Candidates clash as French debate turns personal

Monday's meeting between the Russian and French presidents in Moscow gave rise to a lot of photoshopped content on social media - mostly sufficiently far-fetched so as not to be believable. We take a closer look. We also take a look at some convincing fake news stories that have been doing the rounds about Russia's current tensions with Ukraine and NATO.

There are just 13 days to go before the first round of the French presidential election. In this edition of the show, we see how the president was called a murderer by some supporters of Eric Zemmour at a rally – and how Macron reacted. We also take a closer look at far-right candidate Marine Le Pen's chaotic visit to the French overseas department of Guadeloupe.

Stephen Carroll and Kate Moody take a look at the economic promises being made by the candidates in France's presidential election. The cost of living is the biggest issue for voters, whereas the topic of government debt – a subject that has dominated previous elections – is largely absent from this year's campaign. We examine what the presidential hopefuls are promising in terms of combatting inflation, creating jobs and reforming the tax system.

Papers focus on the tough choices facing presidential candidates Jean-Luc Mélenchon and Emmanuel Macron as polls show a tighter-than-expected second round run-off with far-right candidate Marine Le Pen. French website Mediapart looks at why Ukraine may not be winning the information war outside of the West. Finally, we look at US coverage of Amazon workers in New York making history.

Facing a tougher-than-expected fight for re-election, Emmanuel Macron has hit the campaign trail at last. Since he and far-right nationalist rival Marine Le Pen qualified for the April 24 run-off, the incumbent has seemed eager to go into the field to explain his policies.

No, French President Emmanuel Macron did not say that 60 million African and Middle Eastern refugees would coverge on Europe over the next 20 years and the BBC did not tweet such a quote either. We take a look at the forensics of a fake news story. Plus, a quote from an old interview with defeated French leftist candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon is taken out of context.

French far-right candidate Marine Le Pen faces the fight of her political life as she prepares for this Wednesday's TV duel with Emmanuel Macron. We take a look at coverage in the French press. We also see how the British tabloids are reacting to the latest developments in the "partygate" scandal involving Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

For the second election in a row, Emmanuel Macron has beaten Marine Le Pen, becoming the first French president to win a second term in 20 years. But most French papers say his victory is one "without glory," as he benefited more from a desire to keep the far right out of office than from widespread support for his policies. We also take a look at international papers' constructive criticism of Macron's re-election and what they think he can do to improve.

A video claiming that voter fraud targeted far-right French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen has gained traction abroad. Users claim that Le Pen voter ballots were destroyed. In fact, unions were denouncing a €9 million loan that Marine Le Pen's RN party (FN at the time) borrowed from a Russia-based bank. We tell you more in this edition of Truth or Fake.

French politics continues to dominate the papers as Emmanuel Macron desperately seeks an alliance to secure a parliamentary majority. The US Senate finds bipartisan support for new gun possession laws for the first time in 30 years. Organisers of the Miss France beauty pageant introduce radical new changes to shake up the contest. Finally, a man escapes his kidnappers by driving erratically on a highway in order to be stopped by authorities.

Macron is in a unique position to urge his opposite number, Paul Biya, to embrace inclusive peace talks to end the nearly six-year conflict devastating Cameroon's Anglophone regions, writes Rebecca Tinsley.

The French president has kicked off a tour of Cameroon, Benin and Guinea-Bissau at a time when French influence in Africa is being called into question in several countries.