French President Macron seeks re-election

A month ago, the French presidential race was offering little to quicken the pulse, with incumbent Emmanuel Macron expected to breeze through to another five-year term.

But far-right candidate Marine Le Pen has run a canny campaign capitalising on the cost-of-living crisis.

And now some are predicting that if she can make it through to the run-off between the two strongest candidates in a fortnight, she could even beat him.