When French voters cast their ballots in the April 24 presidential run-off, the result will be watched well beyond our borders. For now, Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen are serving up opposing visions of France's place on the world stage. He is for ratcheting up concerted EU sanctions against Vladimir Putin, while she is against any oil or gas embargo.

The past few days have delivered more reports of atrocities committed by the Russian military in Ukraine: women and girls raped, civilians locked up and shot, plus reports of chemical weapons being deployed in Mariupol. Calls continue for more to be done to stop Russian President Vladimir Putin. In the EU, leaders have condemned the Kremlin, decrying the attacks as "war crimes".

A Japanese woman born at the dawn of the 20th century and believed to have been the world's oldest person died at age of 119, public broadcaster NHK said on Monday. Kane Tanaka, born in 1903, the year of the Wright Brothers' first controlled flight of their motor-driven airplane, was confirmed by Guinness World Records in 2019 as the oldest living person.

Spain’s Alejandro Sanchez, Germany’s Marie-Thérèse Kaiser and Italy’s Fabrizio Busnengo all have two things in common: They are under 35 and are positioning their respective far-right political parties at the gates of power. Each of them shrugs off the dark side of their countries’ history, campaigning with gusto for parties that are less than a decade old: Vox in Spain, Germany's Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) and Brothers of Italy. Our correspondents Sarah Morris, Céline Schmitt, Armelle Exposito, Anne Mailliet, Louise Malnoy and Lorenza Pensa report on the new faces of the far right in Europe.

At 118 years and 73 days, Sister André was given the title of the world's oldest person by the Guinness World Records (GWR) on Monday. Sister André was already the oldest woman in Europe when she turned 117, but after the death of Japanese woman Kane Tanaka, the title was conferred upon her.

Russian energy giant Gazprom said it would halt gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria, raising concerns that Moscow could use energy supplies as blackmail over the conflict in Ukraine.

The rest of Europe may not be at war, but is it ready for the sacrifices of a wartime economy? The Kremlin shutting the gas tap on Bulgaria and Poland may be but a prelude to a brutally swift transition away from Russian gas and oil. Deals will be dropped, money will be lost.

Europe is at a crossroads. Amid the war in Ukraine, can the continent wean itself off Russian gas? An energy transition is underway, but the alternatives could lock countries into dirty fossil fuels for years to come. We take a closer look in this edition of Down to Earth.

The leaders of Serbia and Kosovo met with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin. Leaders voiced optimism at the prospect of both joining the European Union.

A select group of citizens of the EU has gathered multiple times since last May to discuss what the bloc should look like in the years ahead. But implementing some of the ideas would mean overhauling how the EU works.

French President Emmanuel Macron and Commission President Ursula von der Leyen voiced support for rewriting the bloc's treaties during a conference on the EU's future that was dominated by the war in Ukraine.

Europe wants to build stronger ties with Africa but several issues between the two remain unresolved. While the African continent is hoping for more trust and collaboration, Europe remains uncompromising with its demands. What will it take to reset the relationship?