Pro-West Bloc Claims Win in Serbia

Extreme nationalists: 'Death to homosexuals'

(NEWSER) - Serbia's first Gay Pride parade in nearly a decade was disrupted yesterday by anti-gay riots that left 100 people injured and saw another 100 arrested. The rioters threw petrol bombs and stones at the police during the march in Belgrade, and the office of the ruling Democratic Party was briefly on fire, reports the BBC . Extreme nationalist groups are believed to be responsible; shouts of “Death to homosexuals!” and “Go to Kosovo!” were heard, notes the Economist . More»

Stops short of calling massacre 'genocide'

(NEWSER) - Serbia moved closer to getting into the EU yesterday when its parliament condemned the 1995 Srebrenica massacre of 8,000 Muslim men and boys. Despite opposition from Serb nationalists, an overwhelming majority voted in favor of the resolution that "strongly condemned" Europe's worst mass killing since World War II but stopped short of recognizing the wartime crime against Bosnian Muslims as genocide. More»

(AP) - On the second try, Ireland has delivered "a convincing win" for the European Union's reform treaty, Irish Foreign Minister Micheal Martin said today, with the "yes" vote running about 60% nationwide in early returns. "I'm absolutely delighted for the country. It looks like a convincing win on this occasion," he said. "It's good for Ireland, because I do passionately believe our future is in the European Union and there was no real reason to vote no." More»

(AP) - Hard-line incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was heading for a surprise landslide with nearly 80% of votes counted in Iran's stormy presidential elections, the Interior Ministry has said. But his pro-reform rival countered that he was the clear victor and accused authorities of fraud. Ahmadinejad's main challenger, Mir Hossein Mousavi, is backed by a growing youth-oriented movement. A large turnout at the polls had boosted victory hopes for Mousavi supporters. More»

Voting runs extra 3 hours to accommodate volume

(NEWSER) - Both leading candidates for Iran’s presidency are trumpeting victory after Iranians swarmed the polls, forcing them to remain open an extra 3 hours, Reuters reports. Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad each claimed some 60% of the vote. Meanwhile, President Obama applauded the election, which he said heralded “robust debate” and a “possibility of change” in Iran, the AP reports. “You’re seeing people looking at new possibilities.” More»