This week, we're exploring a key question ahead of the upcoming presidential elections in France: "to vote or not to vote?" As the list of candidates gets longer, the race is on to drum up support. But voter apathy is still a major concern and increasing numbers of would-be voters are turning their backs on politicians and the political system. Our reporters went to one Paris suburb with a particularly high abstention rate to meet some who are adamant they're going nowhere near a polling station this spring.

Danish troops are set to leave Mali after the military government made several calls for their "immediate withdrawal." It marks a further deterioration in Mali's relationship with the EU.

France is considered one of the top destinations in the world for winter sports, known as "les sports d'hiver". They're a major part of the country’s tourism industry. Ski culture goes beyond the slopes, and like many things in France, it also involves a lot of food. But has skiing become too expensive? And how can resorts cope with climate change? In this episode of French Connections Plus, Florence Villeminot and Genie Godula slalom the ins and outs of the white gold that is French skiing.

Denmark has accused coup generals of playing a dirty political game after the junta withdrew the invitation to deploy Danish troops. Denmark has announced the country would withdraw its newly deployed contingent of 90 troops from Mali after repeated demands by the poor Sahel country's military junta.

Every year, almost half a million visitors flock to Chantilly, one of France’s most beautiful castles. Located an hour from Paris and built in 1358, its princes greeted Louis XIV for sumptuous banquets. In the 19th century, Henri D’Orléans, Duke of Aumale, restored the château and turned it into an exceptional museum, containing the second-largest collection of paintings in France after the Louvre and more than 45,000 books. From restorers to gardeners and horseriders: behind the scenes, more than 100 people work every day on the upkeep of Chantilly. FRANCE 24 takes you to meet them.

France has never had a woman as president. With a number of female candidates in the election race this time, could that finally change? Challenges range from a #MeToo campaign to an "invisible" barrier to the top job.

Relations between France and Mali take a dramatic turn for the worse as Bamako gives the French ambassador to the country just 72 hours to leave. Also, after a three-year freeze, Rwanda finally opens its border with Uganda. And we end in South Africa, where Kommetdieding or the "people's horse" is winning Cape Town's prestigious races.

We take a look at one means of assembling a deepfake video online for free and see how this technique has been used to disseminate fake videos of newscasts in Mali. This comes amid a rise in tensions between Bamako and Paris.

Colonel Assimi Goïta, who took power in Mali in an August 2020 coup, has been slow to put in place a promised transition to civilian rule. Now under international sanctions, the country has been gripped by nationalist and pan-African fever for several weeks. Relations with former colonial power France, which has deployed thousands of soldiers as part of an anti-jihadist force for nearly a decade, are strained to the point that Mali recently expelled the French ambassador. Meanwhile, the ruling junta in Bamako is welcoming new allies: members of the Russian paramilitary Wagner Group. Their presence has already been reported in certain areas of the country.

Since December, Russia has gradually amassed more than 100,000 troops along its border with Ukraine. Amid stalled talks between the US and Russia, French President Emmanuel Macron is embarking on a solo mission to Moscow and then Kyiv, insisting a diplomatic solution is still possible. For more on what to expect from this latest diplomatic push, we spoke to Natia Seskuria, Associate Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute. "Russia will not stop at Ukraine," she warned.

In the heart of France's Burgundy vineyards, where villages bear the names of grands crus such as Pommard, Nuit-Saint-Georges and Chablis, preparations are underway for the Saint-Vincent tournante wine festival; a tradition that goes back to the Middle Ages. Every year, in the last week of January, some 20,000 people are expected for the two-day festival. This time, the villages of Gilly-lès-Cîteaux and Vougeot are the lucky hosts. We catch up with Élisabeth, the head of the not-for-profit organisation, but also Bernard, a volunteer winegrower.

Emmanuel Macron is on a special trip to Moscow to meet and talk with Vladimir Putin. The mission: to try and calm matters on the Ukraine-Russia border and avoid what many analysts say is certain war. Macron is representing the EU, with France holding the rotating presidency. What influence does he take into these talks?