We look at the major takeaways from the first round of the French presidential election, which saw Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen qualify for the run-off on April 24. The French press focuses on the rise of far-right and far-left candidates as well as the decline of centrist parties. Meanwhile, international papers report on how a win for either Macron or Le Pen would affect European support for Kyiv amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

And so begins a mad dash to the finish in the French presidential race. After a surprisingly sluggish start to the campaign, the first round served up the predicted outcome but also its fair share of surprises. The April 24 runoff is incumbent Emmanuel Macron's to lose, say the pollsters. But in a rematch of the 2017 second round, the centrist incumbent has his weaknesses that the far-right's Marine Le Pen astutely exploited in a campaign where she has been out pounding the flesh while Macron has been attending summits.

Located in the French Mediterranean, Corsica is often referred to as the "island of beauty". But it's also been the scene of recent tensions. Since last month's death of jailed assassin and independence figurehead Yvan Colonna, following an attack on him by a fellow inmate, a pro-autonomy movement has been gaining ground on Corsica. Thousands have taken to the streets to call for more autonomy, with young people particularly vocal. We take you from the seafront in Ajaccio to the university town of Corte to unpick the recent crisis and the calls for change.

In a special edition, we look closely at the two presidential candidates, Emmanuel Macron and the far-right’s Marine Le Pen to see where they both stand when it comes to promoting equality. Annette Young talks to Megan Clement, the editor of the Impact newsletter on gender and politics on why women's rights have failed to make the radar so far in this election campaign. Also #MeToo in the world of French politics and the dire need to end a climate of sexism and sexual harassment.

The two candidates vying to be the next French president have defended their position on Muslim headscarves. The covering is already outlawed in schools and far-right candidate Marine Le Pen wants a nationwide ban.

With less than a week to go before France's presidential run-off, French papers explain why the "republican front" against far-right candidate Marine Le Pen is looking increasingly fragile, especially in the overseas departments of Martinique and Guadeloupe. We also take an in-depth look at Le Pen's foreign policy proposals. We finish with an Easter special on why chocolate eggs seem to taste so much better than chocolate bars.

Six days ahead of the final presidential vote in the eurozone's second largest economy, far-right French candidate Marine Le Pen has never been closer to the Élysée Palace, but her spectacular rise in the polls appears to be stagnating as incumbent Emmanuel Macron steps up his campaign. FRANCE 24's Maya-Anaïs Yataghène delves into the latest April Surprise. Plus, just days before the run-off, Paris prosecutors are studying a report by the EU fraud agency accusing Le Pen of misusing public funds while serving in the European Parliament.

What if the French left stays home next Sunday? Two-thirds of those who actively support Jean-Luc Mélenchon see no reason to choose centrist incumbent Emmanuel Macron over the far-right's Marine Le Pen in the presidential run-off. In a nation where the president enjoys outsized powers, this is the election that matters. Why are so many of his supporters unfazed by the prospect of Le Pen beating Macron? She's the leader of a party whose roots go back to Vichy France and the 1961 attempted coup to keep Algeria French.

With the second round of voting in the French presidential election just days away, we explore the latest twists and turns in the campaign trail with Andrew Smith, a professor of contemporary French history at Chichester University. He unpicks President Emmanuel Macron's last-gasp bid to convince supporters of defeated leftist Jean-Luc Mélenchon to vote for him, if only to keep the far right out of the Élysée Palace. We also discuss Marine Le Pen's pledge to ban the Muslim hijab in public. Smith tells us it's an attempt to fire up her base – but does it risk alienating more moderate voters?

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.

Thirty years after his first film "Man Bites Dog" premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 1992, André Bonzel’s poignant, personal documentary "Flickering Ghosts of Loves Gone By" is released on French screens. He joins us to talk about his love of archival footage and how a surprise phone call uncovered half-forgotten family memories and sparked a cinematic journey.

The Negresco is a legend in the world of luxury hotels. Located on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice, just opposite the Mediterranean, it's emblematic of the French Riviera city. The hotel is not owned by a tourism or hotel group, making it one of the few totally independent luxury hotels in France. From the ground floor all the way up to the top, works of art are everywhere: Eiffel stained glass, a Baccarat chandelier and an official portrait of Louis XIV. We bring you a behind-the-scenes look at this jewel of the Belle Époque.