While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, April 24 edition

Emmanuel Macron (left) and Marine Le Pen came up tops in round one of French elections on April 23, 2017. PHOTO: REUTERS

French elections: Emmaneul Macron and Marine Le Pen projected to contest 2nd round

Centrist Emmanuel Macron and far-right leader Marine Le Pen will contest the second round of the French presidential election, initial projections suggested Sunday, after a nail-biting vote seen as vital for the future of the EU.

Macron was projected to win between 23 and 24 percent in Sunday's first round, slightly ahead of National Front leader Le Pen with between 21.6 and 23 percent, according to estimates on public television.

The outcome capped an extraordinary few months for a deeply divided France, which saw a campaign full of twists and turns and a movement away from traditional parties.

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Few clues on casualties at site where huge US bomb was dropped in Afghanistan

The remote site in eastern Afghanistan where the US military dropped its largest non-nuclear bomb ever deployed in combat earlier this month bears signs of the weapon's power, but little evidence of how much material and human damage it inflicted.

Reuters photos and video footage - some of the first images from journalists allowed to get close to the site - reveal a scarred mountainside, burned trees and some ruined mud-brick structures.

They did not offer any clues as to the number of casualties or their identities.

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Football: Alexis Sanchez caps Arsenal fightback, sets Chelsea final date

Alexis Sanchez earned Arsenal an FA Cup final showdown with Chelsea and gave Arsene Wenger renewed hope of salvaging a troubled campaign as the gritty Gunners fought back to beat Manchester City 2-1 on Sunday.

When Sergio Aguero put City ahead in the second half of a bruising semi-final, Wenger's side were on the verge of another dispiriting defeat in arguably the worst season of the Frenchman's 21-year reign.

But, despite being out-played for long periods, Arsenal summoned a spirit and desire too often missing from their performances this term.

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Football: Christian Benteke deals bodyblow to old club, Manchester United on the rise

Christian Benteke's double for Crystal Palace against his old club Liverpool dealt perhaps a fatal blow to their hopes of Champions League football whilst boosting Manchester United's chances on Sunday (April 23).

United had already done their chances no end of good earlier on Sunday as Anthony Martial responded positively to criticism by Jose Mourinho in scoring one and being involved in Wayne Rooney's second beating Burnley 2-0 to move up to fifth spot and a point off Manchester City - who they play on Thursday.

However, it is Liverpool who will be the most worried about missing out on the lucrative Champions League spot next season as they are just two points clear of United who have two games in hand.

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Basketball: Cleveland's LeBron James sparks reigning NBA champs to playoff sweep of Pacers

LeBron James scored 33 points and made key plays late to give the defending NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers a 106-102 victory at Indiana and a sweep of their playoff series.

The Cavaliers defeated the Pacers 4-0 in their best-of-seven Eastern Conference first-round matchup and will next face the winner of the Toronto Raptors and Milwaukee Bucks clash.

James sank a 3-pointer to give Cleveland a 103-102 edge, made a steal, then missed another 3-point shot, but Kyrie Irving grabbed the rebound and Kyle Korver was fouled, hitting two free throws to stretch the Cavaliers lead to 105-102.

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