https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from France in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed A French court on Thursday gave suspended jail terms to three soldiers convicted over the death by drowning of a trainee officer during an initiation ritual at the country's most prestigious military academy. https://www.thelocal.fr/20210114/french-army-officers-convicted-after-recruit-died-during-initial-ritual Thu, 14 Jan 2021 11:27:43 +0100 french-army-officers-convicted-after-recruit-died-during-initial-ritual Four Moldovan nationals were killed on Saturday when a transport plane chartered by the French army crashed off Ivory Coast, firefighters said. https://www.thelocal.fr/20171014/crashed-ivory-coast-plane-chartered-by-french-army-military-source Sat, 14 Oct 2017 15:56:48 +0200 crashed-ivory-coast-plane-chartered-by-french-army-military-source The chief of France's armed forces resigned on Wednesday just days after he was publicly hauled back into line by French president Emmanuel Macron after a public row over cuts to the military's budget. https://www.thelocal.fr/20170719/french-army-chief-quits-after-public-row-with-emmanuel-macron Wed, 19 Jul 2017 12:14:39 +0200 french-army-chief-quits-after-public-row-with-emmanuel-macron French President Emmanuel Macron is in a very open conflict with the chief of the French armed forces, who may be forced to resign in what would be an unprecedented crisis. https://www.thelocal.fr/20170717/macron-goes-to-war-against-france-french-armed-forces-chief Mon, 17 Jul 2017 13:57:47 +0200 macron-goes-to-war-against-france-french-armed-forces-chief On a dusty plain south of Mosul, French artillery guns fire in support of Iraqi troops fighting to retake the city from the Islamic State group. https://www.thelocal.fr/20161101/south-of-mosul-french-guns-back-up-iraqi-forces Tue, 01 Nov 2016 18:09:27 +0100 south-of-mosul-french-guns-back-up-iraqi-forces The idea of bringing back obligatory military service is popular among several presidential candidates, but one of the pretenders for the Elysée throne, Nicolas Sarkozy, wants it to be for France's 100,000 school dropouts. Can it work? https://www.thelocal.fr/20160916/would-forced-military-service-for-school-drop-outs-work-in-france Fri, 16 Sep 2016 16:23:26 +0200 would-forced-military-service-for-school-drop-outs-work-in-france France confirmed on Wednesday for the first time that it had troops fighting jihadists in Libya after three were killed on a mission in the country. https://www.thelocal.fr/20160720/france-confirms-troops-in-libya-three-dead Wed, 20 Jul 2016 12:36:52 +0200 france-confirms-troops-in-libya-three-dead The Swiss army has officially apologized to France after taking water from a lake in the French Jura without permission. https://www.thelocal.fr/20150728/swiss-left-embarrassed-over-french-water-debacle Tue, 28 Jul 2015 13:23:48 +0200 swiss-left-embarrassed-over-french-water-debacle The Swiss army is in trouble with French authorities after it used water from a French lake to help hydrate thirsty Swiss cows. https://www.thelocal.fr/20150727/swiss-army-nicks-french-water-for-cows Mon, 27 Jul 2015 12:56:45 +0200 swiss-army-nicks-french-water-for-cows You've seen the movies and heard the rumours, but what is the truth behind the French Foreign Legion? Read on to find out. https://www.thelocal.fr/20150714/french-foreign-legion-beyond-the-myths Tue, 14 Jul 2015 13:05:18 +0200 french-foreign-legion-beyond-the-myths France's ministry of defense has ordered security checks be carried out on all army bases after thieves looted explosives and scores of detonators from a depot in the south. The theft comes as the country remains on high alert for terror attacks. https://www.thelocal.fr/20150707/thieves-pilfer-explosives-from-french-army-depot Tue, 07 Jul 2015 15:35:06 +0200 thieves-pilfer-explosives-from-french-army-depot Judges in France will investigate claims that French soldiers raped children in the Central African Republic, the state prosecutor announced on Thursday. https://www.thelocal.fr/20150507/judges-launch-probe-into-frances-sex-abuse-troops Thu, 07 May 2015 16:48:39 +0200 judges-launch-probe-into-frances-sex-abuse-troops France's defence minister has urged soldiers "to give themselves up" if they are guilty of sexually assaulting hungry Central African kids, as questions remain on why the probe into the alleged crimes is taking so long. https://www.thelocal.fr/20150504/france-urges-sex-abuse-soldiers-to-come-forward Mon, 04 May 2015 10:45:24 +0200 france-urges-sex-abuse-soldiers-to-come-forward UPDATED: A damning United Nations report leaked to the Guardian newspaper has alleged that French soldiers deployed as peacekeepers in Central African Republic have been sexually abusing the children they are supposed to be protecting. France has launched an investigation. https://www.thelocal.fr/20150429/french-troops-accused-of-raping-boys-in-central-african-republic-united-nations Wed, 29 Apr 2015 18:53:49 +0200 french-troops-accused-of-raping-boys-in-central-african-republic-united-nations The European rights court on Thursday ruled that a blanket ban on trade unions within the French armed forces was a violation of the rights of military staff. https://www.thelocal.fr/20141002/eu-tells-france-to-allow-unions-in-the-military Thu, 02 Oct 2014 19:36:00 +0200 eu-tells-france-to-allow-unions-in-the-military France said Thursday on it would deploy 3,000 soldiers to combat Islamist violence in the vast and largely lawless Sahel region of Africa. https://www.thelocal.fr/20140508/france-to-deploy-3000-soldiers-in-sahel Thu, 08 May 2014 13:24:00 +0200 france-to-deploy-3000-soldiers-in-sahel French MPs gave their approval on Tuesday to an extension of the country's military operation in the Central African Republic as the UN warned of a potential new bloodbath in the troubled African state. https://www.thelocal.fr/20140226/french-mps-vote-to-extend-car-mission Wed, 26 Feb 2014 10:11:00 +0100 french-mps-vote-to-extend-car-mission In a discreet laboratory in Kabul, a French military officer scans a long list of telephone numbers scrolling down a computer screen. "This is the call that triggered the explosion," he says, pointing. https://www.thelocal.fr/20130707/french-run-bomb-lab-in-kabul-hunts-for-killer-clues Sun, 07 Jul 2013 13:59:00 +0200 french-run-bomb-lab-in-kabul-hunts-for-killer-clues President François Hollande commended the courage of the French forces fighting in Mali after it was announced that another soldier had been killed in the conflict. Six French soldiers have now died since the operation began in January. https://www.thelocal.fr/20130430/sixth-french-soldier-killed-in-mali-conflict Tue, 30 Apr 2013 09:42:40 +0200 sixth-french-soldier-killed-in-mali-conflict France’s drive to balance the books will see it delete 20,000 posts from its armed forces by 2019, French media reports claimed on Monday. The ground forces are set to bear the brunt of the reductions. https://www.thelocal.fr/20130429/france-set-to-cut-20000-posts-in-armed-forces Mon, 29 Apr 2013 13:40:00 +0200 france-set-to-cut-20000-posts-in-armed-forces