net from outer space a we are going to be able to see if those plans have oxygen. for example, if there is any chance that there may be some kind of life in those planets. and we're given those 1st steps into looking for future homes for humanity. united states office for outer space affairs is working on rules for frequencies and coordinate to create a global system for sharing outer space for the benefit of all of those for large and small. she and human al jazeera when it kiddos chilly. ah, let's take you through some of the headlines here now the 0. now. the full scale of killings in the ukranian towns of butcher is a pin and but of the anchor are beginning to emerge. kia says more victims are being discovered every day, allegedly tortured, executed, and burned. and the port city of mario paul is still facing heavy fighting an

aerial bombardment. a 160000 people are traps. they have no water, electricity, or medicine. the head of nato is warning the war a new crime could last months, even the years. yen stoughton berg says the delivery of more weapons to ukraine will be discussed as nato foreign ministers meet in brussels. we have seen no indication that the president putin has so changed his ambition to control or the whole of ukraine. ah, and also to rewrite 3rd the natural order. so we need to be prepared for a long haul. we need to support ukraine, sustained our sanctions. and strengthen our her defenses under our deterrence. because this can't last for a long time, and we need to be prepared for that. now the u. s. is unveiled more sanctions against russia this time against financial institutions and 2 of president vladimir

putin, his daughters, washington has also accused billionaire constantine modify of of trying to evade sanctions against him. and now the news became fast as former president les computer has been sentenced to life in prison for complicity in the murder of his predecessor thomas sank. kara, he's an exile in ivory coast members of parliament in sure anchor of met for the 1st time since the governing coalition lost its majority. at least 40 politicians walked out of the alliance on tuesday. blaming the government for food and fuel shortages. protest to being held in sedans, capital and several other cities against the military take over last year. wednesday marks the 3rd anniversary of demonstrations that brought down former leader on what other ship those he had lines. it's inside story now. ah.

all be the next president of france, emmanuel makram bids for reelection in the shadow of war in ukraine. but candidates from the far right and far left. say he's out of touch with the french population. will the voters prove them right? this is inside story. ah hello and welcome to the program. i'm hammer, jim jim, 5 years ago, emanuel macro was a new comer to french politics. he swept aside the traditional left, right,

political divide by forming a interest party and becoming the youngest ever president. now the 44 year old is the incumbent seeking re election. sunday's 1st round of voting is happening and the shadow of rushes invasion of ukraine. macro held his only campaign rally last saturday outside paris. he promised to defend europe's democracy, while raising pensions and cutting corporate taxes. opinion polls suggest a repeat of 2017 when micron faced marie la pon, in the 2nd round, the far i candidate has since tone down her previous statements against immigration . instead, she's focused her campaign on the high cost of living. both are facing lay challenge from the far left will bring in our guests at a moment. first natasha butler reports from legal. oh, middle school is one of france's best known politicians. anthony re orita and former trotsky east. the far left party leaders spend years on the margins of french politics, but middle shores, fortunes are changing. opinion polls suggest he could make it to the 2nd round of

the presidential election at a rally in neil. he said, if elected it end inequality, fight, climate change and tackle the cost of living crisis law junior good in new york, lost millions of french people are being strangled by the rising cost of living and fuel prices, millions of french people. so the role of those you lead the nation is to fix this war. now, so supporters say he's the antithesis of emmanuel, my call. mental show once nicknamed the president of the rich i. it's been a difficult 5 years for many people. so as far as i'm concerned, we can't relax manual michael was al camille for i counted milan shaw embodies anti capitalism, pro workers' rights. we're sick of factory shutting in france. we want a strong europe and melancholy. the only one with answers. this will be one of the main reasons and the loss was doing so well in this presidential election. this because france, traditional leveling socialist party is doing better for decades. the socialist

party was a political force that created presidents, but the arrival of the centrist macro in 2017 and to shift among voters to the political right has left the socialist party in tatters and his presidential candidate and it. i'll go floundering in the polls. the socialist party still has local or mayors, but on the national level, it has lost in the appeal because it's lost a program. it's lost ideas, it lost the battle of ideas and, and also launch presidency is seen in its legacy as a moment of weakness or in terms of ideas in terms of proposals in terms of also answers to the problems of globalization of, for the changes are in the society with most parties on the left, including the green, trailing in the poles, mill or shore,

