sanctions as EU targets Ukraine separatists
MOSCOW/BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Russia urged the European Union on Saturday to lift sanctions against Moscow and promised to waive its food embargo, but a top EU official rejected such a move as the bloc imposed fresh measures on Ukrainian rebels.
‘Tired’ Grillo overhauls leadership of Italy’s 5-Star Movement
ROME (Reuters) – Beppe Grillo, the unruly comic who built Italy’s 5-Star Movement into one of the most potent anti-establishment forces in Europe, is struggling to stop a steady slide following months of infighting and electoral setbacks.
