Emmanuel Macron and his far-right rival Marine Le Pen will face to face The second and final stage of France’s presidential election was held on April 24 after defeating other candidates in the first round of voting on Sunday, according to preliminary estimates.

After two-thirds of the votes were counted, polling agencies estimated based on the results so far that Macron won about 28 percent of the vote and Le Pen won 23 to 24 percent of the first-round vote, ahead of the far left. Candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon 20-21%.

Sunday’s vote showed that Le Pen, 53, was closer than ever to winning power for the far-right in France and emulating the nationalist victories of Donald Trump and Brexit supporters in the United States six years ago.

Le Pen, who is skeptical of the EU, has said she will withdraw from NATO’s military command structure, and has been an admirer of Russia’s Vladimir Putin in the past. If she wins, it will send shockwaves across Europe and the world as Russian troops wage war on European soil in Ukraine.

Referring to her plans to overtake supporters of the far-right National Unity party, Le Pen said she plans to become president of “all French.” She told cheering supporters that a final vote in two weeks would determine the fate of “society and even civilization” and that if she won, she would restore the country to “prosperity and glory”.The comments were in line with her campaign themes, during which she spoke strongly cost of living in the country.

Latest news on Ukraine war:

• Great read: Amid allegations of crimes against humanity committed by Russian troops, the question arises whether the international justice system can indicting state leaders.

• diplomatic: Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehamer Meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin todayHe is the first European leader to do so since Moscow began its invasion of Ukraine six weeks ago.

• Support Ukraine: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Saturday and promised to increase Financial and Military Aid.

• Military briefing: Western allies must find balance Between supplying older equipment from ex-Warsaw Pact countries and supplying more modern Western-sourced weapons, which can require extensive training when time is tight.

• World Food Prices: global food prices surged 34% in March The Ukrainian war has hit supplies of grains and vegetable oils compared to a year earlier, according to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization.

• Energy Market: Japan Imports of Russian coal will be banned, joining the EU and G7 allies for the first time after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, is targeting the country’s energy sector.However, the EU Member states are at odds Demand an immediate blockade of Russian oil imports.

• View: Russia’s war in Ukraine has regain market attention Foreign reserves with the central bank. Markets editor Katie Martin explained that the question is not whether the dollar will be replaced, but whether the smaller currency will take a larger share.

Thank you for reading FirstFT Asia.Send any feedback about today’s newsletter to [email protected]. — Sophia

Five more stories in the news

1. Oil and gas revenues provide a $3.4 billion buffer to the Russian economy Moscow has boosted the fund That has provided a cushion for its sanctions-hit economy as it nears its first debt default since 1998 as energy prices have risen since the war with Ukraine began.

2. Pakistan to confirm Sheikh Baz Sharif as new prime minister Opposition leader after Imran Khan ousted in no-confidence vote Shebaz Sharif is expected to became the country’s highest post after a parliamentary vote today. Sharif is likely to remain in power until Pakistan votes again in August 2023. No prime minister has served a full term, but Khan was the first to be ousted by parliament in a vote of no confidence.

3. US to visit Solomon Islands amid tensions over Chinese security deal In a rare high-level visit, Daniel Krittenbrink, the top White House Asia affairs official, will fly to the Solomon Islands this month.travel Highlights Washington’s fears Beijing will gain a strategic foothold in the Pacific, intensified after the leak of a draft security deal.

4. Peter Thiel accuses ‘financial old age politics’ of holding back Bitcoin Liberal tech investor Peter Thiel blamed some of the most powerful players in finance yesterday trying to suppress bitcoin. At the Bitcoin 2022 conference in Miami, Thiel denounced respected investor Warren Buffett as a “socio-societal grandfather from Omaha” and said JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon and Bey Ryder’s head, Larry Fink, is part of “Financial Geriatric Politics.”

5. Goldman Sachs gives ex-partner exclusive access to ‘1869 fund’ The fund invests in Multiple private equity funds Managed by the company’s asset management department. Former partners include SEC Chairman Gary Gensler and Steven Mnuchin, who served as Treasury secretary in the Trump administration. Former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is also a former partner.

coronavirus digest

• Shanghai reported a record 24,952 new coronavirus cases Residents remained confined to their homes on Sunday.At the same time, Internet censorship agencies are also cracking down on online complaint About the difficult conditions and food shortages in the city.

• reluctance to repeat step up shooting drive Estimated global sales The number of vaccine doses fell to 6 billion from an earlier forecast of 9 billion.

the day ahead

EU diplomacy council Garthpeople from brussels. The Ukraine war was a key topic on the agenda.

Bank of Japan hold its Quarterly branch manager meeting Today, Governor Haruhiko Kuroda delivered the opening speech.

register Today (Monday 11 April) at 5pm London time (midnight in Hong Kong), a webinar for FT subscribers will take place where FT reporters and guests will discuss the first round of voting. The results and their possible impact on France and the rest of the world.Get free tickets for subscribers at ft.com/francevotes.

what are we still reading

Long Covid is an invisible health crisis that exacerbates labor shortages An estimated 100 million people worldwide are chronically afflicted by the coronavirus, many of whom have been forced out of the workforce entirely due to the debilitating effects of the disease.This has exacerbated an already tight labor market and some companies treat it as a serious risk to their business.

How Ukrainian ingenuity and Russian blunders saved Kyiv ukrainian army won the battle Serve the country’s capital with low-tech products like fitness mats that block Russia’s thermal imaging. Russian mistakes, such as not destroying Kyiv’s air defenses, helped the Ukrainian army to victory.

A new era of financial warfare is coming? Alphaville editor Robin Wigglesworth looks at the long-term impact of sanctions on Russia.Such sanctions could become tempting weapon If the rebound is likely to be small and the impact is likely to be severe, it can be deployed more frequently.

United States and China – a decisive relationship Competitive cooperation or containment? Martin Wolf reviews two books This raises a counterpoint to how the United States should handle its relationship with superpower rival China.

Social media has completely weaponized morality Even as we use the internet’s megaphone to raise morals, society is becoming increasingly unethical, riddled with inequality and disinformation.From corporate messages to casual speeches, our collective discourse has become Caring deeply about kindnesswrites Dan Brooks.

food and drink

Fungi are hot in the scientific community right now, and the opening of vast new frontiers makes the space race seem like a school project.Tim Hayward explores why The future is at our feet.