is expected to reap the majority of left wing votes. few people expect him to win the presidency, but making it past the 1st round could signal that france is left is ready for a revival. natasha butler al jazeera little. ah. all right, let's go ahead and bring in our guests. in paris, i need shipped a political commentator and researcher on french economic affairs in san malo. jacqueline long a senior research fellow at the global policy institute, and a specialist in economic and social policy. also in paris, jazz in vapor a program coordinator with the german marshall fund of the u. s. paris office and an expert in european security issues. a warm welcome to you all, and thanks for joining us today on inside story. shocked. let me start with you today. where do things stand in the election right now? opinion polls are suggesting a repeat of 2017 when president micron faced marine la penn. in the 2nd round. do

you think that's what we're going to see happen? they just like it? yeah. it looks like it. my call was wearing dirty when the war started at 32 percent now is down to 2627 percent, but not a bad reason for 17 to 22 in a space ad. already other content could be short. shall we dive rose quite onto the last week is not 15 around 1516. but i don't think it would be too of a date that it looked at. so it looks like the mccaul loop and jor saw the salon round. but with a closer margin, narrow margin was expected as already even 2 weeks ago. so that's

the main point is the rise and rise of loop and in the last couple of weeks. and i can explain why that happened today. just stage that if you want to can, can stop now. yeah, i'll call, i'll actually get back to you with a question on that in just a moment. i'm just seeing, let me ask you how much has russia's invasion of ukraine up in? did president microns plans for what he had hoped to accomplish in the 1st half of this year, and how? how much is the shadow of the conflict in ukraine looming over this election cycle? so maybe i was that with the 1st question. thank you very much for that. so in this context, it is very important to know that france apparently holding the rotating presidency of the council of the european union. and when you are holding this function or when you have this row, that means that you have kind of a coordinating role and can give some ideas for what can be done on the european level. and when my call prevents this broker in december,

it was clear that he wanted to put the focus on everything related to european sovereignty, but also to economic recovery, as well as creating a feeling of belonging to europe and with new crank. rise of the crisis in terms of foreign policy. it was particularly the patch on sovereignty. that is becoming more and more important. so as you might now, since if sub on speech in 2017, my call has always pitched the idea of european strategic our economy. lately changed to wedding to summer antique. but the idea of this is basically that the you itself is able to make its independent decisions based on its interests. and of course, were possible in cooperation with partners and over quite a long time, fellow europeans were trying to kind of wary of the concept so that it's kind of

hyper activism of michael. but then when the war in ukraine kicked in, other europeans painfully realized that this idea of having a europe that is kind of a bit more submarine in terms of energy supply and then defense and can really leverage it's his tools. yeah. that this is maybe not the worst idea. and when he saw what europe has done that is basically putting michael's concept of sovereignty into practice. so of course, it was not only him with the chief step, but yeah, that's a clear success ulta, knowing that my call is the only channel of communication that europe's though has for russia and leave it here. if you want to ask a follow up, i'll get, i'll get back to you on that point. actually in a moment to me, let me ask you from your vantage point, how the electorate is responding to what's going on in ukraine. i mentioned this because, you know, president micron has been heavily involved in trying to broker some type of

diplomatic solution to the crisis in ukraine. he has been reaching out repeatedly to russian, president potent, he's been shuttling around, trying to come up with some type of solution. is that something that that's hurting him or a helping him when it comes to voters and when it comes to this election, when it comes to the voters or the beginning of the cranium tries this micro benefits, of course, during his election that band of the bay defense both as we see. is there a subtle resolve increase or not? i think this is the main important point. we've seen empty residential, we've been immune and we've seen as well as the dimensional american, again issued by t as in the big group in elements. so a french people are very good about that by the presidency of micro and doing it. he lost 5 reins of the french presidency. so i believe that the french people will not, of course,

support diesel war about the russian invasion by the end of the, of the end of the day. they are very worried about discussion approach, the social situation and the economy to ation. suffering in problems. we've never seen in front of people. i've never seen personally in prospects. people are going to bring a food from the beam in france. embarrassed. so i live in the popular area, which is my gene are just more entranced and it did. the consortia generation is worse, but before jack, i want to pick up on the point you were starting to make in your last answer, which is the reasons for the sudden surge in the polls for maureen le pen. so i want to ask you, 1st of all, what are some of the reasons for that? and secondly, the fact that marina penn has softened some of her rhetoric around topics like

islam and like your skepticism, is that something that is helping her right now to, to when potential voters outside of her typical solid base isn't in the thing is that, i mean was mentioning the people are at 1st were very concerned about the wall as not in the last some point because she saw pro put it. she's a great put in supporter as you've been reach, rated recently that the best a life or false will be russia. but the fact is that people don't know more concerned about the consequences of the work done. there will add the consequences on the cost of living and the cost of living as being the home because of the bed in the last few months. she's come paid on that sheet as she did i light up was he shows on race and feel that she's so for the image and concentrated on the ghost for people will find it hard to make ends meet and she

