France local elections: Conservatives hold off National Front

France's centre-right UMP party and its allies have taken first place in the first round of local elections, according to official results from the Interior Ministry. They took 32% of the vote, while the far-right National Front (FN) came second with 25%. President Francois Hollande's governing Socialists came third with 22%. The results mean the second round on 29 March will see a run-off between the UMP and the FN in many constituencies. Voters...

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Greek and German leaders meet amid fears Athens may run out of money

The Greek Prime Minister is on his first official visit to Berlin for talks with the German Chancellor Angela Merkel Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and the German Chancellor Angela Merkel have struck conciliatory tones at their Berlin summit, but remained vague on how to prevent Athens from running out of money. Mrs Merkel said she wanted to see the Greek economy grow. Mr Tsipras said it was better to talk with each other than about each...

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Rain pauses South Africa thrust

South Africa's Faf du Plessis hits the ball during the Cricket World Cup semifinal against New Zealand in Auckland,  Star Online ReportMarch 24, 2015. Photo: ICC SEMIFINAL 1: NEW ZEALAND VS SOUTH AFRICA South Africa 216/3 (38 Overs)                                        Rain pausing play South Africa won the toss and chose...

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'Monster salamanders' found in fossilised mass grave

Scientists have discovered a new species of massive, toothy amphibian dating from 220 million years ago. Hundreds of the creatures probably died when a lake dried up, leaving a huge jumble of bones which is now being excavated in southern Portugal. Although related to modern salamanders, the two-metre beast probably lived more like a crocodile, snapping up fish and scrapping with rivals on the shore. The find is reported in the Journal...

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David Cameron 'won't serve third term' if re-elected

David Cameron has told the BBC he will not serve a third term as prime minister if the Conservatives remain in government after the general election. The PM said if re-elected he would serve the full five years of another Parliament and then leave Number 10. Mr Cameron tipped Home Secretary Theresa May, Chancellor George Osborne and London Mayor Boris Johnson as potential successors. Labour accused him of arrogance while the Lib Dems called him presumptuous. In an interview with BBC deputy political editor James Landale, Mr Cameron described...

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Tunisia's Bardo Museum to reopen after deadly attack

Security has been stepped up around the museum following last Wednesday's attack Tunisia's Bardo Museum is due to reopen less than a week after gunmen killed at least 22 people, mostly European tourists, in the capital Tunis. A concert and a public rally are expected, with museum officials saying they want to show the world that the gunmen "haven't achieved their goal". There are fears the attack - claimed by Islamic State (IS) - will hit Tunisia's...

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Yemen minister calls for Gulf military intervention

The Houthis have been attempting to extend their control further south The Yemeni foreign minister has called for Gulf Arab states to intervene to prevent the advance of Shia Houthi rebels into the south of the country. The Houthis ousted President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi last month, who fled to the southern port city of Aden where he established a rival power base. At the weekend, the Houthis seized Taiz, Yemen's third largest city, bringing...

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