Emmanuel Macron Urges France to Restore Military Service

Presidential favourite Emmanuel Macron said on Saturday he wanted to restore military service to France for some 600,000 young people each year as part of efforts to face a world entering an era of "turbulence" comparable to the Cold War.

The country is in the throes of a highly charged election campaign after two years of attacks on civilians and public targets by Islamic State militants - several of them in Paris - that have killed more than 230 people and forced the government to put 10,000 soldiers on the streets to reinforce security. France has been under a state of national emergency since November 2015.

The threat was again highlighted on Saturday after security forces shot dead man who tried to seize a soldier's gun at Paris Orly airport.

Polls suggest  Macron, a 39-year-old former investment banker running as an independent centrist, will win the May 7 runoff with far-right leader Marine Le Pen, who herself has promised to bring back conscription 16 years after it ended.