PARIS (Reuters) - Conservative Nicolas Sarkozy has seized a strong lead over Socialist Segolene Royal in the first round of France's presidential election and must now woo centrist voters if he is to win the run-off vote on May 6.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A dramatic pay gap emerges between women and men in America the year after they graduate from college and widens over the ensuing decade, according to research released on Monday.

AP - Don Nelson's wacky ways still win playoff games in Dallas — even though he's now coaching the Golden State Warriors. Baron Davis scored 19 of his 33 points in the third quarter, carrying Nellie's small-ball lineup to a 97-85 victory over the Dallas Mavericks in Game 1 of their Western Conference series Sunday night.

Reuters - Conservative Nicolas Sarkozy has seized a strong lead over Socialist Segolene Royal in the first round of France's presidential election and must now woo centrist voters if he is to win the run-off vote on May 6.

Reuters - A dramatic pay gap emerges between women and men in America the year after they graduate from college and widens over the ensuing decade, according to research released on Monday.

AFP - French presidential rivals Nicolas Sarkozy and Segolene Royal renewed political hostilities Monday within hours of winning places in the second round election showdown.

AFP - Nigeria on Monday awaited results of historic elections to take over from President Olusegun Obasanjo and choose a new parliament, amid mounting international concern over ballot chaos and fraud.

PARIS (Reuters) - Conservative Nicolas Sarkozy has seized a strong lead over Socialist Segolene Royal in the first round of France's presidential election and must now woo centrist voters if he is to win the run-off vote on May 6.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The U.S. ambassador to Baghdad said on Monday the months ahead for Iraq's government would be 'critical', adding the country's leaders needed to make progress on reconciling warring communities.

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran and the European Union will resume talks in Turkey on Tehran's nuclear program, which the West fears is aimed at building an atomic bomb, the semi-official Fars news agency reported on Monday.

TORONTO (Reuters) - Research In Motion Ltd. is set to roll out new software that will let users turn smartphones running on Microsoft Corp.'s Windows Mobile platform into virtual BlackBerries.

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India will not be hurried into concluding a landmark but controversial nuclear cooperation deal with the United States, despite the latter's frustration over an impasse in negotiations, an Indian official said on Monday.

AP - Assailants abducted and beheaded an Afghan intelligence service employee and struck one of the agency's vehicles with a remote-controlled bomb in separate attacks, officials said Monday.

AP - The Bush administration is hoping that a series of high-level meetings this week will yield the first sign of a crack in Russia's opposition to a top-priority U.S. defense project: the building of anti-missile bases in Poland and the Czech Republic, senior administration officials said Sunday.

AP - ABN Amro NV and Barclays PLC announced Monday they have agreed to merge in the largest cross-border combination in European banking history.

Reuters - Conservative Nicolas Sarkozy has seized a strong lead over Socialist Segolene Royal in the first round of France's presidential election and must now woo centrist voters if he is to win the run-off vote on May 6.

Reuters - The U.S. ambassador to Baghdad said on Monday the months ahead for Iraq's government would be "critical," adding the country's leaders needed to make progress on reconciling warring communities.

Reuters - Iran and the European Union will resume talks in Turkey on Tehran's nuclear program, which the West fears is aimed at building an atomic bomb, the semi-official Fars news agency reported on Monday.

AP - Three suicide bombers launched attacks in different parts of Iraq on Monday, killing at least 27 people and wounding nearly 60 on Monday, police and politicians said.

AP - Conservative Nicolas Sarkozy holds an advantage over his Socialist rival Segolene Royal after the two advanced to the second round of France's presidential election, narrowing the vote to a choice between the tough-talking former interior minister or the first woman with a chance of becoming the country's leader.

AP - Assailants abducted and beheaded an Afghan intelligence service employee and struck one of the agency's vehicles with a remote-controlled bomb in a separate attack, killing six employees and wounding three, officials said Monday.

AP - The odds that President Bush will be able to make significant changes in either Social Security or Medicare before leaving office appear increasingly slim.

