In brief: Turkish prime minister claims local election wins

ISTANBUL – Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday hailed what appeared to be a decisive victory for his party in local elections, providing a boost that could help him emerge from a spate of recent troubles.

Erdogan was not on the ballot in the countrywide polls, but he campaigned as if he were. Hours after the polls closed, Turkish newswires suggested that his party was significantly outstripping its results of about 39 percent in the last local elections in 2009 and roundly beating the main opposition party.

30 civilians killed in weekend attack

BANGUI, Central African Republic – Chadian peacekeeping soldiers opened fire on civilians in Central African Republic’s strife-torn capital city over the weekend, killing more than 30 people and sparking fears of reprisal attacks, officials and witnesses said.

Jean-Pierre Sadou, a peacekeeping official, could not confirm the death tolls provided by local officials but said the soldiers’ actions were a “legitimate defense” after the grenade attack on their convoy.

Jailbreak shooting leaves 21 dead

ABUJA, Nigeria – A shootout at Nigeria’s State Security Services headquarters killed at least 21 people Sunday, a government spokeswoman said of what appears to be an attempted jailbreak by Islamic extremists.

Residents described shooting that went on for more than two hours Sunday morning.

Agents at the scene said a detainee received a smuggled pistol along with his breakfast, and used it to shoot a guard who had unlocked his handcuffs so he could eat. It was unclear if the guard survived.