Candidates have clashed over how to protect France since Thursday night’s shooting, which the Islamic State (IS) group claimed as the work of one of its devotees. Analysts say the attack could shake up the four-way contest between far-right leader Marine Le Pen, centrist Emmanuel Macron, conservative Francois Fillon and Communist-backed firebrand Jean-Luc Melenchon. Le Pen, Fillon and Macron cancelled their final rallies Friday. Le Pen has moved quickly to present herself as the strongest defender against Islamist radicals in a country scarred by a string of attacks that have claimed 239 lives since 2015. Fillon and Macron also hastily convened televised briefings in which they vowed to protect the country.

Source: Manila Times April 22, 2017 04:18 UTC