At least seven people were killed following an explosion and fire in southern France, French interior minister Gerald Darmanin said in a tweet on Monday. Darmanin said on his Twitter page he was planning to visit the scene.

Less than 60 days from April's French presidential election, we focus on conservative candidate Valérie Pécresse after her first big rally. Some of her former allies have recently pledged allegiance to Emmanuel Macron as Pécresse stalls in popularity behind Marine Le Pen. The far-right leader is herself being challenged herself by former pundit Eric Zemmour, who can count on the backing of a movement of young supporters called "Generation Z". FRANCE 24 finds out who they are and what their strategy entails.

Six months ago, an ominous sense of déjà vu swept over Afghanistan as the Taliban took control of the country. Unconvinced by the group's pledges to rule differently than in the 1990s, tens of thousands of Afghans fled. While some were evacuated by foreign powers, others had little choice but to embark upon dangerous journeys to safety. Our reporters met up with some recently arrived Afghan refugees in France to find out how they're faring in their new lives.

With its 2,500 castles, the Loire Valley is the cradle of the French Renaissance. But this priceless heritage requires constant maintenance. With state-of the-art technology, as well as historical research and know-how, French artists and craftspeople are innovating to return these gems of the past to their original state. We take a closer look.

French filmmaker Claire Denis has won best director at the Berlin Film Festival for a film partly filmed in FRANCE 24's buildings. "Both Sides of the Blade" stars Juliette Binoche as a woman torn between two lovers in pandemic-era Paris. She plays Sara, a journalist who works at FRANCE 24's sister radio station RFI. Film critic Emma Jones speaks to Eve Jackson from Berlin about all the action from this year's festival.

France announces Mali withdrawal after decade-long jihadist fight. PARIS: France announced on Thursday that it was withdrawing its troops from Mali after a breakdown in relations with the country's ruling junta, ending a near 10-year deployment against jihadist groups that pose a growing threat in West Africa.

In an exclusive interview with FRANCE 24 and its sister station Radio France Internationale (RFI), Mali's Prime Minister Choguel Maiga says that since 2012, French authorities have tried to divide his country by fueling autonomy claims in the north. And African countries weigh in on Russia's decision to send troops to Ukraine. Kenya, Gabon and Ghana have condemned Moscow's actions at the UN security council. Finally, Madagascar prepares for a new cyclone to hit its coast.

In an exclusive interview with FRANCE 24 and its sister radio station Radio France Internationale (RFI), Mali’s Prime Minister Choguel Maiga said that since 2012, French authorities have tried to divide his country by fueling autonomy claims in the north. Maiga said it is clear Paris has never deemed the ruling junta government as legitimate, and claims it was “preparing a plan” to overthrow it.

Luxembourg’s second-largest city, Esch-sur-Alzette, is a community with a heavy industrial past. It’s located near the French border and sits as a monument to the country’s 20th century steel industry boom. Its numerous post-industrial brownfields bear witness to that, as well as its multiculturalism: 120 nationalities live here, including one in particular: the French. Many of them migrated to the Grand Duchy decades ago to work in the country’s successful steel industry.

Located on the border with Switzerland, France's Jura region is a wild open land, a paradise for cross-country skiers and snowshoers. Only a few hardy souls come to attempt the Grande Traversée, a hiking-skiing route more than 100 kilometres long.

She's called herself a "caretaker of memory". Zineb Sedira is as much an artist as she is a researcher, historian and filmmaker. The Franco-Algerian artist is representing France at the 59th Venice Biennale of contemporary art in April. She joins us in the studio to talk about the influence of Algerian activist cinema on her work. We also discuss how the war in Ukraine has jeopardised Pavlo Makov's participation in the Biennale, and she weighs in on the decision of Russian artists to boycott their own, state-sponsored pavilion.

Former French colony Mali recently expelled the French ambassador and asked the French military to withdraw. The Yerewolo movement would like to cut ties entirely — and move closer toward Russia.