The Local France

New Year brings changes to daily life in France

Wed, 01 Jan 2014 11:30:00 +0100

Wednesday sees a raft of measures affecting the daily lives of French workers and home-owners. From buying stamps and cigarettes to VAT on cinema tickets, here’s our breakdown on what changes in 2014.

GALLERY: The biggest stories of 2013 in France

Fri, 27 Dec 2013 20:19:00 +0100

2013 was a momentous year in France. We had scandal, war, national triumph, and tragedies at home and abroad, so as we turn the page on to 2014, The Local has picked out the 12 Biggest Stories of 2013 in France.

Economists dub France the 'sick man of Europe'

Tue, 10 Dec 2013 12:15:00 +0100

After a leading economic think-tank dubbed France "the sick man of Europe", claiming nothing has changed in two years, a French economist hits back telling The Local things are changing but it's unrealistic to expect a revolution.

French pension reforms adopted amid protests

Tue, 15 Oct 2013 19:34:00 +0200

France's National Assembly on Tuesday narrowly voted in favour of the Socialist government's controversial pension reform package, with Green and left-wing MPs abstaining from the vote. Thousands marched outside the National Assembly in Paris earlier in the day to protest the reforms.

Goal-shy France under pressure to beat Georgia

Fri, 06 Sep 2013 10:33:00 +0200

France are under pressure to secure a win in their World Cup qualifier against Georgia on Friday night. The fixture would normally be straightforward for Les Bleus but their troubles scoring goals means it could be a tricky night in Tbilisi.

France and Germany remember Nazi atrocity

Wed, 04 Sep 2013 18:43:00 +0200

The German President Joachim Gauck made history on Wednesday when he visited a French village to pay his respects to the victims of the worst Nazi massacre to have taken place in occupied France during World War II.

Report: e-cigarettes are ‘potentially carcinogenic’

Mon, 26 Aug 2013 11:42:00 +0200

Electronic cigarettes are "not as safe" as their manufacturers make them out to be and they are “potentially carcinogenic”, according to a report by a French consumer association which may worry France's one million e-cigarette users.

France forced to defend ban on Islamic veil

Mon, 22 Jul 2013 16:17:00 +0200

France's so-called "Burqa-ban" has once again been making headlines across the globe in recent days after riots were sparked in a Paris suburb when a Muslim woman was stopped by police. On Monday the French government defended the controversial law.

French lefties love 'backdoor sex' - study

Fri, 30 Mar 2012 12:24:39 +0200

Rightwing voters have a "more stable" and "less intense" sex life than leftwing voters, with lefties more likely to have indulged in practices such as anal sex. That’s according to a recent poll on politics and sex in France.

France 'has beaten deficit target' - finance minister

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 13:19:00 +0100

French Finance Minister Francois Baroin confirmed on Tuesday that France had beat its public deficit target for last year, which will come in at 5.3 percent of GDP instead of 5.7 percent.

French MP: gays were never deported by Nazis

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 11:56:00 +0100

Comments made by a member of parliament in Nicolas Sarkozy's UMP party have caused anger and prompted calls from fellow party members that he should be punished.

Gay wedding ceremony aims to push law change

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 09:42:00 +0100

The mayor of the southern Paris suburb of Villejuif will officiate at a marriage between two men on Saturday, although the union will get no legal recognition.

Sarkozy woos voters after euro deal

Fri, 28 Oct 2011 11:41:00 +0200

Fresh from clinching a deal on the euro, French president Nicolas Sarkozy sought to convince voters on Thursday he was best-placed to steer the country ahead of a tough election fight next year.