distress representing the shared experience of all ukrainians of the nearly 100 members of the orchestra around the doesn't have come to the beaver with about the same number remaining in lieu. hence, the rest have been scattered in cities and towns mainly across western ukraine with some even going abroad. this concert keeps alive the hope that one day they'll come together as a full symphony orchestra. once more, more concerts already being planned, hopefully involving bull musicians as they pick up instruments again and take to the stage war all no war. rob mcbride al jazeera, the vive, ah, is out there on these are the top stories, and you video as a merge that appears to show ukrainian forces killing detained russian soldiers. it was reportedly shot outside the village of the me, clear cut,

a few kilometers southwest, a butcher on march. the 30th dos, jibari has more from moscow. we've been hearing air 1st from the russian ambassador to the united states, anatoly, anton off, who says that at the video and the lack of coverage by add the american media around. it just illustrates that there are biased towards the conflict in ukraine. we also an have been seeing this footage air playing heavily, of course, on russian state tv over the past 24 hours. and the headlines i read or something along the lines of that, this is proof that the ukrainian military has turned into an i sole and that they are comparing the ukranian army to the nazis during world war 2. the u. s. is imposing more sanctions on russian banks as well as vitamin prudence. adult tortoise president joe biden says moscow is paying a severe and immediate price for it's reported atrocities in butcher. the crane

foreign minister has called for more weapons to fight russia. may throw labor was speaking in brussels ahead of nato, plus me to the box says it's trying to prevent an escalation of the conflict in the world news, a big political shake up in yemen. just days also started to mount sci fi with who the rebels, president of it's rather rebel month, or hardy, is 5, his deputy, and for the leadership council. saudi arabia is advising new assemblies, start negotiations with who these students are. the last group joint protest and lanka, colon whole president, resigned because of the economic crisis. got the bad part is resisting those calls response weeks of potent. so the high food fuel prices and lengthy power cars those headlines, i'll have another update for you here on al jazeera right off the inside story. i'll see you shortly. bye bye. for now. mainstream coverage of big stories can sometimes deliver more heat than light in any walks harvest. there's always

a push to simplify and narrative nuances always called for even indicate an aggressive war. the listening pace, jones into the news narrative and dissect them. there is not a great deal of subtlety. we're talking about the barbaric and unfolding gum, how unique it's not unique covering the way the news is covered on al jazeera, who will 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 proved him right? this is inside story. ah.

hello and welcome to the program. i'm hammer jim's room. 5 years ago. emmanuel 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 in the shadow of russia's invasion of ukraine. mcgraw 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 marcella 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 in a moment. first natasha butler reports from legal oh, middle school is one of from his best known politicians and for me 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 and neil, he said, if elected it end inequality, fight, climate change and tackle the cost of living crisis law junior good in new york, off 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 clar. mental shore, 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 to manual michael without me awful. i counted, milan shore embodies anti capitalism. pro workers' rights were sick of factory shutting. and france, we want a strong europe and milan chance the only one with answers to this would be one of

the main reasons velasco is doing so well in this presidential election is 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 central macro in 2017 and to shift among voters to the political right has left the socialist party in tatters and his presidential candidate on 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. her in terms of ideas in terms of proposals in terms of also answers to the problems of globalization. a,

for the changes are in the society with most parties on the left, including the green, trailing in the polls. north shore is expected to reap the maturity 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 li. ah. all right, let's go ahead and bring in our guests in paris, immediate, a political commentator and researcher on french economic affairs in san milo. jacqueline long, a senior research fellow at the global policy institute, and a specialist in economic and social policy. also in paris jersey, november a program coordinator with the german marshall fund of the us paris office and an expert in european security issues. a warm welcome to you all, and thanks for joining us today on inside story jack,

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 joke, so i get to yeah. at this stage 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 from 17 to 22. you know, space add already. other content could be shortly made. awful ross died rows quite 5 onto the last week is not 15 around 1516, but i don't think it would be able to of a date that enough. and so it looks like the whole loop and the george saw the salon round. but with a closer margin,

not real margin was expected. that's already even 2 weeks ago. so that's the main point is the rise and rise of been in the last couple of weeks. and i can explain why that has happened to the, to stage. that the, if you want to can, can stop now. yeah. and all, all little jack. 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 was 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, which 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 michael has always pitched the idea of european strategic our economy. lately changed to wedding to sovereignty, 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,

where 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, and 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 my whole 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 has for russia and leave it here. if you want to 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 of the beginning of the cranial crisis and micro benefits? of course, during his election, that band of the bay defense both as we see if they're not resolving police or not. i think this is the main important point. we've seen empty presidential there. we've been immune and we've seen one of the dimensional american again issue biters in the group in ultimate. so a french people are very daunted by the pretty don't feel micro and doing the last