AP - Mavericks coach Avery Johnson spent days insisting he was going to counter the Golden State Warriors' small-ball attack by relying on his centers.

Reuters - India will not be hurried into concluding a landmark but controversial nuclear cooperation deal with the United States, despite the latter's frustration over an impasse in negotiations, an Indian official said on Monday.

AFP - Rightwinger Nicolas Sarkozy held the upper hand over Socialist Segolene Royal on Monday in an epic duel for the French presidency, with both seeking to plunder the centrist electorate whose votes are up for grabs.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The gunman who killed 32 people at Virginia Tech University did not purchase ammunition used in the rampage on eBay's online auction site, eBay said on Monday, refuting published reports.

MOSCOW (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates met a frosty welcome in Moscow on a visit to reassure Russia on Monday over plans to put missile defenses in Europe, a dispute that has helped drive relations to a new low.

MADRID (Reuters) - Iran would prefer to remain within the nuclear non-proliferation treaty and resist U.N. sanctions peacefully, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told Spanish television on Monday.

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - President Pervez Musharraf will be elected for a second term in office by the sitting parliament before it is dissolved ahead of general elections due later this year or early 2008, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said.

PARIS (Reuters) - French presidential candidates Nicolas Sarkozy and Segolene Royal went back to the campaign trail on Monday as they battled for votes from the undecided centre ground that will be key to their May 6 runoff.

TOKYO (Reuters) - Prime Minister Shinzo Abe hopes to find ways in which the United States can cooperate on a post-Kyoto Protocol framework when he meets U.S. President George W. Bush later this week, the Japanese leader said on Monday.

AP - Virginia Tech is allowing students to drop classes without penalty or to accept their current grades if they want to spend the rest of the year at their parents' homes grieving last week's campus massacre.

AP - The Navy Blue Angels returned home to regroup after one of their jets crashed during a maneuver, killing a pilot who was performing in one of his first air shows with the team.

Reuters - The gunman who killed 32 people at Virginia Tech University did not purchase ammunition used in the rampage on eBay's online auction site, eBay said on Monday, refuting published reports.

Reuters - U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates met a frosty welcome in Moscow on a visit to reassure Russia on Monday over plans to put missile defenses in Europe, a dispute that has helped drive relations to a new low.

Reuters - Iran would prefer to remain within the nuclear non-proliferation treaty and resist U.N. sanctions peacefully, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told Spanish television on Monday.

Reuters - President Pervez Musharraf will be elected for a second term in office by the sitting parliament before it is dissolved ahead of general elections due later this year or early 2008, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said.

AFP - EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana confirmed here Monday that he will meet this week with Iran's top nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani in Turkey.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - America's ambassador to Iraq urged the country's feuding leaders on Monday to shelve what he called 'I win, you lose' politics to speed up progress on laws crucial to fostering national reconciliation.

MOSCOW (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates invited Russia to become a partner in its missile defence activities on Monday but his hosts made clear they were still against a planned missile shield in Europe.

PARIS (Reuters) - French presidential candidates Nicolas Sarkozy and Segolene Royal went back to the campaign trail on Monday as they battled for votes from the undecided centre ground that will be key to their May 6 runoff.

AP - Barclays PLC said Monday it will acquire ABN Amro NV for $91.16 billion in the world's largest bank takeover, capping a month of negotiations to create a global financial services giant.

AP - The Golden State Warriors have stunned the team with the best regular-season record in the NBA. Baron Davis scored 19 of his 33 points in the third quarter in a 97-85 win over the Mavericks in the opener of their Western Conference series. It's the Warriors' first playoff win since 1992. Davis added 14 rebounds and eight assists.

Reuters - America's ambassador to Iraq urged the country's feuding leaders on Monday to shelve what he called "I win, you lose" politics to speed up progress on laws crucial to fostering national reconciliation.

Reuters - U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates invited Russia to become a partner in its missile defence activities on Monday but his hosts made clear they were still against a planned missile shield in Europe.

Reuters - French presidential candidates Nicolas Sarkozy and Segolene Royal went back to the campaign trail on Monday as they battled for votes from the undecided centre ground that will be key to their May 6 runoff.

