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 prisoner has had six more months tacked onto his sentence after he broadcast live from his cell and fielded questions about life in jail from curious law abiders. https://www.thelocal.fr/20160225/live-from-my-cell-another-french-prisoner-mocks-the-system Thu, 25 Feb 2016 14:42:10 +0100 live-from-my-cell-another-french-prisoner-mocks-the-system Plenty of revellers around the world would have woken up in strange places on New Year’s Day, but at least they got to enjoy a night out first. Not so for one unlucky Frenchwoman who spent the entire evening stuck in a toilet. https://www.thelocal.fr/20140102/frenchwoman-spends-new-years-locked-in-toilet Thu, 02 Jan 2014 18:29:00 +0100 frenchwoman-spends-new-years-locked-in-toilet You can tell a politician is lying when he moves his lips, or so goes the old joke. But one election candidate in south-western France appears to have taken this literally, with a bizarre new campaign ad. See for yourself. https://www.thelocal.fr/20131227/video-french-politicians-bizarre-campaign-ad Fri, 27 Dec 2013 11:45:00 +0100 video-french-politicians-bizarre-campaign-ad The owners of a café in the south of France have struck a blow for good old-fashioned French politeness, with a sign charging extra for customers who forget their manners while ordering their coffee. https://www.thelocal.fr/20131210/photo-of-the-day-french-caf-charges-extra-for-rudeness Tue, 10 Dec 2013 18:56:00 +0100 photo-of-the-day-french-caf-charges-extra-for-rudeness A diner at a McDonald's drive-thru near Paris skipped the usual customer complaints procedure recently, after being served fries he deemed too cold. Instead, the man grabbed an axe and launched into a violent and terrifying attack, according to Le Parisien. https://www.thelocal.fr/20131210/cold-fries-provoke-axe-attack-in-french-mcdonalds Tue, 10 Dec 2013 13:16:00 +0100 cold-fries-provoke-axe-attack-in-french-mcdonalds Prison authorities at a jail in eastern France have been left with some explaining to do after two videos – one showing a dozen inmates doing a particularly enthusiastic version of the Harlem Shake – appeared on YouTube in recent days. https://www.thelocal.fr/20131203/video-harlem-shake-video-puts-spotlight-on-french-prison Tue, 03 Dec 2013 13:04:00 +0100 video-harlem-shake-video-puts-spotlight-on-french-prison Ségolène Royal, the former partner of French President François Hollande, has reacted angrily to the use of her likeness in a controversial billboard campaign advertising a particularly naughty website. https://www.thelocal.fr/20131125/hollande-ex-partner-cheating-adultery-segolene-royal Mon, 25 Nov 2013 11:34:00 +0100 hollande-ex-partner-cheating-adultery-segolene-royal When Luke Harding from Manchester went for a quiet pint with his mate, he only intended to go for "one drink", but he somehow woke up 800 km away in a toilet in Paris, after an epic night out that has taken the web by storm. https://www.thelocal.fr/20131120/englishman-wakes-up-in-paris-after-night-out-in-oldham Wed, 20 Nov 2013 14:00:00 +0100 englishman-wakes-up-in-paris-after-night-out-in-oldham Most Parisians had only one thing on their minds on Tuesday evening – getting home from work in time to watch the football. But a mysterious naked man has left some commuters in the capital baffled and bemused as took a walk along the tracks "au naturel". https://www.thelocal.fr/20131120/mystery-man-takes-naked-stroll-on-paris-metro Wed, 20 Nov 2013 11:53:00 +0100 mystery-man-takes-naked-stroll-on-paris-metro Is this the newest tactic in “hands-on” international relations? Or did someone just become the world’s wealthiest paparazzo? Find out what’s behind this image, which appears to show a cosy breakfast in bed between the leaders of France and Germany. https://www.thelocal.fr/20131114/hollande-merkel-france-germany-photos-breakfast-lemonde-diezeit Thu, 14 Nov 2013 11:29:00 +0100 hollande-merkel-france-germany-photos-breakfast-lemonde-diezeit Last week we had llamas on trams, and now it’s the turn of some other four-legged friends, it would