The centrist Emmanuel Macron will face far-right leader Marine Le Pen in a run-off for the French presidency on 7 May, near-final results show. With 96% of votes counted from Sunday's first round, Macron has 23.9% with Ms Le Pen on 21.4%. Whoever wins the second round, the voting marks a shift away from the decades-long dominance of leftist and centre-right parties in French politics. While Ms Le Pen has long been seen as likely to make the second round, Emmanuel Macron's rise has been swift. The BBC's Hugh Schofield says Mr Macron's likely victory is the story of the evening.

Source: The Star April 24, 2017 02:56 UTC