AFP - EU observers Monday challenged the credibility of Nigeria's elections, as early results showed ruling party candidate Umar Yar'Adua leading his presidential rivals after polls that left 200 dead.

AFP - European Union observers monitoring Nigeria's elections on Monday said the ballots fell far short of international democratic standards and "cannot be considered to be credible."

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Former Russian President Boris Yeltsin, who buried the Soviet Union then led Russia through its chaotic first years of independence, has died, the Kremlin said on Monday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush on Monday rejected calls for the resignation of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, saying Gonzales' Capitol Hill testimony last week 'increased my confidence' in him.

PARIS (Reuters) - French presidential candidates Nicolas Sarkozy and Segolene Royal went back to the campaign trail on Monday as they battled for votes from the undecided centre ground that will be key to their May 6 runoff.

DUBAI (Reuters) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Monday Iran does not wish to use oil as a weapon in its standoff with the west over its nuclear program.

AP - Former President Boris Yeltsin, who engineered the final collapse of the Soviet Union and pushed Russia to embrace democracy and a market economy, died Monday. He was 76. Kremlin spokesman Alexander Smirnov confirmed Yeltsin's death, and Russian news agencies cited Sergei Mironov, head of the presidential administration's medical center, as saying the former president died Monday of heart failure at the Central Clinical Hospital.

AP - Thousands of Virginia Tech students and faculty filled the center of campus Monday to pay solemn tribute to the victims of the last week's massacre — listening quietly as a bell tolled for the dead on the day classes resumed at the grief-stricken school.

AP - President Bush gave embattled Attorney General Alberto Gonzales a strong vote of confidence on Monday despite scant support and scathing criticism from key Republicans.

AP - A suicide car bomb struck a restaurant in Iraq on Monday, killing at least 19 people and wounding 35, police said.

AP - Follow-up tests on backup urine samples by Tour de France champion Floyd Landis found traces of synthetic testosterone, the French sports newspaper L'Equipe reported Monday.

Reuters - Former Russian President Boris Yeltsin, who buried the Soviet Union then led Russia through its chaotic first years of independence, has died, the Kremlin said on Monday.

Reuters - President George W. Bush on Monday rejected calls for the resignation of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, saying Gonzales' Capitol Hill testimony last week "increased my confidence" in him.

Reuters - French presidential candidates Nicolas Sarkozy and Segolene Royal went back to the campaign trail on Monday as they battled for votes from the undecided centre ground that will be key to their May 6 runoff.

Reuters - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Monday Iran does not wish to use oil as a weapon in its standoff with the west over its nuclear program.

AFP - Former Russian president Boris Yeltsin, who played a key role in the collapse of the Soviet Union and introduced free market democracy to Russia, died Monday aged 76 from a heart attack.

AFP - Ruling party candidate Umaru Yar'Adua won Nigeria's presidential election Monday, even as foreign observers slammed the credibility of the disputed poll that claimed at least 200 lives.

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Former Russian President Boris Yeltsin, who buried the Soviet Union then led Russia through its chaotic first years of independence, died on Monday aged 76, the Kremlin said.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The U.S. ambassador to Iraq urged leaders of rival religious and ethnic groups on Monday to shelve what he called 'I win, you lose' politics and speed up progress on laws crucial to fostering national reconciliation.

MOSCOW (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates offered Russia an unprecedented level of cooperation in missile defense activities on Monday, but his hosts made clear they were still against a planned missile shield in Europe.

BLACKSBURG, Virginia (Reuters) - Virginia Tech students carried 33 white flags representing the victims of the deadliest shooting rampage in U.S. history and the gunman responsible, as classes resumed a week after the massacre.

LUXEMBOURG (Reuters) - Iran and the European Union will resume talks on Tehran's nuclear program in Turkey on Wednesday after the EU endorsed sanctions against the Islamic republic going beyond U.N. resolutions.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A dramatic pay gap emerges between women and men in America the year after they graduate from college and widens over the ensuing decade, according to research released on Monday.

