With prices at the pump surging and a showdown looming with major gas supplier Russia, the French president addressed the European Parliament to mark France's rotating presidency of the bloc. We ask about what Emmanuel Macron said and didn't say about the highest fuel prices in seven years with some of Paris's petrol stations asking two euros a litre at the pump.

Ministers from the OPEC+ group of oil-producing countries are meeting on Wednesday to discuss supply levels, as prices have soared to their highest since 2014. The 23 states are responsible for more than 40 percent of global oil production. Prices have jumped in recent months, as supply has failed to keep pace with demand. OPEC+ has been gradually increasing production since July, but the group is coming under pressure from countries including the US to go further. We take a closer look.

Inflation fed by high oil and gas prices hit record levels in Europe for the third month in a row, extending pain for consumers and sharpening questions about future moves by the European Central Bank. Once again, soaring energy prices played a major role, rising a painful 28.6%.

Could inflation prove more perilous to livelihoods than lockdown? The latest figures from France and its neighbours show light at the end of the public health crisis tunnel, but there's no time to celebrate. The recovery has spawned a bidding war over goods and raw materials that's cancelled out wage hikes for an in-demand labour force.

Heineken is raising the price of a pint, as supply shortages and high costs hit the beer-brewing business. It's a concrete example of how inflation is affecting both businesses and consumers. Meanwhile, inflation in the UK has hit a 30-year high, and French shoppers are worried about their purchasing power.

Could inflation prove more perilous to livelihoods than lockdown? The latest figures from France and its neighbours show light at the end of the public health crisis tunnel, but there's no time to celebrate. The recovery has spawned a bidding war over goods and raw materials that's cancelled out wage hikes for an in-demand labour force.

Russia's move to recognise the breakaway Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk has sent ripples through global markets on Tuesday, with falls across Asia, and in early trading in Europe. Oil prices also jumped, with the international benchmark Brent Crude hitting its highest level since mid-2014. Investors are now focusing on which sanctions the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union might impose on Russia in response.

Global stock markets have taken a beating as investors rush for safe havens amid an escalation in geopolitical tensions over Ukraine. Russian stocks and bonds as well as the ruble are among the biggest losers.

Victoria Scholar, head of investment at Interactive Investor, says the geopolitical volatility and limited supplies mean oil prices will continue to rise and are likely to pass well beyond the symbolic $100 per barrel level.

Crude oil futures touched 13-year highs on Monday as the US and UK signalled a willingness to include the previously untouched Russian energy sector in sanctions. Meanwhile, more US firms and Chinese social media giant TikTok are suspending Russian operations, and new UK laws to sanction Russian oligarchs could mean big changes for London's luxury real estate market.

Sanctions on Russia won't work unless the world reduces its use of Russian oil and gas. But it's difficult to do this without also increasing prices. Middle Eastern oil producers could help. But do they want to?

We're less than one month away from the first round of a very unusual presidential election, shadowed by the pandemic and the war in Ukraine. FRANCE 24 takes a look at one of voters' top priorities: the cost of living. We also report from the latest climate protests, where French citizens have called for more attention to the environmental crisis.