Politics this weekApr 26th 2007 From The Economist print editionAPBoris Yeltsin, Russias former president, died. His funeral in Moscow was attended by a bevy of world leaders past and present. Vladimir Putin paid tribute to his predecessor, though critics say he has curbed the freedoms Mr Yeltsin proclaimed. See articleMeanwhile, Mr Putin called for a moratorium on Russias compliance with a treaty that regulates military deployments in Europe, complaining that other countries were flouting it. Robert Gates, Americas defence secretary, visited Moscow in an attempt to persuade Russia to drop its opposition to the siting of American missile-defence systems in central Europe. In the first round of Frances presidential election, the two front-runners, Nicolas Sarkozy and Sgolne Royal, came top. They will face each other in a run-off on May 6th, in which Mr Sarkozy is favoured to win. See articleUkraines president, Viktor Yushchenko, delayed until June 24th the early parliamentary election he had called for May. The government is still opposed to the early poll.Turkeys ruling AK Party said that the foreign minister, Abdullah Gul, would be its presidential candidate next month. Secularists have opposed the prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, taking the job. See article Last-minute hitchesAmerica expressed frustration at Indias reluctance to sign a controversial nuclear-power deal, which would let India buy American nuclear fuel and reactors. India objects, among other things, to a clause halting co-operation if it decides to carry out another nuclear test. See articleSouth Korea resumed large-scale rice aid to North Korea. Both Koreas also agreed to let trains cross their border for the first time in 50 years.Benazir Bhutto, a Pakistani opposition leader, said she would return from exile, strengthening suspicions that she has cut a deal with the president, General Pervez Musharraf, to shore up his ailing regime. Big protests continued against Mr Musharrafs attempt to sack the countrys top judge.The International Energy Agency said China might overtake the United States as the worlds biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, possibly as soon as this year. See article EPABhutan staged a colourful mock election with dummy parties, as part of the former kings plan to introduce democracy to the tiny Himalayan realm. The Thunder Dragon Yellow party, bearing royal colours, won a landslide. See articleBaghdads wallIn Iraq a row erupted over an American military plan to build a protective wall around the Sunni Arab enclave of Adhamiya, a district of Baghdad. Iraqs prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki, said it would divide the capital along sectarian lines. But some of his top soldiers seemed to endorse it. See article Israels finance minister, Avraham Hirchson, took voluntary leave pending a police inquiry into allegations that he embezzled union funds. Three days later the state comptroller said that Ehud Olmert, the prime minister, should suspend himself and be investigated too, for allegations of corruption while he was industry minister.The Nigerian ruling partys candidate, Umaru YarAdua, was declared to have won the presidency in the first round, with 70% of votes cast. However, foreign observers reported rampant vote-rigging and the opposition called for the poll to be re-run. See articleFighting intensified in Somalias capital, Mogadishu, from which some 321,000 people have fled in the past few weeks, according to the UN. See articleFighters of the Ogaden National Liberation Front, an ethnic-Somali group fighting for the autonomy of a region in eastern Ethiopia, attacked a Chinese oil-exploration facility in the desert there, killing some 65 Ethiopians and nine Chinese. Ethiopias government blamed Eritrea for helping the attackers. Headed for a showdownThe House approved a bill that would bring American troops home from Iraq by next spring; the Senate was set to follow. A presidential veto next week looks certain.Students at Virginia Tech returned to their classes one week after Cho Seung-hui shot and killed 32 of their classmates before killing himself. Tim Kaine, Virginias governor, raised the possibility of adding mental-health records to the database that gun shops in the state consult before selling a firearm to someone. Michael Bloomberg unveiled a set of proposals to improve the environment of New York, including a congestion charge for parts of Manhattan. The mayor said that traffic jams were causing a lot of New Yorks health and economic problems. He also wants to reduce the citys greenhouse-gas emissions by 30% before 2030. See article John McCain formally launched his already struggling presidential campaign in New Hampshire. The senator from Arizona is trailing his Republican rival, Rudy Giuliani, in opinion polls. Alberto Gonzales said he would stay in the post of attorney-general “as long as I can continue to serve