AP - Defying a fresh veto threat, the Democratic-controlled Congress will pass legislation within days requiring the withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from Iraq beginning Oct. 1, with a goal of completing the pullout in six months, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Monday.

AP - ABN Amro NV agreed Monday to a 67 billion euros ($91.16 billion) takeover by Barclays PLC and to sell its U.S. assets, holding off a bid by three banks that would have carved up the Netherlands' largest bank.

AP - David Letterman will be Regis Philbin's first guest when he returns Thursday to 'Live With Regis and Kelly' after having triple heart bypass surgery six weeks ago.

AP - Jon Williamson sensed that just about everybody out there had a pet peeve. Now he's got some statistical data to prove it.

Reuters - Former Russian President Boris Yeltsin, who buried the Soviet Union then led Russia through its chaotic first years of independence, died on Monday aged 76, the Kremlin said.

Reuters - The U.S. ambassador to Iraq urged leaders of rival religious and ethnic groups on Monday to shelve what he called "I win, you lose" politics and speed up progress on laws crucial to fostering national reconciliation.

Reuters - U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates offered Russia an unprecedented level of cooperation in missile defense activities on Monday, but his hosts made clear they were still against a planned missile shield in Europe.

Reuters - Virginia Tech students carried 33 white flags representing the victims of the deadliest shooting rampage in U.S. history and the gunman responsible, as classes resumed a week after the massacre.

Reuters - Iran and the European Union will resume talks on Tehran's nuclear program in Turkey on Wednesday after the EU endorsed sanctions against the Islamic republic going beyond U.N. resolutions.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Congressional Democrats, ignoring a promised veto by President George W. Bush, said on Monday they will unveil a war funding bill setting March 31 as the goal for pulling most U.S. troops out of Iraq.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States believes it is possible Iran is holding a former FBI agent who has been missing since March, a senior U.S. State Department official said on Monday but gave no evidence to support the statement.

PARIS (Reuters) - French presidential candidates Nicolas Sarkozy and Segolene Royal went back to the campaign trail on Monday as they battled for votes from the undecided center ground that will be key to their runoff on May 6.

TEHRAN/LUXEMBOURG (Reuters) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad poured cold water on Monday on prospects of a breakthrough in nuclear talks with the European Union this week, ruling out a suspension of uranium enrichment.

AP - Former President Boris Yeltsin, who hastened the collapse of the Soviet Union by scrambling atop a tank to rally opposition against a hard-line coup and later pushed Russia to embrace democracy and a market economy, died Monday at age 76.

AP - Alberto Gonzales, with a fresh vote of confidence from President Bush, vowed Monday to remain as attorney general despite lingering differences with senators over the firing of federal prosecutors.

AP - The trust fund for Social Security will be exhausted in 2041 and the Medicare trust fund in 2019, the trustees of the two programs said Monday. Both dates were one year later than previously estimated.

AP - Stocks retreated from historically lofty levels Monday as rising oil prices chilled investor enthusiasm for strong earnings reports and new takeover activity. The Dow Jones industrials came within 17 points of 13,000 before pulling back.

Reuters - Congressional Democrats, ignoring a promised veto by President George W. Bush, said on Monday they will unveil a war funding bill setting March 31 as the goal for pulling most U.S. troops out of Iraq.

Reuters - The United States believes it is possible Iran is holding a former FBI agent who has been missing since March, a senior U.S. State Department official said on Monday but gave no evidence to support the statement.

Reuters - French presidential candidates Nicolas Sarkozy and Segolene Royal went back to the campaign trail on Monday as they battled for votes from the undecided center ground that will be key to their runoff on May 6.

AFP - Ruling party candidate Umaru Yar'Adua was declared winner of Nigeria's presidential election Monday, but foreign observers slammed the credibility of a disputed poll that claimed at least 200 lives.

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Boris Yeltsin, who clambered on to a tank to bury the Soviet Union, then led Russia falteringly through its first years of independence, died on Monday aged 76.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - On the heels of a burst of successful fund-raising, Democratic 2008 presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama has pulled even with frontrunner Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, a new poll released on Monday found.

