Most German police departments reported comparatively calm carnival festivities overnight on Thursday. But five police officers were injured in Trier as a group of about 40 people attacked them with makeshift weapons.

Strictly regulated for the past two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Guadeloupe Carnival is usually an unmissable event on the French Caribbean islands. From January to March, Guadeloupeans live to the rhythm of the parades, led by dozens of groups of volunteers. For participants, it's often the consecration of a year of hard work. FRANCE 24 went to soak up some of the Carnival atmosphere.

The southern French port city hosts the La Plaine event every March. But this year's unauthorized party was also partly a protest against continued coronavirus lockdowns and restrictions on movement.

Rio de Janeiro's carnival crowned a champion of its elite samba school parade on Wednesday, capping festivities marred by two accidents that injured more than 30 people.