On November 17, 2018, French men and women gathered for the first time on the capital’s iconic Champs-Élysées and on hundreds of roundabouts throughout France to protest against the high cost of living. They were easily recognisable by their yellow high-visibility vests. The months-long demonstrations against the government of President Emmanuel Macron turned violent and were met with a fierce crackdown by security forces. Almost four years later, those who participated in the movement tell FRANCE 24’s reporters how the struggle has changed their lives.

Two localities in the German state of Brandenburg had to be evacuated as a large forest fire rages on the border with neighboring Saxony. Efforts to dampen the flames werre hampered because of old munitions in the area.

The G7 leaders are meeting for three days in Elmau, Germany. The summit has turned this idyllic corner of Bavaria into a high-security zone that has impacted local businesses and schools, as Sabine Kinkartz found out.

The G7 leaders want to fight the climate crisis, hunger and war. But is that even within their power? Some deny it, others say more action is necessary.

A snakebite to the farm owner led German police to finding more than 110 snakes. The woman who was poisoned is in a critical condition in hospital.

A German court has sentenced a 101-year-old former Nazi concentration camp guard to five years in prison. The pensioner is the oldest person so far to be charged with being complicit with the war crimes of the Holocaust.

Hundreds of thousands of people have resigned their memberships in Germany's Protestant and Catholic churches. Fifteen years ago, 61% of Germans belonged to churches, a number that has now dropped below 50%.

Germany has agreed to return trove of looted African colonial artifacts, including over 1,000 Benin Bronzes that will be repatriated to Nigeria.

In a case that shocked Germany, a man's head was left outside a court in Bonn and his body was found in a nearby river. Police, however, said he died of natural causes — but issued a warrant for desecration of the dead.

UNESCO World Heritage site the Château de Chambord became one of the world's most majestic concert venues this week, as British rocker Sting performed against the backdrop of its French Renaissance towers. The star also spoke about how his 1985 hit "Russians" is finding new relevance after the invasion of Ukraine.

Germany is on the path to legalizing recreational marijuana use. Safety and public health will be top priorities in the upcoming legislation, the health minister has said.

This French Renaissance-style castle would probably have remained largely unknown if it hadn't become home to the secret wife of Louis XIV, Madame de Maintenon. Françoise d'Aubigné – her real name – was a woman of humble origins who is often compared to Cinderella. After Louis secretly married her, the Château de Maintenon underwent numerous transformations as she put her own stamp on it. Meanwhile, the French-style garden was designed by renowned landscape architect André Le Nôtre but was only laid out in 2013.