5 rains of the french period. and so i believe that the french people will not, of course, support diesel war about the russian invention by the end of the, of the end of the day. they are very worried about discussion about the social situation. and they are going to meet you ation suffering in problems we've never seen in front of people to personally in process. people are going to bring a food from the beam in front, embarrassed. so i live in the popular area, which is my gene are just more entranced and it did, this is 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 marine 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 at 1st were very concerned about the wall ad not in the last, at some point because she saw the pro put it. she's a great put in subordinate as you've been rates rated recently. that the best, the life of cross would be russia. but the fact is that people are more concerned about the consequences of the work done to look at 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. she, as she did i light up was he shows on race and 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 process like to norfolk cross. she's very popular there. and so she made a very good campaign, no big meetings. she travelled, stead close to the people at one factor which is very important is that it exhibits who with this radical positions as made her look sought, looped covey. she has a better image. now, people luck, 46 percent, the french people think that she understands people like that. it used to be 22

percent in 2017 and now she's developed an image image off the hoover next door will look after would be very and food and look up 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 kept, kept breeza. so she has a much softer image, but at the same time, and that's my main concern, is that the body sees or which has been challenged much by the media. and she has not taken partnered with you, but she's still hobbs. i think that the bed is a wolf in sheep's clothing, and we can talk about receives on immigration and europe at the end of the day would be damaging for france. fall is going to be for francis standing in europe. i figured it would be a victory of money. would be equipped. would it be more than a g. u penny young jin, you heard jack there,

talk about the opinion he'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 a frances and underlined that this would be a good idea for narrative has changed. i mean in fact, what she's 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 or would not anymore be applied. and you are 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 security policy, that would be extremely complicated. you always need unity among member states to pursue project here. so if there was a french way to on anything, the recent geopolitical awakening off the you that we have just seen what have been a short momentum that which unfortunately only make it to history. i mean, eric 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 more 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, marina 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 by the gym with the can do that because he was more extremely pat. so i believe, but they were, she was at the beginning of the campaign, could utilizing the posture symbol, saying that he's in the race level. she changed her speech, the ball and the gratian of the french, mostly people. we know everybody knows how to move picture sites, islam. islam is him. and he was saying is more about the friendship will seem

people to leave the face. and the reason that i would like to come back to the point about, via my really been and michael, don't forget that the minute micro unlock to parents 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. she wants to force, increase the minimum salaries for french people and he knows how french people doing good macros. president the have been suffering considerably. i would like as well to me, to jewel, to reach, to raise sort of an important point about the, you know, this moment the idea of the woman in front is still there is still in the saw in the heart of the french people in france. i think the crisis is more d is a deeper than the bundle, the, the french election these 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, yeah. ready the more the, the, the, the more gotcha crisis is it has to be resolved in prop jack. he just mentioned john, look 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 coming in position. but last time they were no great candidate and no comment is candidate and they've been eating it too. and voters are presenting about 7 and 78 percent. you don't know exactly obviously if they decided to vote fall shortly. but also jody been also would have a chance to come 2nd,

but i doubt it. and we had to come back on the boy. i mean, it is the time in front of the moment is that there is a kind of democratic wariness. i would say was it ok? we have an ex shows, but the thing don't shop is sort of where more is the same thing. yeah, it's true. we are part of europe in union of freely built markets. and 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 bridges, where the more needed escape at the mom of the said that maybe this gave good could beat him. i didn't call you sense even though control ridgewood, i mean say he's not, he hasn't got to say, but he sees my bed and is not. and they already there are ease, socially or, or advocates to social market economy. but it's a new world and we can see mean the laughter meeting,

you know that you went to honda, right, busing and structure. rise to 65 people are getting super missouri benefits should of some kind of involvement in the world of work. i tried to not because we weren't 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 of the social measures social raising the minimum pension and so on. quite a few measures go towards a big if you look at his record, you're not doing too badly compared to the other. the energy prices in products are reserved by 4 percent in the rest of the use 29 percent in but 50 percent that the french are was acting as the report in equal. we are one of these

unequal 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 in another question here 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 to me didn't resonate in his file in his 1st years of presidency. but this completely changed with colors 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 post perspective is particularly interesting is that his narrative of european strategic autonomy and strengthening european sovereignty has now made it into the language of the institutions. so a lot on the line, the cry or mission president, show me, showed president of the counter. they're 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 example, i would say my cold stretch record is quite yours. so for example, we now have a new rapid deployment for in the strategic compact with strategic compass 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 itself and to stats understanding. it says the apology collector, he has also contra transformed you are because europeans are now working differently together, right? not only in the new, but also in conditions of the winning. how may 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 mccoy is all of that shit in his policies, in from, 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 church and 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 goal will not think seriously the social problems in france and resolve the book, the station, the yellow best in france will go all his pendency is presidency. so it would be a disaster, while the french economy and the political situation will be in stable already was will this to believe the order we have been in, or i will la, 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, i long and thank you to 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 join 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. the manual mach balls, leadership of france has been beset with turmoil and parties on holidays. now, as the president seats, a new term in office the far right has become his biggest electric challenge with but will it's hard line rhetoric the overshadowed by international events. people empower, investigates, frances, fearful campaign on a just either china is locked in

a sy battle with the us when i, when ace make the online warriors. but i'm the key one out of there. in the run up to worth day al jazeera showcase. his live discussion programs and special documentaries, exploring the issues behind human caused climate change. pharmacy skepticism is entirely dependent upon the promotion of doubt. whitney screens a series of inspirational films, stories told for the eyes of those at the forefront planet. s o. s. visits, greenland, to investigate how local communities are adapting to the alarming rate of melting ice. never before in human history has the months prestige, environment of the arctic. food in such peril, al jazeera well documents the devastating impacts of climate change on a lake and center goal and rivers in iraq. and the st asked how

societies can respond to global warming, the climate emergency, a season of special programming, anal josie ah, you. ready new video of his to show ukrainian forces killing of russian captured soldiers outside of cuba. my agenda is very simple. it has only 3 items on it. it's weapons, weapons, and weapons. and brothels, ukraine fondness that asks for more help because president zelinski dismisses new sanctions against russia. ah, other i'm kimbell, this is l.