has a lot of support along the working classes and luck exit more. for example, a lot of extremities. well, it does. we can see the working areas working parts or probably like norfolk cross . she's very popular there. and so she made a very good campaign, no big meetings. she travelled, stead gross to the people at one factor which is very important is that it exhibits who with this radical positions as made, her look sought, looked goodly. she has a better image. now people luck. 46 percent of the french people think that she understands people like it used to be 22 percent in 2017 and now she's developed an image. the image off the hoover next door will look after would be very and food and look up to your caps when you're away. and she's

actually made a big on the fact that she's, she loves guests, she's become a, kept, kept breeza. so she has a much softer image, but at the same time as my main concern is that the policies are which has been challenged much by the media. and she has not taken part in when you but she's still hogs. i think that the bed is a wolf in sheep's clothing, and we can talk about receives on immigration and europe, and audio going to be then would be damaging fault france. fall is going to be for francis standing in europe, i figured would be the victory of money would be it would be more than a g. right. do you have any young jazz in you heard jack there? talk about the opinion who's expressing was that a pen presidency would be damaging for francis standing in europe. i want to ask

you, what would a pen presidency mean for your? well, the pen presidency would be very bad news for europe. that is for sure. maybe to start from of it's like an integration and institutional perspective. the pen has a heads until the break that referendum actually always lobbied for francis and underlined that this would be a good idea for narrative has changed. i mean in fact, what she is advocating for now is kind of leaving me here, reads staying inside because she said that she wants to reinstall the primacy of french and national law over, you know, so basically you will all would not even, i would not anymore be applied in your members in france, which basically means you're just in a loose grouping of states that doesn't have any regulatory power. and that is also what makes the core of the european union from a bit, from a prone,

broader perspective. this, the pen victory would be very bad news for europe, because any deeper integration project would immediately be end of what just not be pursued. and particularly in the foreign and to security policy. that would be extremely complicated because you always need unanimity among member states to pursue project here. so if there was a french way to on anything. the reason geopolitical awakening of you that we have just seen would have been a short momentum that would unfortunately only make it to history. i mean, eric's more sorry, i mean, i want to ask you something about 1st. some of the shock was mentioning and he was saying that the candidacy of eric's more essentially makes marine le pen look more related or perhaps more palatable to voters. i want to ask you about that. you know, erickson moore, is somebody who's twice been convicted for inciting, racial or religious hatred. the fact that he is running does that,

is that something that's normalized marine le pen for, for other voters, that's something that has made her perhaps more palatable to other voters. yeah, exactly, that's true. i do, we just she, she was normalized or why the resume with the can do that because he was more extremely ok. so i believe that they were, she was at the beginning of the campaign, could utilizing the posture of that symbol, saying that he's in the race. you guys lemme guy. she change her speech. the ball. and the gratian of the french, mostly people. we know everybody knows how to move sites, islam. islam is him. and he was saying is more about the friendship and we'll see people i was to leave the face and the region that i would like to come back to the point about the, the my really been and michael,

don't forget. but the minute micro repents have the same economy program as she's a liberal and he's a liberal. the only company that really proposed a social reform is jolly criminal show. once you're also increase the minimum salaries for french people and he knows how french people during the macros president the have been suffering considerably. i would like as well to make a jewel jewel to reach to raise an important point about the, you know, this moment the ideal is you'll be in front is still there is still in the south in the heart of the french people in france. i think. busy the crisis is more d, a deeper than the bundle, the, the french election days in france, and the democratic crisis, which will have to be resolved today. the regime of the rubric is now finished. and that's why you did the more conscious the, the, the,

the more gotcha crisis is it has to be results in prop jack. how may i just mention jean luc national. and we heard in natasha butler's report earlier in the program. that perhaps his political fortunes may be changing. now do you think that is the case and could he potentially make it to the 2nd round as a candidate? i think it's a bit difficult. last time he was very close to not ended up becoming in position. but last time they were no great candidate and know government is candidates and they've been eating it to and the voters are presenting about 7 and 7 a percent. you don't know exactly if they decided to mode fall shortly, but also short been also would have a chance to come 2nd, but a doubted. and we had to come back on the boy. i mean, it is the climate and from the moment is that there is

a kind of democratic wariness. i would say was it okay, we have a shows, but the thing don't shop is still was more the same thing. yeah, it's true. we are part of europe in union of free markets. it's, tara governments come to too much because of the show constraints. so there's a desire to go to of a fraud, a table to kick just to be defeating. there was a job that brings it to bridge and we're in the morning to scape a mom of the said that maybe this game good could be images her call. you sense. even though contrary to what i mean, say he's not, he hasn't got to say, but he sees money and is not and they already there are ease. so shorter or advocates does social market economy, but is the and they already their own. and we can see mean the laughter meeting. you know that some of you went to honda, right? saying should arise to 65 and then people are getting super missouri benefits

