Far right leads first round of French parliamentary elections in blow to Macron

Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally (RN) party has made historic gains, winning around 34% of the vote in the first round of France's parliamentary election. The result is a strong but not decisive lead, with the RN likely to face off against the left-wing New Popular Front coalition in the second round. President Emmanuel Macron's decision to hold a snap election appears to have backfired, as his party, Ensemble alliance, slumped to third place with 20.3% of the vote.