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French election race narrows

In a record turnout, French voters selected leading candidates Nicholas Sarkozy and Ségolène Royal for next week's runoff election. After Sunday's vote, both the conservative Sarkozy and the left-leaning Royal have just days to aggressively court the middle.

- ED

| Washington Post | Independent |

Senators underwhelmed by Gonzales testimony

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales testified before the Senate on his role in the US attorney-firing scandal, and was roundly criticized afterwards by both Democrats and Republicans. Despite mounting pressure for his resignation, Gonzales received a vote of confidence from President Bush.

- BH

| Christian Science Monitor | New York Times |

Boris Yeltsin dies, age 76

A legacy of contradiction surrounded former Russian leader Boris Yeltsin, who died this week. He led the country out of Soviet rule and into a market economy, but was criticized for allowing Russia's decline in the '90s under his erratic leadership.

- CN

| Telegraph | Pravda |