seem, after commuters in Dijon snapped ponies taking a ride on the public transport system. But what were they doing there in the first place? https://www.thelocal.fr/20131112/photo-of-the-day-french-ponies-ride-on-trams Tue, 12 Nov 2013 17:39:41 +0100 photo-of-the-day-french-ponies-ride-on-trams A group of friends in Bordeaux have gained notoriety after they drunkenly kidnapped a circus llama named Serge and were snapped taking him on a late-night tram ride. The circus director has dropped charges against the group, saying he has “nothing against them.” https://www.thelocal.fr/20131104/drunk-french-friends-take-llama-on-tram-ride Mon, 04 Nov 2013 10:48:00 +0100 drunk-french-friends-take-llama-on-tram-ride Learning French in school can be all about the grammar and pronunciation. But the French language is positively packed with some bizarre, hilarious and poetic turns of phrase, that you can use every day to impress the locals, and express exactly what's on your mind. Here's 12 of the best. https://www.thelocal.fr/20131031/top-12-french-expressions-you-wont-learn-at-school Thu, 31 Oct 2013 19:43:00 +0100 top-12-french-expressions-you-wont-learn-at-school Hordes of zombies roam the streets of Paris, covered in blood and gore. Groaning and hissing, they stare straight at you, and shuffle in your direction. Curious what that might look like? Check out these images (if you dare). https://www.thelocal.fr/20131014/zombies-paris-zombie-walk-france-events-walking-dead-world-war-z Mon, 14 Oct 2013 18:46:00 +0200 zombies-paris-zombie-walk-france-events-walking-dead-world-war-z Two Chinese tourists in Paris found themselves in hot water recently with anti-fraud authorities. After paying their €70 hotel bill in €1 coins, police found €3,700 in change in their possession, and arrested them on suspicion of forgery. https://www.thelocal.fr/20131014/one-euro-coins-land-chinese-tourists-in-paris-cell Mon, 14 Oct 2013 15:01:00 +0200 one-euro-coins-land-chinese-tourists-in-paris-cell Alain Robert, the 'French Spiderman,' has conquered his latest target, climbing the 185-metre (607-ft) GDF Suez tower in the La Défense business district of Paris, with the aid of only his climbing shoes and a bag of chalk (see video). https://www.thelocal.fr/20131007/video-french-spiderman-climbs-paris-skyscraper Mon, 07 Oct 2013 11:39:00 +0200 video-french-spiderman-climbs-paris-skyscraper It's an annual tradition: A load of French sportsmen strip off and dirty themselves up while a photographer snaps away. The result is the 'Gods of Stade Francais' calendar, whose proceeds go to charity. The 2014 installment includes someone familiar to people in the UK. So, whose bum is this, anyway? https://www.thelocal.fr/20131002/photo-of-the-day-whose-bum-is-this Wed, 02 Oct 2013 18:02:00 +0200 photo-of-the-day-whose-bum-is-this A bankrupt France tears itself apart into several regions, and one of them marches over the border to Switzerland to get back its stolen money. The Swiss army has this imaginary scenario covered, according to military simulations revealed over the weekend. https://www.thelocal.fr/20130930/swiss-army-trains-for-invasion-by-bankrupt-french Mon, 30 Sep 2013 11:05:00 +0200 swiss-army-trains-for-invasion-by-bankrupt-french A spoof French news website had the last laugh this week after a story that claimed most French men thought the clitoris was a Toyota model, tricked members of the Italian media into mocking the naivité of their Latin rivals in France. https://www.thelocal.fr/20130927/french-clitoris-poll-gorafi-the-onion-italians-fake-news Fri, 27 Sep 2013 15:14:00 +0200 french-clitoris-poll-gorafi-the-onion-italians-fake-news Officials in the French Prime Minister's office have been left red-faced after a tweet intended to enlighten Twitter followers about a new policy dealing with the financing of terrorist groups like Al Qaeda, directed them to, of all things, a steamy lingerie online catalogue. https://www.thelocal.fr/20130813/pms-al-qaeda-tweet-links-to-sexy-lingerie-site Tue, 13 Aug 2013 16:22:00 +0200 pms-al-qaeda-tweet-links-to-sexy-lingerie-site