First it was a stadium fiasco, then a blame game. Now will political football lead to sackings? French senators are questioning Emmanuel Macron's interior minister after the tear-gassing of Liverpool fans shut out of last Saturday's Champions League final, as well as the claim that up to 40,000 English supporters showed up with forged tickets or no tickets.

For more than nine months, Afghan girls over the age of 11 have been prohibited from going to high school. The Taliban have not reneged on the ban they imposed on taking power last August, despite their initial promise to do so. In the western city of Herat, FRANCE 24's reporters followed one teacher who hopes that her former students will be able to continue their education. They also met a teacher who is defying the ban by giving clandestine lessons. Meanwhile, some fathers are trying to convince the authorities to reopen girls' schools for their daughters.

This week, we explore the upcoming French legislative elections, the so-called "third round" of the presidential race. This time, French voters are electing 577 MPs to the Assemblée nationale, the lower house of parliament. Though arguably just as important as the race for the Élysée Palace, turnout tends to be lower. So do these elections work? We tell you more in this edition of French Connections.

The French daily Libération continues its investigation into pillaged artefacts. Papers are also making pleas to the Brazilian government to step up the search for a British journalist and a Brazilian indigenous activist who have both gone missing in the Amazon. Finally, from elderly driving to chasing a wheel of cheese, we see how two women are moving forward.

Almost 10 months ago, Afghanistan fell into the hands of the Taliban. The hardline Islamists' return to power led to a mass exodus of the Afghan population, with the US taking in some 78,000 refugees. California received the largest number, followed by Texas, where some 10,500 Afghans are already calling the Lone Star State home. Texans are proud to welcome them, as our correspondents report.

Emmanuel Macron's alliance is in a tight race with the new left-wing union NUPES according to initial projections. Macron is predicted to win a greater number of districts which could grant him a parliamentary majority.

Career diplomat Choe Son Hui will represent North Korea on the international stage as Pyongyang pushes ahead with a series of sanctions-busting weapons tests and ignores US calls for talks.

A new left-wing coalition wants to win a majority in France's upcoming legislative elections and challenge Emmanuel Macron's hold on parliamentary power. Their chances are slim but not impossible.

More than 20 years ago, a community of men and women in the French region of Burgundy set themselves a massive challenge: to build a castle using the techniques of the Middle Ages. The site in the town of Guédelon is open to visitors, offering them an immersion into the 13th century. Today, nearly 40 people work every day on this medieval construction site. Stone quarrying is the first step in building a castle. And to transport the stones to the site, modern machines are banned: everything is done like in the 13th century, with horsepower.

We take a look at how the press is covering the French, German and Italian leaders' visit to Kyiv. Meanwhile, French papers are largely divided over the country's upcoming legislative elections on Sunday. Also, Thailand gets closer to same-sex marriage legislation, while Saudi Arabia confiscates rainbow-coloured toys. Finally, the Washington Post debates whether QR code menus in restaurants should stay or go.

Executives at France's state-backed utility EDF say they're confident the troubled nuclear reactor at their Flamanville plant will be able to go online by the end of 2023. Under construction since 2007, the new EPR project has been plagued by cost overruns and repeated delays. We take a closer look. Plus, on the sidelines of the VivaTech trade fair in Paris, India's IT minister tells FRANCE 24 how the country is looking to bring its technology to Europe and beyond.

Forest fires have broken out both in Spain and France as a record early heat wave moves northward through Europe. And humans are not the only ones to suffer in the extreme temperatures.