pragmatists
by contrast with the more hard-line Islamists, known as Salafists, whom they beat into second place. Under Egypt's presidential system, it's still up to the army and the new president when one is elected to nominate the government, so the winners of this election don't automatically take office.
Angry protesters in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi have forced their way into the headquarters of the transitional government after besieging the building for hours. Witnesses said the protesters used stones and iron bars to break into the offices. Earlier, they threw homemade
grenades
. Benghazi, which was at the heart of the rebel uprising that toppled Muammar Gaddafi, has seen ongoing protests for several weeks. The transitional government is accused of failing to provide transparency or justice.
Voting is taking place in South Carolina, the latest leg of the battle for the Republican
candidacy
in the US presidential election with opinion polls promising a surprisingly tight contest. The front-runner until now, Mitt Romney, appears to be neck and neck with Newt Gingrich, the former House speaker who's emerging as the latest champion of the party's conservative right wing. The chairman of the South Carolina Republican Party, Chad Connelly, told the BBC that voters in his state were always unpredictable.
"I've been saying, you know, since the beginning, this will be a real race. Don't try to box in South Carolina voters. They're going to surprise you. This is a typical primary for us, and as much as the national media or the narrative was, you know, this thing or that thing, you just can't tell it on the ground. South Carolina voters are fiercely independent. They want to make their own decisions."