should of some kind of in a ma did a world of ok. tried to not obligatory work but trading, but that is same done is made sure that you realize is that easter, when he asked to vote on the left, is it is because some more social measures social raising the minimum pension and so on. quite a few measures go towards a big and if you look at his record, you're not that much. i'm not doing to budget compared to the other. the energy prices in prompts have risen by 4 percent in the rest of the use 29 percent. good job, but 50 percent that the french are was to think that it's to reboot any. we are one of the least an equal countries. i'm sorry, john, i'm sorry to interrupt you. it's just we are starting to run out of time. i. i do want to ask just another question here. did you, you wrote

a piece recently in which you said, i'm going to quote it. micron is the most euro file president that france has perhaps ever seen. and the quest for european strategic autonomy has characterized his foreign policy over the last 5 years. i know that you were talking about some aspect of this in an earlier answer, but how much has a president micron transformed the you? well, i would say if you had asked that question to me in 2019 or before the covered premises, i would say not really because the call for european. so teaching told me didn't resonate in his file in his 1st years of presidency. but this completely changed with college and the recovery plan when you repeat, basically discovered that they are completely dependent on supply chains and need to set up their own capacities and capabilities to deal with these challenges. and also what i think from foreign policy and defense posty perspective is particularly

interesting is that his narrative of european strategic, honda, me, and strengthening european sovereignty has now made it into the language of the institutions. so a lot on the line, the cry, our mission president. so michelle, president of the council, they are all using this word any. and that basically shows that there is kind of a change in thinking on how the new approaches global global challenges. and also when you're looking at what was achieved in terms of new defense initiatives for and i would say my cold stretch record is quite yours. so for example, we now have a new rapid deployment for was in the strategic comcast was strategic compost as a document which is kind of a strategic guideline that was just adopted in the end of march. and that is characterized also by the french influence. so i would say he has transformed the new in terms of methods and also has given an important impetus to the you

to see it. and to stats understanding, it says, and the apology collector has also contra transformed. you are because europeans are now working differently together, right? not only in the new, but also coalitions of the women. i mean, we only have about a minute and a half left. i just want to ask you about the fact that president micron, you know, he really swept aside the traditional left to right political divide when it comes to french politics by forming this central party. is that something that has completely remade french politics? while my call is out of foot show in his policies in front, during the presidency, but i believe that the up sundays, new fonts. it's very important today. more than 60 percent of the people maybe will not vote people. i've been deceived by the president of micro and this is will also increase the democratic crisis in france. and i'm very worried about the political

attrition in the political mom in front. this is, is a, i mean, a huge warning for the french needs. and the, if we, if my call will not pick seriously the social problems in france and resolve the book, the station, the yellow best in france will do all his pregnancy is presidency. so he will be a disaster on the french economy. and the political situation will be in stable already was will this to the like the order we have been in, or i will, le, we have run out of time to we're going to have to leave the conversation there. thank you so much. all of our guests have each yet to seen labor and jock, hello. and thank you for watching. you can see the program again any time by visiting our website al jazeera dot com, and for further discussion, go to our facebook page. that's facebook dot com, forward slash ha inside story. you can also do the conversation on twitter or

handle is at ha, inside story for me, how much am during the whole team here? and uh huh. bye for now. ah, along with april on i'll just see frontline reporting and in depth analysis. we bring you the latest on the ukraine war and the unfolding humanitarian crisis, immersive personal shorts, documentary africa, direct showcase, african stories from african filmmaker, the campaign for the philippines president the and final. but with the country

facing it worth assessing year, which candidate will emerge as a front runner, time of pandemic sauce. what the world can learn from the global h i. v epidemic in the fight against children. 19 emanuel micron is expected to be re elected as president. that what will the 2nd term mean for france and the you? april on al jazeera emanuel mac was leadership of france has been beset with turmoil and partisan politics. now as the president seats a new term and office the far right, become his biggest electric challenge with but will it's hard line rhetoric the overshadowed by international event. people in power investigates frances, fearful campaign. on a jesse we understand the differences and similarities have cultures across the world. so no matter how you take it out here,

we're bringing the news and current to fast that matter to you count his era. oh, this is al jazeera. ah, hello, i am sammy's a dan. this is the new south live from doha, coming up in the next 60 minutes. ukrainian soldiers search for mines and trying to identify bodies. we report from boot show or russian soldiers are accused of killings and torture. every time they come across a body of those search at 1st for any potential booby traps.