Coronavirus digest: France to step up vaccine rollout amid criticism

Ahead of a trip to Africa, French President Emmanuel Macron has outlined plans for a "noticeable reduction" in France's troop presence on the continent. France also intends to co-run African bases with African countries.

King Charles III's first trip abroad as king will take him to major European partners France, and then Germany. The German president's office said he would visit from March 29-31 after several days in France.

France is growing older. However, Europe's record-breaking life expectancy has a downside: in order to pay for its increasingly healthy legion of retirees, the French right wing says there's no other option but to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64.

The strikes blocked fuel deliveries from refineries nationwide as of Tuesday morning, according to the hard-line CGT union. The blockage could cause shortages at petrol stations.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping recently accused the US of leading a campaign of "encirclement, containment and suppression" of China. Alexander Görlach says he is right on one point.

Nigerian crime is synonymous with cyber crime, and variants of the original so-called 419 scam. These are emails where the suspect claims to be a prince or princess without access to their riches, and promise to share their windfall if we help them out financially. The victim's bank account is then emptied and the suspect is never heard from again.

In this edition we report on the latest technological innovations for disabled people in France. Founded by Nicolas Huchet, who lost his right hand in a work-related accident, My Human Kit is a company aimed at transforming the lives of those living with a disability. From prosthetic hands to electric wheelchairs, My Human Kit has a wide range of inventions.

We look at how the French press is covering the fact that trash is piling up in Paris, as garbage workers go on strike over pension reforms. We also find out about this Monday's parliamentary debate on France's nuclear future.

The most beautiful gardens in France are the fruit of monumental work by men and women, in partnership with Mother Nature. In the north of Corsica, the magnificent floral paradise of Parc de Saleccia was born from the ashes of a terrible fire in 1974. Much further north, near Mont-Saint-Michel in Normandy, the Château de La Ballue is most remarkable for its listed gardens, where geometric shapes abound.

Talking Europe speaks to European Commission Vice-President Margaritis Schinas, whose wide-ranging portfolio covers migration and asylum, security issues, education and what the EU calls "promoting the European Way of Life", among other things. We focus on migration and the EU's efforts to rectify what Schinas calls a historic failure to build a cohesive asylum and migration policy.

France's government decided to bypass the lower house of parliament with contested pension reforms. The snap decision came moments before a planned vote, sparking fury inside and outside of parliament.

French President Emmanuel Macron is trying to push through a pension reform without a parliamentary vote. That has triggered a political crisis ― and could help the far right.