In France, the ruling Socialists suffered setbacks in Sunday's local elections, in which the hard-right Front National made some major inroads. According to provisional results announced by the Interior Minister just after midnight, the right won nearly 47 percent of all votes cast in the first round of the election on Sunday. The left won nearly 38 percent, and the hard right over four-and-a-half percent. All this with record-high abstention rates.