PARIS (Reuters) - French presidential rivals Nicolas Sarkozy and Segolene Royal reached out to centrist voters on Monday, hoping to win votes from an undecided group that is key to their runoff on May 6.

AP - A historic veto showdown assured, Democratic leaders agreed Monday on legislation that requires the first U.S. combat troops to be withdrawn from Iraq by Oct. 1 with a goal of a complete pullout six months later.

AP - The trust funds for Social Security and Medicare will last a year longer than previously estimated, trustees said Monday. That means 2041 for the Social Security trust fund to be exhausted and 2019 for Medicare.

AP - Overweight workers cost their bosses more in injury claims than their lean colleagues, suggests a study that found the heaviest employees had twice the rate of workers' compensation claims as their fit co-workers.

AP - Sanjaya Malakar is so famous, he can't walk anywhere without getting noticed. 'It's really weird. I mean, I'm just Sanjaya from Seattle,' the 17-year-old 'American Idol' cast-off said Monday on 'Live With Regis and Kelly.'

AP - Follow-up tests on backup urine samples by Tour de France champion Floyd Landis found traces of synthetic testosterone, the French sports newspaper L'Equipe reported Monday.

Reuters - On the heels of a burst of successful fund-raising, Democratic 2008 presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama has pulled even with frontrunner Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, a new poll released on Monday found.

Reuters - French presidential rivals Nicolas Sarkozy and Segolene Royal reached out to centrist voters on Monday, hoping to win votes from an undecided group that is key to their runoff on May 6.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush on Monday rejected calls to fire Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, saying Gonzales' testimony at a stormy congressional hearing last week 'increased my confidence' in him.

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran will not halt its atomic activities under any circumstances, Iran's president told Reuters on Monday, dashing any hopes Tehran might be persuaded to back down over its disputed nuclear program.

AP - Bolstered by a fresh show of support from President Bush, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales sought Monday to move beyond calls for his resignation and lingering questions about his credibility after the firings of federal prosecutors.

AP - David Halberstam, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author who chronicled the Washington press corps, the Vietnam War generation and baseball, was killed in a car crash early Monday, a coroner said. He was 73.

AP - Fired HealthSouth Corp. Chief Executive Richard Scrushy reached an $81 million settlement to end a government lawsuit in a huge accounting fraud, but he will pay less than $10 million — maybe much less — as his attorneys contend he is running out of money.

Reuters - U.S. President George W. Bush on Monday rejected calls to fire Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, saying Gonzales' testimony at a stormy congressional hearing last week "increased my confidence" in him.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A wave of up to 15 explosions resounded in the Iraqi capital Baghdad before dawn on Tuesday, apparently coming from the city's outskirts.

AP - Nine U.S. soldiers were killed and 20 were wounded Monday in a suicide car bombing against a patrol base northeast of Baghdad, the military said.

AP - Standing on the wind-swept flatlands of southern Vermilion County, you might think you'd have to drive the 180 miles to Chicago's Field Museum to find the nearest fossilized tree trunk from the Pennsylvania Age, 300 million years ago. Nah, just drill straight down.

AP - The drugs used to execute prisoners in the United States sometimes fail to work as planned, causing slow and painful deaths that probably violate constitutional bans on cruel and unusual punishment, a new medical review of dozens of executions concludes.

Reuters - A wave of up to 15 explosions resounded in the Iraqi capital Baghdad before dawn on Tuesday, apparently coming from the city's outskirts.

AP - A man facing eviction from a luxury apartment complex shot and killed the manager and then himself after writing an e-mail to friends saying he had died, police said. At least two other people were injured.

AP - Two more homers by Alex Rodriguez couldn't pull the New York Yankees out of a tailspin. A-Rod tied the major league record for home runs in April, hitting his 13th and 14th of the season in a 10-8 loss to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on Monday night.

AFP - Democrats in Congress merged House and Senate versions of an emergency spending bill for Iraq, including a time line to withdraw US troops, despite a veto threat by US President George W. Bush.