Eurosceptic 'earthquake' rocks EU elections

Eurosceptic and far-right parties have seized ground in elections to the European parliament, in what France's PM called a "political earthquake".

The French National Front and UK Independence Party both performed strongly, while the three big centrist blocs in parliament all lost seats.
The outcome means a greater say for those who want to cut back the EU's powers, or abolish it completely.
But EU supporters will be pleased that election turnout was slightly higher.
It was 43.1%, according to provisional European Parliament figures. That would be the first time turnout had not fallen since the previous election - but would only be an improvement of 0.1%.

Vote 2014

Highlights (based on exit polls/provisional results)

Obama makes surprise visit to Afghanistan

President Obama made a surprise visit to Afghanistan on Sunday as his administration plans to end the nation's longest war at the end of this year, and faces intense criticism over the medical treatment of

Colombia elects president in scandal-tainted race

Colombians voted on Sunday in a presidential election characterized by a clash of personalities and relentless mudslinging that have overshadowed differences on how to put an end to a half-century of guerrilla violence

Suspect in California rampage blamed aloof women

(The News-Press, Peter Vandenbelt/ Associated Press ) - Police investigate the scene of a drive-by shooting that left seven people dead, including the attacker, and others wounded on Friday, May 23, 2014, in Isla Vista, Calif. Alan Shifman an attorney for Hollywood director Peter Rodger, who was an assistant director on The Hunger Games, said the family believes Rodger’s son, Elliot Rodger, is responsible for the shooting rampage near the Santa Barbara, California, university campus. Authorities have not confirmed the identity of the shooter.

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By Associated Press, Updated: Sunday, May 25, 2:08 PM

GOLETA, Calif. — In YouTube videos and a long written manifesto, Elliot Rodger aired his contempt for everyone from his roommates to the whole human race, reserving special hate for two groups: The women he says kept him a virgin for all of his 22 years, and the men they chose instead.

Thai junta dissolves senate as army tightens grip

Soldiers stand guard in Bangkok after dispersing anti-coup protesters on Sunday. Photograph: Christophe Archambault/AFP/Getty Images

Thailand's military junta has dissolved the country's last remaining democratic institution – the senate – and ordered dozens of activists and journalists to turn themselves in to the army amid growing protests against

Nigeria’s opposition seizing on uproar over kidnaped schoolgirls

Aminu Abubakar/Agence France-Presse via Getty Images - Young girls take a ride in an open car boot in the northeast Nigerian city of Maiduguri. Residents of the city, the spiritual home of Boko Haram, feel under siege, afraid to venture beyond the city limits because of high risk of attacks by the group.

Pope Francis lands in Bethlehem, nod to Palestinian state

Pope Francis landed on Sunday in the West Bank town of Bethlehem.

BETHLEHEM: Pope Francis landed on Sunday in the West Bank town of Bethlehem in a symbolic nod to Palestinian aspirations for their own state as he began a busy second day of his Mideast pilgrimage.

Kidnapping claims conflict with neighbors' view of Bell Gardens couple

The young woman and her husband lived what looked like a normal life in Bell Gardens, working long hours, celebrating birthdays, even taking trips to Disneyland and Universal Studios with their young daughter, neighbors say.
But authorities say the man who went by the name of Tomas Medrano abducted the woman 10 years ago, when she was 15. They allege he raped and sexually assaulted her, forced her to marry him and convinced her that her family no longer cared for her.

Practically everybody connected to the family ... finds these allegations unbelievable. - Defense attorney

N. Korean shelling a likely warning, not attack

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea's artillery shelling near a South Korean warship patrolling disputed waters was likely a warning, not an attack attempt, Seoul officials and analysts said Friday.

On Thursday, the two Koreas exchanged artillery fire along the poorly marked western sea boundary. South Korean officials say the exchange started after two North Korean artillery shells fell in waters near a South Korean navy ship on a routine patrol of the area.

Ukraine frontrunner Petro Poroshenko vows to take on Putin

The self-made billionaire may have made his fortune from selling chocolates and is the clear front-runner in the weekend race.

ET SPECIAL:

Save precious time tracking your investments

UMAN: "An end to chaos and war," is the familiar cry from Petro Poroshenko as he travels across Ukraine on the hustings ahead of Sunday's make-or-break presidential election.

Thailand coup: Military leader summons politicians

The BBC's Jonathan Head, in Bangkok: "The BBC is off air, so is CNN. Most channels are now putting up a screen shot"

Thailand's military leader has summoned more than 100 key political figures to a meeting in Bangkok, a day after taking power in a coup.

Ousted leader Yingluck Shinawatra, the acting PM and his government, and protest leaders were among those told to report in to the army.
It was not clear why they were summoned or how many would attend the meeting.
Thursday's coup, which followed months of anti-government protests, has drawn widespread international criticism.
The military suspended the constitution, banned gatherings and detained politicians, saying order was needed after months of turmoil.
The move came two days after it declared martial law in the protest-hit nation.

Powell leaves, Stephens is the interim US envoy

US Ambassador to India Nancy Powell on Thursday headed back to her country after an eventful stint here. She will be replaced temporarily early next month by Kathleen Stephens, a career diplomat.
Stephens will serve as the charge until a new permanent ambassador is nominated and confirmed by the US

UPDATE 3-Vietnam PM says considering legal action against China over disputed waters

MANILA, May 22 (Reuters) - Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung said his government was considering various "defence options" against China, including legal action, following the deployment of a Chinese oil rig to waters in the South China Sea that Hanoi also claims.

Nigeria expects UN to declare Boko Haram a terrorist group and impose sanctions

UNITED NATIONS –  Nigeria's U.N. envoy says she expects the Security Council to declare Boko Haram a terrorist group and impose sanctions on the al-Qaida-linked extremists who have carried out a wave of deadly attacks and the recent abduction of nearly 300 schoolgirls.

In taking Crimea, Putin gains sea of fuel reserves

 

Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, meets with Interior Ministry Troops Commander Nikolai Rogozhkin earlier this month in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Russia. When Putin ordered Russia to seize Crimea in March, it acquired a maritime more than three times its size with the rights to underwater resources

Families evacuate Benghazi as renegade general vows more attacks

(Reuters) - The self-declared Libyan National Army led by a renegade general told civilians on Saturday to leave parts of Benghazi before it launched a fresh attack on Islamist militants, a day after dozens were killed in the worst clashes in the city for months.

At least 30 dead in Serbia and Bosnia after worst floods in a century

At least 30 people have been killed in floods in Bosnia and Serbia in the last three days.
Tens of thousands of people have been forced out of their houses after the worst floods in the Balkans since

10 dead, 70 wounded amid new Kenya terror warnings

The blasts came the same week the United States and the U.K. issued renewed warnings about possible terror attacks in Kenya, leading to a bristling response from the country’s president Friday, who said such

Kenya president pledges to fight back against terrorists

The charred remains of a minibus and piles of clothes are the chilling reminder of the twin bomb blasts which tore through a Nairobi market on Friday, killing ten and leaving dozens of people wounded.

Nuclear Talks With Iran Fail to Yield Pact, Officials Say

LONDON — The latest round of nuclear talks between Iran and six world powers ended on Friday in Vienna, with Iranian and American officials saying that progress was slow and difficult, with serious gaps between the two sides on basic issues like the size of any nuclear enrichment capability Iran would be permitted to retain.

A senior American official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss diplomatic negotiations, said that Iran needed to be more realistic in the talks. Iran’s deputy foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, told Iranian news media that “there was no tangible progress in this round of the talks”