French far-left presidential hopeful woos voters with jobs

NANTES, France (AP) — Far-left French presidential candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon is seeking to reinvigorate his flagging campaign for April’s election with an unusual rally. He used videos, sounds and smells diffused through an exhibition hall in the western city of Nantes. The once-powerful French left wing is deeply fractured and struggling to make its voice heard in a presidential campaign where far-right and conservative figures have grabbed most of the attention so far. Melenchon promised to guarantee jobs for everyone, raise the minimum wage, lower the retirement age to 60 and hike taxes on multinationals and rich households. He refuses to form a united front with other left-wing candidates against centrist President Emmanuel Macron.