The French far-right National Front made a surprisingly strong showing in regional elections Sunday prompting leader Jean Marie Le Pen to declare that his party's popularity was on the rise. Projections showed the National Front picked up close to 12 percent in the vote to elect councils in France's 26 regions, and even garnered a hefty 20 percent in the southern Provence and Riviera region.

A coalition led by Shiite parties was leading in the predominantly Shiite southern Iraqi province of Dhi Qar, early results from the country's March 7 elections showed on Sunday. With 58 percent of the province's ballots counted, the Iraqi National Alliance had garnered 120,028 votes, followed by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's State of Law Alliance with 114,354 votes.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's bloc held a slender advantage in the predominantly Shiite southern province of Wasit, early results from the country's March 7 polls showed on Sunday. With 67 percent of votes counted, Maliki's State of Law Alliance had garnered 66,794 votes, followed by the Iraqi National Alliance, a coalition led by Shiite religious parties, with 58,382 votes.

An alliance of Iraqi Kurdistan's two major parties was holding off a new opposition group in the battleground province of Sulaimaniyah, early results from Iraq's March 7 polls showed Sunday. The Kurdistania alliance, made up of regional president Massud Barzani's Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) of Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, garnered 178,071 votes in the election.

Former premier Iyad Allawi's secular Iraqiya bloc was unexpectedly leading in the disputed oil-rich province of Kirkuk, early results from Iraq's March 7 general election showed on Sunday. Iraqiya garnered 123,862 votes, while the Kurdistania alliance, which had been expected to come out on top in the northern province, was second with 120,664 votes so far with 61 percent of ballots counted.

Kurdistania, an alliance of the Kurdish autonomous region's two long-dominant parties, has held off a new challenger in the northern Iraqi province of Dohuk, early results showed on Sunday. Kurdistania, comprised of regional president Massud Barzani's Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) of Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, secured 170,690 votes.

Former premier Iyad Allawi's bloc is leading in the predominantly Sunni province of Anbar in the west of the country, early results from Iraq's March 7 general election showed on Sunday. Allawi's secular Iraqiya list, which has emerged as the main national challenger to incumbent Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's State of Law Alliance, secured 122,195 votes in the province, which is Iraq's biggest by area.

Russians in a number of regions across the country were voting Sunday in local elections, with the Kremlin taking a keen interest after unusual expressions of dissent in recent months. The most significant polls are for regional parliaments in eight Russian regions, including Khabarovsk in the Far East, Voronezh in southwest Russia and Sverdlovsk which is home to the Urals economic hub of Yekaterinburg.

Tens of thousands took to the streets of Rome on Saturday to demonstrate against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi ahead of regional elections. Protesters with banners and balloons in the colours of opposition parties filled the Piazza del Popolo square. Many chanted support for Manchester United football team, who beat Berlusconi's AC Milan on Wednesday.

Arjen Robben admitted his Bayern Munich side had been tactically poor before the Dutchman hit two second-half goals to seal a 2-1 win over Freiburg to rescue the Bundesliga leaders. The 26-year-old scored with a direct free-kick and penalty to spare Bayern's blushes as the hosts came from behind at Munich's Allianz Arena and retook top spot in the German league after Schalke 04 had temporarily taken over.