Sharon re-elected as Likud leader

JERUSALEM -- Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was re-elected to head the Likud party Thursday in a primary overshadowed by a deadly shooting at a polling station in Israel and two attacks on Israeli tourists in Kenya.

Foreign Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Sharon's only serious challenger, conceded defeat late Thursday and told supporters that he had phoned Sharon to congratulate him.

Sharon had 61 percent of the vote among Likud members, compared to 37 percent for Netanyahu, according to projections on Israel TV. A lesser-known challenger, Moshe Feiglin, had the rest. Two other television projections showed similar results.

Sharon will now face the Labor Party's Amram Mitzna in Jan. 28 general elections.