French voters prepared to choose between Nicolas Sarkozy, of the UMP, and Francois Hollande, of the Socialist party, in the second round of presidential elections, on 6 May. Marine Le Pen, knocked out in the first round with 18 per cent of the poll, said that she would be casting a blank ballot. Greece prepared for parliamentary elections on the same day. Standard & Poor's reduced Spain's sovereign debt rating by two notches, while the country's unemployment rose above 24 per cent. Norway's 100 metre breaststroke champion, Alexander Dale Oen, aged 26, suddenly died of a heart attack Chen Guangcheng, a blind Chinese dissident who has campaigned against forced abortions, took refuge in the United States embassy in Beijing, but left again after six days. Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary-general, addressed the parliament of Burma and visited Aung San Suu Kyi, the opposition leader who has been elected to a seat. A ferry capsized on the Brahmaputra, in Assam, drowning at least 103. …